Life, Technology, and WordPress
I am quite excited about the new features offered in WordPress 2.7, currently in it’s second beta and due to be released any day.
For those with difficulty adjusting to change you will be in for a shock. The admin interface has undergone an even more drastic change than it did for version 2.5! Personally, I like it, fewer clicks is always a good thing!
I recently had the fortune of obtaining the very sleek Epson Artisan 800 printer to add to my technology arsenal. After a few days of use it has really shown that it can shine in a variety of ways.
Initial Setup
This was not the very easiest printer setup I have encountered. In addition to the normal hardware drivers and software utility installation it took a bit more work to connect to the Wi-Fi than some other Wireless networked printers that I have set up. It was necessary to actually connect via hard line initially. From there the wireless security settings are set from a networked PC. Once the initial connection is made the printer can be moved to it’s new, wireless, location. It now works like a dream!
Black and White Text Printing
Nothing beats my laser multi-function printer for basic black and white printing and copying but I was happy with the quality of the ink jet pages that were produced. The speed of this type of print job is definitely a plus.
Color Printing
On regular multi-purpose paper the color printing is mediocre but I’d blame that more on the paper than the printer. For jobs where quality is not important but having color is, it will be very useful. Printing on higher quality paper would solve this problem for when quality is necessary.
Photo Printing
Using the sample 4×6 photo paper I printed a couple of quick photos and was extremely impressed by the quality of the prints. I can honestly say that if I were to mix the photos in with a stack of photos printed from a professional photo print shop I don’t think I’d know the difference. The colors were crisp and the quality of the Epson photo paper was excellent. I did find that my initial instinct to place the photo paper right side up was wrong. The paper needs to be placed face down to avoid a big wet ink mess.
Scanning
A couple of scans of drawings my 4 year old had made showed that the scanner is quite fast and very easy to use with the provided “Epson Scan” software. It took me a few minutes to determine that the scan didn’t need to be initiated from the printer.
Copying
I love the document feeder, this is really a must have for me when I need to copy several pages at once. The out-of-the-box settings produced copies that were a little on the light side compared to the originals. Adjusting the darkness and the copy quality settings helped to correct this.
CD Printing
Gone are the days of Labeling CDs and DVDs with a Sharpie. I love having the ability to print full color labels for my CDs directly onto the CD/DVD!
Conclusion
This printer will not be replacing my laser multi-function for most of my day to day duties but I love the fact that I can produce my own photographs and creative pieces. The quality of the prints have come along way from my last Epson photo printer, which I loved, and I’m proud to call myself an Epson Artisan Owner.
It happens that the wonderful people of One2One Network have teamed up with Epson and have a special offer for the Epson Artisan 800 printer along with extra Ink. I encourage everyone to check it out, it’s a great piece of equipment and the price is very reasonable considering all the features that are packed into this gem.
For a variety of reasons I found that it was time to replace my, once amazing and now pathetic, Dell Inspiron 8500. It’s amazing what a few years of technological advances can do to your perspective of a particular computer. My needs have changed and I was no longer in need of a desktop replacement. I was looking for portability, plain and simple. I had heard about the ASUS Eee PC and had passed over them. Then one day I was at the mall and I actually saw the HP 2133 variety of the Ultra Portable Laptops that seem to be popping up. I quickly decided that the Apple iPod touch that I was shopping for, was not really what I wanted after all. I also remembered seeing that Dell had recently started offering a computer similar to the HP 2133 and ASUS Eee
Within a few hours of arriving home I had placed the order for a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Laptop Computer.
Here is what I love about this new machine:
Things that could be better
My final conclusion is that this was one of the best computer purchases I have ever made and I’ve extended it’s abilities significantly with the following peripherals:
I have to give this computer high marks. It does not feel at all flimsy or cheap, it’s attractive, and definately meets my needs when I”m out and about. Not needing to worry about whether or not my portable device will have the sofware I need is a real bonus, I use the same software I would use on my full size computer.
What this computer is: A lightweight portable laptop that can handle most day to day tasks.
What this computer is NOT: A graphics intensive computer to do graphic design of high end gaming.
It certainly exceeds my needs and my expectations in a very small package. My only regret is that the integrated Web Cam was not available at the time I placed my order. My husband was so impressed (and jealous) that he ordered one for himself.
It’s been awhile since I first came across the concept of Geocaching and today we are finally geared up to give it a try as a family! For those who are unfamiliar, Geocaching is a sort of community driven scavenger hunt where someone places a hidden container at a set of coordinates and then posts those coordinates at Geocaching.com for others to find. The caches are sometimes just a log book to be signed and sometimes contain small objects to be exchanged. In order to play you need a GPS unit. Since we have finally gotten ourselves a GPS enabled device we are ready to go out and find us some treasure!. I will do a more detailed review post about this interesting social phenomenon after I’ve tried it for myself. In the mean time take a moment to answer this short poll:
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See you on the Geocaching trail!
Some reading on the subject:
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