June 24, 2009

The Media Reacts to HP's Web-Savvy Printer

By Databazaar Blog

Forbes and Others Cover HP's Biggest Printer Announcement of 2009

Earlier this week we reported on HP's biggest printer announcement of the year — the HP Photosmart Premium With TouchSmart Web. Slated to ship in September 2009, the printer can print directly from the Web via specialized apps.

HP printer boss Vyomesh Joshi has long discussed the importance of Web printing so this printer comes as no surprise. What did surprise us is the coverage in Forbes, a mainstream business magazine. Therefore, we decided to round up some of the best coverage of the HP Photosmart Premium With TouchSmart Web from around the, well, Web. Know of any other articles? Post them in the comments.

Print, Please
"Think of it, suggest HP executives, as a hardware version of Apple's wildly successful App Store market for its iPhone. At least, that's how HP wants to think of it."

Hands-On: HP Photosmart Premium With TouchSmart Web
"The software is all very much still in development, but the home screen and surface level feature of many of the widgets were polished enough to get an idea of how this thing will work. And it's nice. The screen responds to your finger about as well as any capacitive-touch smartphone."

HP Touchscreen Printer Will Connect to the Web
"[Keith Kmetz] was guardedly optimistic on whether the technology would take off. Printers are still the mainstay in homes to print large documents from PCs. It may also take time to break consumers from their habit of booking tickets online at home but printing them out at the theater or of printing digital photographs at local print stores.

HP Reveals! Web-enabled Inkjet All-in-One Sets New Industry Direction
"The attempt to define a new Web-connect printing platform is a bold move from the industry leader, and is to be commended. The glass-half-full-or-empty argument may continue, with the market casting the final vote in the coming months and years."

HP Unveils Photosmart Premium With Touchsmart Web: "World's First Web-Connected Printer"
"We just had a chance to try the printer / Touchsmart for ourselves. First off, surprise, the screen is capacitive touch, and it works well.… The widgets are created with a combination of HTML5 and Java, and much to our surprise, video streaming has been implemented."

HP Introduces Web-Connected Touchscreen Printer
"Bringing maps, news and coupons functionality to a printer makes it more likely that the average user will get more value from their printer. But unless HP can bring that $400 price tag down significantly, this could end up as a niche product."

HP Teams With Google, Fandango for Web-connected Touch-Screen Printer
"There's also a "get more" button on the screen that brings you to HP's Web store — home to future apps, I assume; my helpful tour guide even mentioned the release of an SDK that would let developers create their own customized apps for the printer based on their own usage model … pending HP's approval, of course."

HP's TouchSmart Printers Print Web Content, No PC Required
"I fear that the ink and paper costs might quickly outweigh some of the conveniences (or, for example, the parallel cost of ordering a local paper). The idea of not having to handle newsprint is enticing, and this could be a viable means of delivering news content to homes; but, will it pay to print that 25 cent coupon on a page that might cost a third of that to print?"

5 Reasons Why HP Web-Connected Printer Will Be a Hit
"Speaking of new markets, while HP is the pioneer here, it won't take long for competitors to follow in its virtual footsteps."

HP's Plan To Primp The Printer
"For example, an app delivers content from USA Today. Newspapers could charge for this service as they struggle to find a new business model. HP VP Vyomesh Joshi believes this product turns the computer printer into a household appliance."

About Databazaar Blog
Virtually everyone who uses a computer uses a printer. But computers get all the glory. So we launched this blog to give printers their due. We hope you find our coverage enjoyable and useful, and encourage you to subscribe and participate.