The pic doesn't do it justice. It's very cute and pretty. It folds up like a tulip when off and opens up when on. It moves a ton of air, much more than I expected. I turn it on when it's hot at work. It really cools me down.
Showing posts with label palm z22 handheld pda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label palm z22 handheld pda. Show all posts
Spring Breeze 611R Portable USB Flower Fan Also Accepts Batteries for Handheld Use (USB Included)
The pic doesn't do it justice. It's very cute and pretty. It folds up like a tulip when off and opens up when on. It moves a ton of air, much more than I expected. I turn it on when it's hot at work. It really cools me down.
Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC H3870 - Handheld - Windows Mobile 2002 - 3.8" color TFT ( 240 x 320 ) - Bluet
I recently purchased the Compaq Ipaq 3870 for personal organization purposes. I also have a Samsung Infuse android, which I purchased just last November, and honestly, so far I am enjoying the almost ancient Ipaq 3870 far more than the android. Being a teenager, I always wanted one of these as a little kid. My mother had a Palm Zire21, and I always admired that thing. I bought my 3870 really just for the heck of it, but never guessed that it would be as useful as it is. I like the fact that it is very similar to a pc interface, and the speed is amazing. I would deffinately suggest purchasing one if you are considering it. I think you will be truly amazed. It is a wonderful piece of equipment for the price, and I would take it over some $500-$700 android anyday.
NEW Tablet Keyboard for Android (Tablets)
This product is excellent and works great with my Galaxy Note 10.1 and the stand/ case works awesome for keeping the keyboard protected while in my backpack.
PalmOne m505 Color Handheld
Much has been written about the poor display on the m505. As the owner of a Cassiopeia E-125, and a former owner of both a Palm IIIc and the Handspring Visor Prism, I think I can help make sense of it all. For ease of reference, here they are in the order of brightness of the display:1. Visor Prism -Absolutely the brightest Palm display out there, including the new Clie n710 and 610 models from Sony. It's active-matrix back-lit display is bright and text is very readable. The expandable modules are a great idea, but I never took advantage of any of them. My only complaint about the Prism is that is was just too darn big and heavy. It's a bit boxy, and just felt like a weight when carried in a shirt pocket. In sum, awesome screen, but mediocre form factor still makes this a winner.
2. E-125 -If you're in the market for a PocketPC, I think this is the way to go. The screen is gorgeous, and Microsoft's clear type font technology is really something. The display has more colors, and is larger than Palm displays, allowing you to really spend some quality time reading books or playing games. The new Windows Media Player 7.1 is also a vast improvement over former versions, and transferring audio files to the unit is a snap. Sound quality is very good, too. I personally prefer the Palm OS -from running apps to hot-syncing, it's so much simpler and faster. Plus, the PocketPC platform is not nearly as stable in my experience. Programs tend to crash far too frequently, usually taking the entire OS down with it. It's also very easy to have too many apps running at once (not all of them have File/Exit menus), leading to a crash when you run out of memory. Finally, although the units do a whole lot more than the Palms, they are also much bigger -no fun at all to carry in a pocket.
In short, if you are really intrigued by the PocketPC -hey, different strokes. But if you're a Palm user and happy with the platform, there really isn't a reason to switch, unless multimedia is essential ....
3. Palm IIIc -not as many out there as there used to be, but still worth a look if you can find one. Zippy and attractive, this unit is relatively bright and clear, but not nearly as bright as the Prism. One thing the IIIc and the Prism have that the m505 does not is a brightness control (hold down the power button and the brightness meter appears, giving you control over whether to save power or let it shine). But it comes standard with a serial cradle (ugh!) meaning you'll have to pay extra for a USB cradle, and it's a bit boxy and has a plastic feel to it for my taste. The model has also been discontinued, raising questions about investing in old Palm technology.
4. Palm m505 -First, I must address the rumors that units manufactured outside the U.S. (i.e., in Hungary) are not as bright as the U.S. models. I've seen both U.S. and Hungary models, and there is no difference in the brightness of the display. Check out the m505 FAQs at Palm's web site, where they address this by stating that the rumors are false, and that identical components are used regardless of where manufactured.
Next, it's true, this display is the worst of the four units discussed here. But if you consider this model as an m500 (the monochrome version) with color, you won't be disappointed. Side by side, the m505 is much easier to read from all different angles than is the m500. And the color really does enhance the user experience, especially when the unit comes with a terrific app like MGI's mobile photo suite. Who wants to see digital pix on a grey-scale Palm? For the extra $... that Palm charges for a color display, it's just a no-brainer. Color is worth it! I also found that after a few days using this model, my eyes adjusted to the screen, and it was a pleasure to use. Still, Palm might have found a better balance between power conservation and the birghtness on this display -they erred on the side of conservation, which, based on the reviews right here on Amazon, wasn't the way to go to satisfy most users.
Notwithstanding the slightly disappointing screen, the m505 is my choice for daily use. For one, it ships with v.4 of the Palm OS and Desktop for Windows, as well as numerous other bonus apps (Palm Reader, AOL for Palm, and Documents to Go v. 3, to name a few). It also comes standard with a USB cradle, and is both PC and Mac compatible (as are Visors, but not PocketPCs or the Sony Clie, which are PC only).
The m505 also offers the SDD/MMC slot for memory and software cards, and neat innovation that works like a charm (my m505 came with the GamesPack card).
Finally, the m505 carries on the legendary form factor of the V/Vx models, which ultimately makes this the best PDA for me. Even with the optional Palm slim leather m505 case, the entire thing fits in my shirt pocket with room to spare. It's tiny and attractive, and every button has wonderful, snappy tactile response. The thing just feels great in your hand, and the craftsmanship really shows.
The bottom line -you've really got to go out to a retailer and compare these babies side by side. This model won't be for everyone, especially folks who want to read novels or write lengthy documents directly on their Palm device. For everyday contact and schedule info, and occasional reading and writing, the m505 is a definite winner in my book. A slightly brighter screen would make it perfect and worthy of 5 stars!
However, I'm facinated in that the screen is clear and readable no matter what the lighting situation may be. When walking down a corridor or past windows, you never 'lose' the image like I did on my former greyscale and color devices. There was also no hint of streaking or banding.
Enough about the screen. The reason I bought it was because of the expansion. I can now travel with EVERY application I need, including my spreadsheets, relational databases, ebooks, and mapping software. I could only fill it up by loading multimedia clips and movie trailers. When it comes to making sure your data is safe, I can now carry a full system backup in my wallet. You insert the backup card in your Palm and two buttons pop up on the screen; Backup and Restore. Forget the manual! I should probably mention that you can put more than just Palm files on the card. Just drop any file into the Palm installer, send it to the card, and you have it with you. An extra trick when you get to that out of town meeting? Click on that special file and email your materials as attachments using McFile.
I don't really have to mention size, you can slip it in your pocket without looking like you are stealing bricks for your diveway. Even though it is more solid than other handhelds I've owned (this is my 5th), I find myself being more careful due to it's size.
One thing I was not expecting was the extra speed. If you don't know anyone with a Pocket PC (I have friends and coworkers with them), then go down to a local store and try out a Pocket PC with the 505 by it's side. You will be surprised by how sluggish most of them seem. I had to use a utility to slow the Palm down to get the responsiveness of the PPC's (HP Jordana was used in actual testing). Taking that same utility, you can crank the speed up to 50Mhz, which is the equivalent of above 300Mhz on a Pocket PC, and really watch it fly. Watch the battery though... you don't get as good mileage with your foot on the floor like that.
Hotsyncing was also drastically different. A normal hotsync take 12 seconds. Sometimes I do it twice because I did not see the first one, even though it says it did. A full reload from the desktop computer used to take me about 55 minutes. A reload to the M505 takes 9 minutes, including backup and verification.
On the downside, the battery life is not as good as the IIIc, which had a huge battery. Size does have it's tradeoffs, and Palm would have had to give up the expansion slot or vibrating alert to get more battery in there. Most users can expect about 2 weeks of use from a single charge, if they they don't watch too much video. But I should also mention that this is a concern only if you hotsync once every two weeks. The M505 soaks up a charge faster than any device I've known. In testing, it went from a 10% battery level to 53% in two minutes. Given time to stabilize, the voltage level evened out at 48%, so I imagine you would have to purposely avoid the cradle in order for the thing to even get low in the first place. If you do kill the battery by ignoring the many warnings which begin at 10%, it will not turn on. This is to protect your data, which will be safe for another week... but THAT'S something I'm not going to test!
Buy PalmOne m505 Color Handheld Now
This is my third Palm, so I am obviously sold on the usefulness of the little machines! If you are a busy person--not necessarily a BUSINESS person, but a person who has a busy life, and has to remember lots of information, keep lots of appointments, etc., I believe you will fall in love with these devices if you try them. I use mine for the traditional purposes of keeping track of appointments and recording phone numbers, but also to put reminders to myself in the future, such as "rebalanace mutual funds in IRA" twice a year. I also use this as a memory bank for odd little bits of information I may find useful, by recording the information in a note, along with several key words I will think of when I want to remember the specifics months later. I search for the keywords, and there is the note, displayed so I can see it.As to the specifics of this particular Palm, the two main advantages it has over the Palm V series are color, and the ability to use memory cards that can be inserted into the device. Bluntly, I am unimpressed with the color. You can use Palm m505 to display color photographs, but the display is not bright enough or large enough for this to be a good way to show off your pictures. I have hopes that the color will be useful when I acquire mapping software later, but I haven't done that yet.
So far I haven't used the memory cards as anything but an expanded memory, but Palm and other providers are already offering memory cards with all sorts of programming included--Huge databases of tourist information on cities, maps, game programs, and all sorts of things. It looks like this will be good, if your needs extend to that.
I highly recommend this product if you are buying your first PDA, or if you have a very old one (Palm III or something) you want to upgrade. If you have a Palm V or Palm Vx, I'd suggest waiting to upgrade unless you have a burning need for the memory cards.
Read Best Reviews of PalmOne m505 Color Handheld Here
I bought my Palm m505 in Sept. 2001, now it is less than 5 months later and I have experienced the Hot Sync problems everyone else is talking about. When I contacted Palm, they said they know about the defect and have corrected it, but in the meantime, I spent $478 for a NEW palm pilot that DOESN'T work and the only thing Palm will do for me is send me (at my cost of $25) a REFURBISHED replacement. Seems like someone is getting a good deal here, and it's not me. I will never buy a Palm product again. Additionally, the color screen is terrible without the backlight on. I am sorely disappointed.Want PalmOne m505 Color Handheld Discount?
BrightI used to have a Windows CE device, the Nokia 9110 palmtop/mobile phone and still have a Palm IIIc. I read a lot of bad things about the M505 color display. After using it very often in the last couple of weeks (car travel, planes, office, etc.) I can't believe that people say the display is a problem. This is far better then my PIIIc. For sure the contrast on the display are less impressive (you getting used to it) but it works in all light conditions. I only use the backlight in about 10% of the time. Sometimes you have to swivel the Palm screen towards a light source to read the display correctly without the backlight (it saves battery).. Outside, this display is incredible clear, with my PIIIc I always had to increase the intensity of the screen to see something.
It is also much faster then the PIIIc, this M505 is really fast. The software included with it is really cool, easy to use Excel and Word document reader. Ebook, Photosuite software to name a few.
Because of the negative commands on this site on the M505 I almost bought a M500. Lucky I didn't do because I heard now that the M500 is slower (It has the same processor but the screen updates slower).
Compared to the PIIIc, I would say the M505 is:
Smaller with less weight. (it fits in my wallet).
Faster.
More software.
Integrated SD slot is really useful, I never thought it would be (8Mbyte RAM with a few family pictures is could becoming a problem).
Better display ( better in both very dark and bright light situations). Even in this small size, the battery get me running for longer then 10 hours, thanks to Color LCD technology Palm is using (simular to the PIIIc).
Now I can write on my palm in complete darkness also because now my Silkscreen lights up.
This unit is ready for the bluetooth wireless technology, which will be available from Palm at the end of the year.
Faster USB hotsync transfer. (only important for Aventgo website syncing I found).
Save 66% Off
Aquapac Flip-Phone Case
What else can I say after replacing my husband's phone because he set it on the floor of his boat, which due to a small leak developed about an inch or so of water in the bottom, I knew he had to have some extra protection. Ok so he knew better, and didn't know what to do when he realized the phone was wet (should've taken the battery out) but, even knowing what to do won't always save your phone. He fishes in rainy weather, has a leaky boat, and is just plain hard on his phones. I purchased this and it's comfortable to wear around his neck, and the phone is still easy to use while still in the case. He has not tried using the camera yet through the case, but he doesn't use that much anyway. The only reason I took a star away is that closing it properly is not always easy. It is a minor drawback really, but you must make sure that it's sealed right when closing the "tabs". All in all, it does what it should and I would certainly buy this again.
Red Pink Flower Heart Rubberized Snap on Hard Skin Shell Protector Cover Case for Htc Mytouch 3g Sl
I really like it I would of put 5 stars but I put 4 stars cause the paint or desgihn is coming of.
rooCASE Neoprene Netbook Sleeve Case Toshiba NB505-N508TQ 10.1-Inch Netbook Turquoise - Spring Butt
I bought this for my daughter's new Acer 10.1 net book. It fits perfectly. She is able to put her power cord and wireless mouse in the zipper compartment and the mouse pad in with the laptop. I'm definitely glad I bought the case with the handle! It makes us feel more secure when she takes her net book places. No Complaints!Save 75% Off
PDair Leather case for Motorola DROID X MB810 - Vertical Pouch Type (Black)
I like the overall design of this case. However, it would be better if there were a soft lining inside to cushion the screen. I bought the case to protect the screen while it's in my purse. However, since there is no lining at all, especially since the phone fits so tightly, I'm concerned that the screen will be scuffed with use over time.
Buy PDair Leather case for Motorola DROID X MB810 - Vertical Pouch Type (Black) Now
My motivation for purchasing this pouch was to reduce the damage to the surfaces of my phone whilst it is in my pocket, in which I also carry a car key, nail clippers, a Swiss Army Knife(tm) I suspect you get the idea while not greatly increasing the bulk of the phone with a semi-permanently attached rubberized case.The leather of which the pouch is made is soft and supple, and the stitching is flawless. This is a beautiful product, manufactured of, and packaged and shipped in, very high-quality materials.
Shipping time was far shorter than estimated. It arrived ten days after I placed the order, despite shipping updates telling me to expect it up to thirty days after the order date. Be aware that, as this item is shipped directly from overseas, you may have to sign a delivery receipt, so prepare to be present when it is delivered, or to travel to the local Post Office to sign for and claim it.
I read a complaint of the interior of the pouch not being soft: this is a trivial matter. The body of the phone will not be damaged by the interior of the pouch in any way, and the face of the phone is Gorilla Glass(tm) and therefore is all but impossible to damage with the materials used in this pouch. Another complaint I read was that the design of the case prevents attaching a charging cable to the phone whilst the phone is in the case. The solution suggested was to cut the elastic webbing which comprises the side of the case. A far simpler solution, which requires no modification, is to insert the phone into the case top first. This way, the charging port is accessible, with the additional benefit of reducing the likelihood of the phone accidentally slipping from the case.
This pouch was purchased specifically for a Motorola Droid X, but I personally inserted a Motorola Droid RAZR phone into the case and determined that it, too, fits perfectly despite its being slightly larger.Started using this type of case with a Blackberry Curve(it came with the phone) and found that liked this style of phone carry so after getting a Droid X I searched for the same type. Found the PDAIR site and have been totally happy with everything except the price but you get what you pay for grandaddy always said! Some of the other reviews listed the inner liner as a concern but I dont see the issue, The outside is some super soft leather and but the insides made of some sort of slippery synthetic swede and has not harmed my screen in the 2 years I have used it. "cant charge while in the pouch" this is accurate but a little snip of the elastic would uncover the charge port i would never charge my phone while in the pouch anyway,I would be worried about the heat build up. I have purchased 3 of these direct from pdair in Hong Kong for myself and family ,its a quality product and a great company to deal with. Will be getting one of these again when I upgrade to the Razr Maxx.
Want PDair Leather case for Motorola DROID X MB810 - Vertical Pouch Type (Black) Discount?
Great case for someone who loves their DROID X. The only reason it didn't receive 5 stars is because the phone cannot be charged while in the case. other than that 1 flaw, the case is made from (seems like) high quality leather and a flexible band on the sides. a bit pricey but good investment to take care of your DROID. Highly recommended.
rooCASE Netbook Carryin Bag for Acer Cromia AC761 11.6-Inch HD Chromebook Wi-Fi 3G - VersaSport Ser
The case is very protective and I feel my new chromebook is very safe in there. The drawbacks are that the features are not that help full. The cellphone pocket in the front is neat but not many cell phones will fit. I do use it for a wireless mouse. The front pocket is very small but does fit the powercord but not much else. The other minor annoyance is that when I put my chromebook the top zipper gets caught and I need to take my finger and uncatch it before I can zip it.-bj
Save 42% Off
rooCASE Executive Portfolio (Black) 100% Genuine Leather Case Cover with Landscape / Portrait View
I searched high and low for a tablet case for my new Asus Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700T), but everything seemed to be geared towards Apple products! UGH! I was discouraged until I found this rooCASE on Amazon. I am beyond thrilled with it! I am a real estate agent and will be using my Transformer for business. This case is very well constructed and offers a professional look with flexibility of use. Being able to remove the tablet, from the case, with protective cover on it is fabulous. I like the "kick stand" for angled viewing and the zipped up case feels good to carry. Once the case is zipped up, the tablet is "incognito", as you can't tell it's a tablet case. . . BONUS! The only thing I do not like is the strong chemical smell is has; that will fade away in time, so it still gets FIVE STARS!! :)
Dropped the tablet couple of times with only the inner protector and no problems at all.
Leather, stylish, excellent.First the Bad
you need to flip your tablet and leave the case unzipped to charge,, I wish they put a Removable charging port plug on the Spine
the rest of the bad is that this is for your tablet ONLY, that's it, there are so many upsides to this case that they far out weigh the bad
Now The Good
The Case is High Quality and blows away anything on the market
When zipped you have 360x360 degree protection
When cased your screen is reinforced by the thickness of the case
I'd rather drop my tablet in this case than any other on the market with the exception of the GumDrop
your tablet is Easily removable from the outer case
at the airport you can put your license, passport,a credit card and ticket inside the case and leave every thing else in your carry on or purse
oh and let me say this I have 4 cases my wife's tf101 came with a case, immediately bought this case, my tf700 came with a case and I immediately bought this case, so out of four cases I own 2 of the RooCase executive cases and couldn't be happier with them.
As for durability, I use my tablet from time to time , a tablet will never replace a laptop ,, that said my wife who could not turn on a laptop loves her tablet so much that I swear its permanently attached to her arm, she has had her 101 encased in this RooCase for close to 2years she takes it every where she goes,, SHE IS A CLUTZ, she isn't care full in the least and has dropped 2 cell phones in toilet so far to give you an idea ,, and her tablet still looks brand new oh and the case still looks like NEW after 2 years of hard use. Thanks to this case..
Do yourself a favor add the extra 20 or 30 dollars it's well worth it, the main problem with the cheaper cases is that the corner of you tablets are exposed ,, hitting a tablet on the screen and hitting it on the corner are the 2 fastest ways to crack the DIGITIZER , ie: your screen...
If all you need is to protect your tablet. This is the best Case for your tablet, Hands down, bar none..Stop looking and buy it. your only other real choice is a GumDrop, the rest are garbage and a waste of money
Save 43% Off
August MS310P MP3 Portable Mini Speaker with LED Flashing Light and Built-In Rechargeable Batteries
When i got this i was like theres no way this can be very loud. Then i plugged it into my ipod touch and it filled the whole room like regular computer speakers. Was pretty amazed by something so tiny can play such loud music. Good quality also. Great for on the go. But if u want something more permanent to use on a regular basis I would suggest getting real computer speakers.
Skque 3 Pack of Touch Screen Stylus Pen (Red + Black + Silver) for iPhone4 / 3GS / 3G, iPad and iPo
Inexpensive..lightweight..useful after having destroyed the $20 pens that have been given to me. I don't feel badly if I ruin one of these, or share one with a friend and they do not return them.
WCI Quality Mini Handheld Wireless Presenter Keyboard With Touch Mouse Pad, Laser Pointer And IR Re
I know others have complained about the durability of these types of remotes (i.e., they have a tendency to just inexplicably stop working after a month or two of use), and I had the same complaint with one I bought a couple of years ago. After one month of use with this one, however, everything seems to work just fine. The track pad isn't the most precise or sensitive pad in the world, but it gets the job done and only rarely fails to registers taps. Having the programmable IR buttons is a pretty cool bonus, and setting these up is about as easy as could be.
The price is exceptional.
Sandisk 64 MB Memory Stick (SDMS64800)
How many pictures will it store? It is the most commonly asked question from digital camera enthusiast but usually the question that is the most difficult to get a straight answer about. Well, considering I worked in the memory industry for over 7 years I can help clarify this perplexing question and do so unbiased as I have since changed industries.The Sandisk 64MB Memory Stick, like most 64MB cards, will store on average 71 pictures when used with a 2 megapixel camera, 53 images when used with a 3 megapixel camera, 32 pictures when used with a 4 megapixel camera, 25 images when used with a 5 megapixel camera, and 20 pictures when used with a 6 megapixel camera. These numbers are based off the assumption that you are going to shoot your images at the highest quality JPEG setting available for the camera and understand that they are estimates and may be off by as much as 10 percent due to numerous factors including the complexity of the scene being shot and the compression algorithm used by your specific camera.
I truly hope this review was helpful to you in determining whether this card is the right capacity for your specific needs.
iKross Foldable Mini Stand + EveCase Black Folio PU Leather Stand Cover Case + Neoprene Zipper Pouc
There are no instructions to go with how to setup this mini keyboard. It comes with a small disk that won't even fit in a regular laptop. I;m not sure what I need to do with it. Everytime I try to connect to the keyboard it gives me a password number to put it but there is no where to put it in. Please help....
the keyboard is a little smaller then i expected but works well and was ease to connect
iShoppingdeals - Vehicle Cigarette Lighter Power Car Charger for Sony e-Reader Pocket Edition PRS-3
- (Non OEM) Auto Charger
- (12~24v DC), 1000mA
- Takes Approx. 1-2 Hours to Fully Charge
I was so glad that I would be able to charge my Sony EReader while traveling in the car.It arrived quickly,charges my Sony E-Reader like a dream. Very happy with it. Wish I had bought it sooner. Would definitely use these sellers again.
WWS500 SCANNER BLUETOOTH
I have used this scanner for scanning the UPC codes on beer packages on site in retail accounts. The initial setup was a little difficult. I gave it the ole' college try and had to basically teach myself the ASCII language to program the scanner, which in the end was interesting at the least. I had several questions about the setup so I decided to call Wasp. The experience with the customer support, although friendly, was not very useful. The customer service agent flat out told me "I don't know" to my questions. Defiantly not something you want to hear! If you don't know then who will? In the end I took the initiative and made this scanner do what I needed it to do. I would recommend this product to anyone in the market for one. The battery life is great. It is very light weight and ergonomical. Be prepared for somewhat of a learning curve with ASCII.
Buy WWS500 SCANNER BLUETOOTH Now
Does exactly what I wanted, enter bar codes into Data Base. Works well with poor and smudged codes, good range. Long battery life between recharges. Probably will do a lot more than I require of it.Update 12/15/2012 Still works and is quite helpful, but;
OFTEN dropps connection with computer. Usually take 15 mins of fiddling with, then all is OK. Not a computer whiz, I have no idea why.
Read Best Reviews of WWS500 SCANNER BLUETOOTH Here
Bought this scanner for our annual school library inventory a little over 2 years ago. From the get go it had a hard time being paired with the laptop. Customer Service was very nice every time I called to get help. They were very willing to troubleshoot and get it working again.Just went out of its 2 year warranty less a month ago. Now it will not hold a charge nor stay paired with the laptop for more than an hour. Sent it back to WASP at my cost. They were supposed to contact me after looking at it, instead it was sent back without talking to me with a note saying that it tested fine. Today it worked for less than 30 minutes. We will have to buy a new scanner and it will not be a WASP. It was too expensive to have it not working barely 2 years after it was bought when it is only used twice for less than a month at a time.
NeatReceipts Scanalizer Professional 2.5 Mobile Scanner and Software
My only concern is that the included scanner could be quicker. Other than that, the product is quite good. I don't particularly care for its contact management features, but others might.A little bit of background about me: I am a software developer for contact management add-ons for Outlook. As Neatreceipts uses MSDE for its backend database, I can actually tap into that database directly and integrate it better with my application.
I primarily use it to scan business cards. I get a lot of business cards and it is critical to get them into my Outlook as quickly as possible. Neatreceipts actually is remarkably accurate at recognizing the text on most business cards.
Neatreceipts also has features to automatically recognize text on colored background and how to combat the very light ink syndrome. In short, the fancier the card, the more painful it is to scan in. :-)
Prior to choosing this product, I considered other products as well. I wanted a portable scanner that could also scan in documents in addition to cards. This scanner does the job superbly. Additionally, Neatreceipts software will work with your other scanners, which is handy if you already have a high speed scanner.
I very strongly recommend this product to those who are tired of manually entering business cards.
I promised some tips.
Tip #1
It may be tempting to use the "Meeting Point" field to actually record that place of meeting. If you are like me and want that information to transfer to Outlook as a category, you'll be surprised that the field that is actually mapped to Outlook Categories is "Contact Type" and not "Meeting Point". In other words, record your place of meeting as a category choice in the "Contact Type" field to automatically export that record with a specific category.
I find that to be far more useful.
Tip #2
If you are scanning in documents that are not receipts, simply turn off the Scanalizing feature. This should significantly speed up the process. To do that, go to Tools -> Personalize, and then click on Rules. Then turn off the "Neatscan" checkbox.
Tip #3
While scanning business cards, just hit the scan button for the next card. As long as you are not looking at the "back" side of the card, the product will automatically assume that you are scanning in a new card.
Tip #4
Scanning business cards is faster if you feed them length-wise. The software will automatically rotate the image regardless of how you originally feed the cards. That means you don't have to spend time aligning the cards.
Tip #5
Every time you hit that "Scan" button on the scanner, the software will create a new record. You'll want to go through the records and delete duplicate records. You will do that by right-clicking on the right-most portion of the record's row and choosing Delete.
Tip #6
Be sure to backup the database frequently. Your records are automatically stored in a standard SQL database, so it is critical that this database is backed up.
This product fills a great little niche for those of us with home businesses that need some help keeping track of our expenses and contacts. But don't expect the world from this product. First, it hasn't been out that long, so yes, there is definate room for improvement. The scans sometimes don't work, and yes, the software does hangup sometimes. But considering what this product does for me, I can live with that. Also, the real beauty of this is the software it comes with that has some great reporting functions. You will be able to hand your tax preparer all your expenses in a tidy report.
The reports alone will save me a ton of time. And I love the business card scanning. I'm one of those who just came back from a week long conference with a ton of cards I normally would have just pitched after awhile, even though it will definately be an asset to my business to be able to contact these people. I was able to scan them in and export them easily into Outlook in a short amount of time. SWEET!
Now, to address some other people's concerns I saw in other reviews:
First, I have no idea what they meant about having to reboot the system 3 times. Mine didn't need to reboot at all, although it did inform me that a reboot may be needed in a couple of spots. And the software was a breeze to install. I have also seen no affect on the performance of my machine, and I run a TON of software and hardware. This may be because I have an up to date system with plenty of memory.
Second, the software does hangup sometimes and lose all your data since your last save if you scan too many times in a row. Just save your data by doing a backup every few scans it only takes a few seconds. Also, you will be prompted during the setup to be part of a test group that can provide feedback on the product join it. This is a relatively new product that is a real timesaver help the company fix the bugs in the product instead of just complaining about them.
Third, make sure you perform all the upgrades it prompts you for, before you actually start scanning anything. This alone will save you a ton of headaches. And don't forget to do the calibration. While we're on the subject, the program will start a little tutorial program after you install it take a few minutes to go through it and you will save yourself a lot of headaches.
Fourth, the accuracy of the scans is completely related to how good your original is. I scanned business cards with dark type on either a dark or light background and got 100% accuracy. The accuracy rate dropped to about 90% if the card or receipt had light print or any damage to it. Did I have to do some typing yes, but not a lot. And hey, each field it fills in is one I don't have to type myself.
Fifth, yes you do have to give the receipt or card a little push most times to get it to start the scan. HELLO this is a sheetfed scanner! If you can show me another sheetfed scanner where this doesn't happen, I'd be very surprised.
The software easily uses any scanner on your system (I have 3) so just use another scanner if a particular reciept or business card gives you trouble. I would not recommend buying this as the sole scanner for your system sheetfed scanners do have limited abilities.
In short folks, this is a great little product, but it isn't perfect yet. I am computer savvy and able to deal with the little hiccups it throws my way without any trouble. If you are one of those people challenged using scanners or computers in general, then this product is not for you. But if you have no trouble in these areas, then this baby can save you a ton of time and you can then throw away those shoeboxes of receipts and business cards you have.
Buy NeatReceipts Scanalizer Professional 2.5 Mobile Scanner and Software Now
As a "road warrior", managing my travel expenses has always been a time-consuming chore. And the occasional lost receipt as well as non-billable expenses incurred while traveling (which are nevertheless tax-deductible)have probably cost me hundreds of dollars each year.I wondered whether this device would really be more effective than a regular photocopier/scanner and the answer has been a resounding YES. The software is very intuitive and it is now a snap to process all my receipts and develop my monthly expense reports. The software is very well designed and allows you to split receipts, drag and drop from one expense report to another and indicate whether an expense is personal or billable (which means I am now capturing ALL my travel expenses.)
My only criticism is that there isn't a way to just manually enter expenses for tips. I work around that by creating a hand-written receipt for tips for each trip. Hopefully they'll address this in a future software update.
I am recommending this to all the other consultants in my company -after all, if you save one potentailly billable hour of time, it has more than paid for itself!
Read Best Reviews of NeatReceipts Scanalizer Professional 2.5 Mobile Scanner and Software Here
Despite the ballyhooed compatibility with Quicken (which is why I bought this product), the export format is a now out-of-date *.QIF file which was phased out by Intuit sometime during the Quicken 2005 era. The only use of *.QIF files in Quicken 2006 or 2007 is for a cash account import, so scanning in receipts from credit card or debit card transactions is a "no go" unless you make a dummy cash account in Quicken, then recategorize each entry after import. After my query to NeatReceipts tech support about this pseudo-compatibility with Quicken, the only answer I got was a reminder that if it was less than 30 days from my purchase I could get my money back for the Scanalyzer.I strenuously take issue with the "review" posted by the customer support representative from NeatReceipts; the employee gave a 5-star review while posting information about a software patch. This creates a bogus inflation of the Amazon.com product rating by a company representative.
To round out my review, the scanner does function well. Importing business cards is relatively easy as long as the format of the business card is traditional. The software update adding color to the scans was welcome.
In summary, don't fall prey to the claims of Quicken compatability at this point. If you're looking to document your expenses for a business trip this is probably not a bad option, unless you have to reenter the data at some point. Although I haven't tried it yet, Quicken 2007 is purported to interface with a scanner to attach receipt images to each entry. Maybe they'll get it right--NeatReceipts hasn't yet. . .
Want NeatReceipts Scanalizer Professional 2.5 Mobile Scanner and Software Discount?
This scanner exceeded my expectations. It is very fast, especially if you scan receipts sideways (it automatically rotates them). It is also wide enough to scan letter-size paper, perfect for packing slips and receipts printed from online purchases. It's also very small (less than 2" wide, 1.25" high and 11" long).The image adjustment tools are basic, mainly lightness and darkness. It would be nice if there were more advanced options, but they're really not necessary. I've only had difficulty with extremely faded receipts.
As for the OCR technology, it's better than I expected, but not quite perfect. It works very well with good quality receipts that use a standard format and font. If the receipt is yellow, faded, stylized, or very wrinkled, you will probably have to manually enter most information, but it's very easy and fast to do that. The best part is that the OCR seems to learn. It remembers the type of expense (e.g. meals) that you enter for a vendor and automatically enters it the next time it sees the same vendor. It's very easy to personalize the already extensive lists of vendors, purchase types, and expense purposes. My only complaint with that is there doesn't seem to be a way to delete more than one vendor at a time, and there are a LOT of pre-loaded vendors I'll certainly never use.
The business card reader is very good, unless the card has unusual graphics or background images. It's very consistent. It allows you to scan the backs of cards into the same entry. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to run the OCR software on the back of the card to add to the information already gathered from the front. This isn't an issue on most cards, though.
Overall, it's very fast, intuitive and easy to use. Highly recommended.
A word of warning: When you first install it, run the cleaning sheet and the calibration sheet through it before you try to scan anything. It can do some very strange things if you don't use the cleaning sheet.
MicroVision SHOWWX Classic Laser Pico Projector for iPod
I received my ShowWx Laser Pico Projector from Device Plus in Madrid, Spain about a month ago. I had to get it there because it was not for sale yet in the U.S. It is an absolutely mind-blowing projector that easily hooks up to a myriad of devices, including iPods, iPhones, digital cameras (with video out function), and laptops (with the optional VGA Dock). It is very small and lightweight truly pocket-sized and can project video and pictures with stunning clarity and color.Because it is a laser device, there is never any need to focus the display. You can project on uneven surfaces, around corners, on ceilings or clothing or a sandy beach at night. The size of the image depends upon the distance between the projector and the surface it is projecting on in a demo I did on YouTube, I projected onto a white wall in a dark room from a distance of 8 feet, and the diagonal size of the projection was 8 feet in other words, the equivalent of a 96-inch screen! Even at 8 feet, the picture was still amazing (if you'd like to see, just go to YouTube and search on "ShowWxDemoMar2010.wmv." I think your jaw will drop!
The battery life on the ShowWx is advertised to be about an hour and 40 minutes, give or take. I haven't tested it but others have and, dependent on what's being displayed and the brightness setting, they have found it to be between 105 and 110 minutes. The ShowWx comes with a USB as well as a wall charger, plus all the cables for hooking up to various devices. You will have to purchase a VGA Dock if you want to project with a laptop, and that costs around $50.
While road warriors and lecturers will find the ShowWx to come in very handy for presentations, I think the best thing about the ShowWx is its WOW Factor. It comes out of your pocket and throws a vivid, bright, always in-focus image on any available surface. Of course it works best in a totally dark room, particularly when going large with the image, and it's best on a white surface, but even in higher lighting, you can still get an amazing picture as you draw nearer to the projection surface. I have blown some people's minds projecting a music video on an 8x11 sheet of paper in a brightly lit environment. I think teens and young people will flock to this technology at least, well-to-do young people, since it is pricey at $549. But the ShowWx puts many other projectors to shame, and you can slip it in your pocket.
It is not a perfect product, seeing as there is a slight "bowtie" effect where the edges of the projection bow ever-so-slightly in on the four sides. There is also an occasional line of light that displays below the image I've been told is some sort of calibration effect, but I've only seen it once or twice, it's not very bright and, given the brilliant display, it is hardly noticeable. Other discussions of the ShowWx by the few who actually HAVE one differ on whether this calibration line is there at all some say they've seen it, others say they haven't. I say it's not a big deal at all.
But the image put out by this projector is stunning it's not HD, but it is WVGA (848 x 480). It won't replace your high-def t.v., but it is absolutely the coolest thing you can pull out of your pocket. You can watch movies on your ceiling, show pictures of your family on a restaurant wall, or give a presentation in an elevator or on a plane. It doesn't have any speakers you can plug in with ear buds for your own entertainment or hook it up to a sound dock if many people are watching. I have to say, it is a really mind-boggling product and you simply won't believe that something this small can produce images this big, clear and bright. I highly recommend it.
Despite not putting the product through a more than 1 day test, I can say that this projector is FAR superior than anything LED based. The contrast ratio is said to be "greater than 5000:1" and although I don't have a viable way to check, it seems much higher than that of my LED-based pico projector which states "1000:1."
BRIGHTNESS: The light output is said to be ~ 10 lumens, about the same as the LED-based projectors. HOWEVER, in practice this laser projector seems way brighter. my educated guess is that maybe laser-based light sources do not disperse as much of the light to waste while traveling to the surface projected on.
Overall I'm very happy. I'll try to take some decent photos and/or videos and post them here.
P.S. This projector can readily connect to any TV-out or VGA source (such as a laptop.) I plan to try this soon.
Buy MicroVision SHOWWX Classic Laser Pico Projector for iPod Now
took a lot of time trying to decide which one is better.. ended up buying both .. ya i know..ShowWX..Brightness: 4/5, Color 5/5, picture quality 2/5
PK301..Brightness: 3/5, Color 4/5, picture quality 5/5
------
what i liked most about the ShowWX: smaller size, can recharge from USB, better battery life, no focus required
what i didnt like: no flash memory (can only play off of a source), no VGA, need to buy the add-on which takes away the size advantage, is not good for reading text (blurry, just not clear, and gave me a headache just to look at it)
------
what i like most about PK301: VGA out of the box, has built in memory and can take up to 8GB of memory (maybe more), monitor like text quality, you can easily use this as a PC monitor, read clear text, and way better to watch movies.
what i didnt like about it: the buttons.. will need to move the projector every time you need to press a button
-----
Bottom line.. PK301 clear winner in all aspects .. especially if you want to watch movies with or without a PC.. and its cheaper. ShowWX.. sorry the technology is not ready yet. Hope this helps.
Read Best Reviews of MicroVision SHOWWX Classic Laser Pico Projector for iPod Here
My ShowWX review hooked to my iPhone 3GSAll video displayed was streaming via YouTube.
The packaging is first rate. Excellent presentation. Unpacked my Show, batteries (yes I ordered a second) assorted cables, wrist strap, carry sack and the instructions. As with other electronics, these days, I found the instruction to be OK. I am an experienced tech savvy guy who would still like to see a more robust set of written instructions and suggestions on use, with my devices. I am sure less technical users would appreciate them as well. Old school I guess. The Show's instructions were however clearly written and laid out. Plugged in the charger and proceeded to charge as per instruction, until the light turns green from orange. About 2 hrs. I got very excited when the light turned green. Seems like I had been starring at it the whole time it was charging.
Changed the settings on my iPhone to allow for video out. Turned my ShowWX on before plugging in the cable, for which the instructions are very very clear about the order of connections (I have a slight problem with this which I will explain).
You must wait for the blinking blue light to stop flashing. No problem figuring out when it is ready, because in a darkened room, the Splash Page appears big and bright as can be. Somewhat shocking at first. Next step is to hook up your iPhone (iPod) cable to the Show and then your iPhone.
***My slight problem with the order of connections required for the Show to detect connections is the fact that the splash page is beaming away constantly while making those connections. There should be a way to turn the unit off, without projecting a beam. The only way right now, is to block the front of the unit. Minor issue but I am sure that will addressed with next generation builds. After all this is just an interim device that was built to facilitate the ramp.
The Splash Page was so vibrant and color saturated I felt confined by my living room and felt I needed a larger space to play so I immediately moved the Show outdoors. Projecting the Splash Page on the side of our four story townhomes, is some sight to behold. Like a neon billboard. The picture gets big fast. It is amazing how big the picture is just several feet away from a surface. Let me tell you 200" is big. Makes your big screen 55" living room TV appear confined and extremely small.
Wrote this last night on first impressions "First thing to do when you get your ShowWX is go outside at night and throw the splash page up on the side of a building. Impressive attention getter. Now that you have their undivided attention play a YouTube video of Stevie Windwood and Eric Clapton concert footage performing Can't Find My Way Home. Had portable speakers hooked to the iPhone while streaming the video on the side of my garage door. The block was ready to break out the popcorn and watch a movie.
The splash page retains its vivid color and sharp picture qualities and gets big fast. That's what truly is impressive to me is how fast the picture gets big just a few feet from the projection unit. The throw ratio is excellent. At night it looks like a neon billboard. A 150"-200" picture is a breeze and is astounding when you realize how you are doing it. "
After my neighborhood Show I went back indoors. Sitting on my couch at the far end of my living room streaming/projecting towards the opposite end of the room on the ceiling has an unusual effect. Bruce Springsteen performing All Along the Watchtower appeared like video screens high up on a concert stage. Sort of like he was just floating there. It also produced a trapezoid effect to the picture which gave it a feeling of depth. Very cool.
All my playing last night was handheld projection. About 75 minutes. The unit is extremely light and easy to hold steady. No problem watching and enjoying handheld which I thought may be a potential issue and is certainly not. No focus is a must. No doubt about it. The unit was in my hand the whole time and never got more then slightly warm to the touch, which went completely unnoticed after a short period of time. When you first start play, as others have stated, you are acutely aware of every detail. Those heightened senses disappear very quickly with use.
Video Resolution, especially from a PDA, iPod/iPhone or any present day smartphone. I have not hooked my Show to a PC yet, which is a much better source of video resolution, but unfortunately a handheld device, at this point in time is not. A good comparison is a 4x5 or 5x6 low resolution photo, shot with a Kodak instamatic camera, blown up to 11x14. It isn't the ideal sharpest image for viewing but still very impressive. The same for a 3Meg digital photo when you blow it up to 40, 50 or 200", it doesn't look very sharp.
That being said, despite the weakness of a present day handheld video source, a 24"-30" projected picture is surprisingly good. Very impressed by the image. The problem is, you get spoiled very quickly and want to go BIG.
Want MicroVision SHOWWX Classic Laser Pico Projector for iPod Discount?
I bought one of these projectors, partly because I wanted to see what the cutting edge technology was like, and partly because I have a room that can easily be made pitch black, and no space for a noisy traditional projector. The pros are obvious. The cons need more explaining:Pros:
* Very small
* Zero noise (no moving parts)
* Always focused
* Vivid colours
* Cool new technology!
Cons:
* Laser speckle.
If you've ever seen a reasonably powerful laser, you'll know what this is. Basically it is a pattern of bright points, that are *always in focus*. Due to physics (it's complicated), no matter what distance you are focussing on, these points will still be focused. This can make it a bit tricky to focus on the projection, but that might just be my eyes. They also move when you move your head, but I haven't found that to be distracting at all. Due to the three coloured lasers used, it basically looks like you are watching things on a dirty screen. This also only happens with bright white scenes. I would say this is a moderate con.
* Not very bright.
Obviously I knew this before I bought it. It isn't very bright, true. And it is only properly good in a near-pitch black room (depending on the size of your projection). A minor con.
* Composite input only.
Ok, the laser speckle and brightness are excusable, since they are inherent limits of the new technology, but composite input only? First of all this limits the resolution to ... well pretty shoddy. Think VHS. I think the actual hardware is capable of more, because the internally-generated splash-screen is better quality than what you get from the video input.
Secondly, who uses composite? Seriously the only thing that generates composite is the iPhone. Most other mobiles are HDMI, and even Apple's own laptops are incapable of generating composite outputs (you need a reasonably expensive (£40) active converter).
* Doesn't run off mains.
Ok, this is just stupid. If the battery is empty, you can't just plug it into usb and run it off that. You have to charge the battery above some level before it will work. Very annoying.
Ok this is a pretty negative sounding review. I actually think it is pretty awesome, it's just a shame it has such bad connectivity.
HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One Printer
I am a software professional, and if I wrote software like this I'd be standing out on the corner with one of those "Will Work for Food" signs. I'd have scraggly whiskers and a cigarette hanging from the corner of my mouth, and even if you wanted to help me, you'd basically know I was no good.Urghhhhhh! What a crappy piece of software! It is HUGE, takes over your system, disables non-device related software components, and then HP refuses to support you with an intelligile person or at all. Shame, shame on HP. Not great thoughts about offshore support countries, either.
I spent 3 hours trying to get my "wireless" 2710 to connect and could never get past the WEP key. I gave up and plugged an Ethernet cable into it. Then I spent another hour installing the software on a single PC (it's HUGE). Then I printed a sample page. Then I scanned a document. Cool, other than having a wired wireless all-in-one, everything was working.
What happened next was like gangrene. Suddenly, every time I restarted my PC, I got a warning that my Windows Firewall was off. I'd check it and it was on. Then, periodically, I'd get error dialogs from anywhere with a svchost.exe exception with pretty hex code. Then I couldn't print at all, or scan, or anything. Then it took 3 minutes and 45 seconds just to open a browser. Then my Adobe Photoshop software wouldn't work. Then it took over 6 minutes to start my high end PC each time.
Luckily the Add/Remove Programs option still worked, so I uninstalled the 3 HP programs listed. Now everything is back to normal, except HP has about $400 of my hard earned cash, and I can't make any more because now I can't print a stinkin' invoice. Ironic.
I should have read the reviews first. Gotta admit I screwed up there. If you're reading this and it's not too late then Run, Forest, Run! Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what offshore English-as-a-fourth-language 3 dollar an hour support representative you're gonna get.
12/06/04 I want to add that I did a lot of research on this software installation problem, and at this time it boils down to this: It will either install with very few hitches and run flawlessly, or you will have several problems with installation and be left with an AIO system that doesn't totally work. For example, I cannot scan or change any of my scan resolution settings (or use anything with HP DIRECTOR not because all the icons are missing but because of script errors), or use the one button scan or file transfer features of the hardware because it doesn't recognize my computer. And mind you, this is with an installation that at the end said it installed successfully (it went through fax set-up, registration, and everything). I have seen posts of problems very similiar to mine in Windows XP (even SP2 one guy had one computer it would work on, and one it would not) so it doesn't appear to matter if you have ME or XP. And nobody, including TECH support, seems to have a reason for the problems or a fix for this at this time. The software version I have is 4.2.0 (Photosmart 2600/2700 series) for WIN 98, ME, 2000, and XP. Again, if you want everything to work correctly, I would check the HP web site and make sure they upgraded this software or they have a fix for the problems I described (which they do not at this time) before buying, otherwise from my experience and research, you are playing Russian Roulette as to whether the software installs correctly on your system.
12/07/04 AND...one more follow up and then I'm done...do yourself a favor and read ALL the reviews for the HP 7410 (which should be using the same software), or the HP PSC 2410, which is a forerunner to the 2710...you'll find plenty of references to the "bloated software" and installation problems. In fact the more I read reviews about all-in-ones in general, the more I read about problems and the "bloated" HP software. My favorite line was "it infects your registry like cancer". Boy, that is the truth, you can see that when installing. I swear it makes 300-400 registry entries. The software is way too complicated and puts junk everywhere in your system. That's why it gets into trouble. I have changed my chipset driver, downloaded VBSCRIPT 5.6 (even though I think I had it already), downloaded WIN Installer 2.0 and MDACS 2.8 (even though both I think come on the software disk), done this and that, and I am completely convinced I am never going to get the software to run right unless by great fortune they update the software and do it right. I've spent a whole weekend and several nights on this, and it's crazy, just to install a printer. And I'm not an idiot, I'm in IT. If you don't need fax, and can hook up USB, I'd look at the EPSON RX600. From reviews their software is simple and excellent. I know this HP 2710 has on paper a lot of cool features, but the other guys will match those soon. HP has proven both to me and via reviews on forerunner products that they write really terrible software. If you buy, I hope you're one of the lucky ones it works for, but if not, don't say you weren't warned...
Buy HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One Printer Now
I was a little hesitant to buy an HP given their notoriously bad Mac software implementation and the installation was not without its moments (like when you repair persmissions and like a thousand of them need repairing -just find the printer on the network using the HP finder after you are done and all will be fine).I set this up using an Airport Express as a bridge and it just works flawlessly. Printing, Scanning, faxing and copying. Of the four, only scanning was a little difficult to set up, as it is with any scanner I have ever used with the Mac system. Copy and Fax work out of the box and setting up the wireless printing was a breeze, with the assistant doing all of the heavy lifting.
The design of the 2710 is just stunning, with a smaller footprint than the 2550 I got for free with my last computer purchase. It has a cool blue light on front that I think indicates the wireless is on. At any rate it is one cool looking machine. Print quality was good out of the box, though set to a much lower inking level than is possible. I just left it there. The printer found the network and all my computers without a hitch. Printing was fast with the new airport cards. Just like it was plugged in to the computer. I think they say 20 color/30 bw.
In scanning mode some adjustments were needed. The scan resolution out of the box was set too low for photos, but this is easily changed. I think that other than printing I will be using this primarily as a scanner (though it'll be nice for the occasional copy or fax too). At first I was disappointed that the scans didn't go directly into iPhoto, but quickly got used to editing scans using the HP software before importing them into my iPhoto collection, which was just fine. I will probably give customer service a call to see if this step can be eliminated and the manual is pretty detailed and may offer some suggestions. Overall, the documentation was very good, but you are setting up 4 functions so it does take a little time to get them all set to your preferences on multiple computers. But once you get there you have replaced 4 machines.
This all in one works great and I am just happily wirelessly printing, scanning, faxing and copying with really no major problems at all...Go for it -you will have no regrets.
Read Best Reviews of HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One Printer Here
There is no better home printer available than the PSC 2710.The setup is amazingly simple, although the installation of the software took over 30 minutes.
The wireless is awesome, as I have multiple computers in the house and we can finally all print!
Pro's:
* Setting up WEP was a breeze
* Overall setup is so smooth
* Scanning is very fast and simple
* Huge display
* It's wireless!
* Print Speed via wireless is very fast
* Flatbed copier is great! You can easily copy small documents like insurance cards for proof of auto insurance.
* Fax is easy, but scanning is better, as you can just scan your document and email instead. This also gives you an electronic copy and proof that you sent the document.
Con's:
* Only drawback for me is the 2710 does not support VPN.
Tech support confirmed this. You do receive an error note that at least informs you that the problem may be due to being connected via a VPN. I would have never figured this out. I also tried connecting an ethernet cable directly into the 2710 while connected via VPN and it still did not work. As soon as I disconnected the VPN, voila! It printed.
The benefits far outweigh this 1 negative for me. For anyone with more than 1 computer at home and want copy, fax, photo, etc, the 2710 is the answer.
Want HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One Printer Discount?
I bought the 2710 to replace an aging Brother MFC model that printed too slowly. Indeed, the 2710 prints amazingly fast, both in B&W & in color. The other features of this HP were just extras, but tempting enough to lure me in to buying it.The wireless connectivity appealed to me because I love to decrease the tangle whenever possible. My printer sits 2 feet from my PC & my wireless router, but that little area has more than its share of cables & wires. Unfortunately, the wireless connection proved unreliable, making it often impossible to access the HP from the desktop software (a "not connected" message would show up). In the end I trotted out a USB cable and plugged it in and all has been well since.
As other reviewers have noted, the software is the work of a diabolical fiend. Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but it is a really clunky, user-unfriendly and wholly unintuitive interface that takes an hour to install even on a really juiced PC! As if that weren't enough, it self-corrupts now and then and requires a full reinstall, while it is virtually impossible to fully remove the old install (trust me, it's still there). Therefore, when I wish to use the software now, I must select from its drop-down box "copy 3". Sheeesh.
Another gripe was that my original 2710 would reset itself every week or so, an event that meant that I'd walk into my home office and find the thing flashing every button on its panel like mad. Of course any faxes that had been sent in that unknown interval were lost. Only unplugging it for a minute would resolve that problem. After trying tricks like isolating its power supply and making sure it had its own UPS and even disabling its wireless output, I just returned it and installed the new one in its place. That problem has never recurred, so it was clearly just a defective machine.
The major disappointment for me is one that I should have realized when I bought it: a flatbed scanner means a flatbed fax, which means you can't load up a multi-page document and just dial and send. In this case, you have to scan each page and then send the whole thing afterwards. Fortunately I get a lot more faxes here than I send, but it's still annoying.
So what are the good points? Well it prints very fast and very, very well, including photos which when done with the photo ink cartridge and photo paper look pretty much like lab prints. It also scans and copies quickly and beautifully and the software does make archiving the scans quite simple. The fax speed is excellent and unlike the Brother, it prints faxes out without much noise. The design is pleasing and the incorporation of a large, bright, and easy to read LCD screen makes operation simpler. Also, the built in memory card reader is highly functional, allowing you to preview your photos on its LCD and to print directly from the card without the PC even being involved.
I gave it 4 stars because the poor software issue comes into play very little on a day to day basis and because the defective 1st machine doesn't necessarily mean QC is a problem. Others in my house are accessing it via their wireless connections, so that does indeed work and is of some value. Lastly, that there is no fax feeder is obviously not their fault, it's just a design feature of all flatbeds.
In the end then, this is an attractive and all around very competent printer that also handles scanning, copying and (at least incoming) faxing quite well. I would buy another if the need arose.