Sometimes, you gotta wonder!
Over this past weekend, the blogosphere has been all a-twitter, pun intended, about a leaked* Microsoft document limiting the sizes of systems shipping with Windows 7. (read more)
SmallBizVista
2 Weeks with Windows 7 Release Candidate
I have been using Windows 7 Release Candidate, or RC, for the past two weeks, both in x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) versions.
This release is an upgrade for me, since I have been using Windows 7 as my primary operating system since PDC2008, last October...(read more)
IBM may face mainframe antitrust investigation in Europe?
I mean, could this day get any better?
Last week, Doofustina Prime , also known as EU Competition Comish Nelly Kr’oes, declared stupidly again that Internet Explorer was in violation of EU antitrust laws. I groaned, saying to myself, “Here we go again...(read more)
The SmallBizWindows 2008 Awards
2008 was one of those years when there seemed to be innovative products everywhere.
Resultantly, we are compelled to laud those products that moved us.
Announcing the SmallBizWindows Annual Product Awards 2008.
del.icio.us Tags: HP xw8600 Personal Workstation,AMD Radeon 4000 Series,Sun SunFire x4450 Server,HP Color LaserJet CM6040f,Intel Modular Server,Epson WorkForce 600,Dell PowerEdge 2900 III Tower Server,Norton Internet Security 2009,LumaPix FotoFusion 4,Windows Hyper-V Server 2008,HP TouchSmart IQ508,Photosynth,Azure Services Platform,Windows Live Team,Silverlight,Intel Nehalem Server CPUs,CoreConfigurator,Power GUI,Windows Server 2008 EBS,Windows Live Essentials,Live Mesh,BuzzCorps,Microsoft Hosted Services,Microsoft Assessment & Planning,Windows 7
Technorati Tags: HP xw8600 Personal Workstation,AMD Radeon 4000 Series,Sun SunFire x4450 Server,HP Color LaserJet CM6040f,Intel Modular Server,Epson WorkForce 600,Dell PowerEdge 2900 III Tower Server,Norton Internet Security 2009,LumaPix FotoFusion 4,Windows Hyper-V Server 2008,HP TouchSmart IQ508,Photosynth,Azure Services Platform,Windows Live Team,Silverlight,Intel Nehalem Server CPUs,CoreConfigurator,Power GUI,Windows Server 2008 EBS,Windows Live Essentials,Live Mesh,BuzzCorps,Microsoft Hosted Services,Microsoft Assessment & Planning,Windows 7
BuzzNet Tags: HP xw8600 Personal Workstation,AMD Radeon 4000 Series,Sun SunFire x4450 Server,HP Color LaserJet CM6040f,Intel Modular Server,Epson WorkForce 600,Dell PowerEdge 2900 III Tower Server,Norton Internet Security 2009,LumaPix FotoFusion 4,Windows Hyper-V Server 2008,HP TouchSmart IQ508,Photosynth,Azure Services Platform,Windows Live Team,Silverlight,Intel Nehalem Server CPUs,CoreConfigurator,Power GUI,Windows Server 2008 EBS,Windows Live Essentials,Live Mesh,BuzzCorps,Microsoft Hosted Services,Microsoft Assessment & Planning,Windows 7
HP Magic Giveaway: 25 hours left to win on AbsoluteVista.com
The final countdown has begun…
Unless you have been in suspended animation for the past few weeks, you know about the HP Magic Giveaway.
What you may not know is that the contest here ends at 11.59 PM Pacific on December 14, 2008. We are still accepting...(read more)
The HP Magic Giveaway Entry Rules
- Register on this forum. You may post an introductory message. However that is not necessary.
- Describe yourself and what you would like to do in a private email to HPMagic2008@AbsoluteVista.com. (You don’t want your masterpiece duplicated now, do you?)
- In the spirit of this Giveaway, I would like to know what or how you intend to create HP Magic for someone this Christmas.
- Let me know if this is a collaboration, where the team shares the spoils.
- Create the WOW! Entry.
- Send your entry to HPMagic2008@AbsoluteVista.com
- If your entry is too large to email, contact me, and I will create a SkyDrive solution specifically for your entry.
- You can submit as many entries as you want.
- If you have any questions, post publicly to the forum.
The HP Magic Giveaway by AbsoluteVista
The HP Magic Giveaway is the event of this Christmas Season*: a giving of a massive amount of computing hardware and software HP and Microsoft to single person for both personal use, and for giving it forward to other deserving people or organizations.
*I use Christmas to describe this season for several reasons. However, it is your season, whatever your faith or beliefs are.
The HP Magic Giveaway by AbsoluteVista & SmallBizWindows
We are giving away four systems, a Media Center Extender, and a bunch of software.
The HP Magic Giveaway – 1st Winner announced
Grinler over at BleepingComputer.com has just announced the first – and may I say ‘lucky’ – winner in the global HP Magic Giveaway.
The winner is Bryan6376 on his website. His post announcing the winner is here . Next up for winner announcements: Josh...(read more)
The HP Magic Giveaway
It is happening very soon…
A few seconds ago, HP announced the HP Magic Giveaway , where 50 bloggers around the world are being asked to play a role in creating some magic for some lucky people this Christmas season.
I am privileged to have been invited...(read more)
del.icio.us Tags: HP,HP Magic Giveaway,BuzzCorps,John Obeto,AbsoluteVista,SmallBizVista,SmallBizWindows,The Interlocutor,Logikworx
The SmallBizWindows Epson WorkForce 600 Review
I have steered away from inkjet printers quite a while, indeed, the last several years, due to their lack of speed, and high cost of supplies, substituting dye-sub printers for personal photo printing.
It was a surprise when I was informed by Courtney Shipman – on behalf of Epson – that not only did she have a printer that could satisfy most personal printing needs, but it was also fast enough resolve the speed issue.
Out came Doubting Thomas John, and I said “prove it”.
I asked for a low-end unit, and I was sent the Epson WorkForce 600 multifunction device to review.
For the past two months, we have had the WorkForce 600 in our possession, and I have used it for what I believe I do best: see if it is a ‘good enough’ device for the deskside of some of my most prodigious of printer users, the Realtor.
If a real estate agent can use and like a device, in these tough economic times, believe me, it works well.
The Epson WorkForce 600 MFC
Unboxing & Installation
The WorkForce 600 came in a box with paper samples, multi color ink pods, power cords, cables, and NO USB cable! I later found out that it had built-in Wi-Fi, which is nice; however, a USB cable included in the package would be nicer.
Giving it a black mark for that, I proceeded with the unboxing, and found a device sheathed in a piano-quality black material that was at once welcoming and modern.
Setting up the MFC via USB was a snap: I connected a USB cable to the printer, got prompted for the driver disk by Windows Vista™, duly inserted that disk, Vista did it’s thing, and voilà, MFC was working. Connecting via Wi-Fi was just as painless.
One new thing – at least for me – was the flip-up full-color control panel! It allows uses control of all functions of this device, almost negating a read of the user guide. I like this.
Scenario 1: Personal use
Printing: My first test scenario was plunking the WF600 into the consumer subnet at The Orbiting O’Odua in order to test the speed assertions I had heard about it.
I was able to consistently get about a 20-22 ppm speed printing near-laser quality black prints, and about 15-16 ppm in color.
My mouth is still agape at these results coming from an inkjet printer MSRP’d at under $200!
While inkjet printers, apart from dye-subs, are without peer when it comes to color and photo prints, I specifically wanted to see how the WF600 handled text documents. It did so with aplomb, and dispatch.
Photo printing has also become one of my little guilty pleasures in these past couple of months, since I can perform that task easily, and with professional-looking results with all the time.
Selecting and printing a photo from a memory card using the memory card slot was also easy, adding to the value of this device.
Copying & Scanning: This is a task that most of these home-targeted MFC (or all-in-ones) do relatively well. Scan speed is fast enough, and the copies start getting shot out at the speeds I listed above. Scan quality was very good, without the device or attendant software introducing artifacts into the scanned/copied images.
Faxing: Pretty much as expected.
Scenario 2: Business Use - A Realtor
My next usage scenario for this device was as a personal workhorse in a business environment: as a Realtor’s personal deskside printer.
As we all know, realtors like to print out photocopies of the properties they are trying to sell. After persuading her to abandon the office color laser printer (HP Color LaserJet 3600dn) for the duration of her test, I installed the WF600.
After just a few hours, I got a call giving the printer props.
For her, color fidelity in the prints, and the speed of printing were the objects of her desire.
She was also enamored of the looks, size, and connectivity options presented.
Furthermore, being able to send faxes, including confidential material right from her desk as inexpensively as the WF600 allowed, just made the purchase of the device an acceptable expense.
Conclusion
The Epson WorkForce 600 MFC has been a very capable performer. It is lightweight, fast, pretty to look at, and just works.
It proved itself capable in three most important of scenarios: as consumer device, as a home office MFC, and as a business AIO.
Also remember that this printer is capable of speeds of up to 38 ppm in black/color draft mode.
Props have to be given to Epson here for developing drivers that understand that the product, after all, is a printer. You know, a utility. Something to work ploddingly in the background, and not distract users by throwing up dialogs and/or notifications reminding us that it was there.
Resultantly, we are pleased to give The Epson WorkForce 600 the AbsoluteVista Business Ready Award.
For more information, or to purchase this device, please click here.
del.icio.us Tags: Epson,WorkForce 600,John Obeto,AbsoluteVista,SmallBizWindows,SmallBizVista,The Interlocutor,Logikworx
4 weeks with Windows 7 Milestone 3
On October 26, 2008, I had the opportunity of being part of an exclusive group selected by Microsoft to participate in a Windows 7 Reviewer’s Workshop prior to the public debut of the Windows 7 beta by Steven Sinofsky on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, at the Microsoft Professional Developer’s Conference (PDC2008) in Los Angeles, California. (Read on)
Why I won’t be using Windows Live Cashback ever again!
Decided to give Cashback a try, and they FAILED!
Trip this:
- Created an account (a while back)
- I went to Cashback
- Logged in Did a search
- Went to the best priced store there – Abacus24-7.com
- Made a purchase – 4 dual-socket, and 12 dual-socket HDMI wall...(read more)
del.icio.us Tags: Search Live Cashback,John Obeto,AbsoluteVista,SmallBizVista,SmallBizWindows,The Interlocutor
The Chief Yahoo! speaks, and Redmond isn’t listening
Sometime earlier this year, Steve Ballmer, on behalf of Microsoft, made an offer for Yahoo! that was beyond generous.
We all know how that went: the Yahooligans went ballistic, thinking their little piece of the pie was worth more than was offered. After...(read more)
The AbsoluteVista.com HP Color LaserJet CM6040f Review
I have been testing the HP Color LaserJet CM6040f at our Northern Colorado MedikLabs for over nine weeks.
Based on the review we have awarded it the SmallBizVista.com Superstar Award, denoting impressive performance.
At Logikworx, our recommended departmental multifunction printers have been the Gestetner DSc525 or the Xerox WorkCentre Pro C2636.
However, these units seemed to suffer from a (photo)copier bias, with the resultant effect that integrating them into the workflow of a company’s operations, especially a remotely-managed one, was unwieldy.
Based on that and a desire to improve clients’ workflow, I requested, and received, a review of the CM6040f.
The HP Color LaserJet CM6040f
The CM6040f is the ultimate in HP’s digital printer product line for non-commercial use. A descendant of the famed Mopier, this device is built for speed and durability. It is a high-speed color multifunction laser printer capable of speeds of 40 pages per minute in both color and black and white modes on paper up to 11” x 17” in size. It copies, prints, faxes, scans…all at a very high speed.
The CM6040f is a big printer! The shipping weight was 383 lbs as delivered. Not a typo, really 383 lbs. and that was without the 3-bin stapler/stacker or booklet maker/finisher units! A professional installer came along the next day to complete the install.
Very good service, very white-glove. Then again, exceptional service has always been a hallmark of HP in general, and the printer division in particular.
Review Scenario
Most of our clients are in the upper small- to midmarket sizes. As a result, a capable multifunction device eliminates the need for several desktop/deskside devices.
I decided to use our MedikLab, a fully functioning and operational multi-provider physician’s clinic for this review.
The Review
Using the embedded GigE print server, I attached the CM6040f to the Lab’s Windows Server 2008 network, and connected the printer to the PSTN fax line as well.
After the physical installation, I very easily connected to the printer and used a browser page to customize the printer for the clinic.
Fax Services: For fax services, I decided to use the printer for basic walk-up fax sending since individual fax services were being handled by Server SBS.
Copy & Print: Printing was a snap. Speed is something the CM6040f does, and does very well. At a proven 40 ppm in either black and white or color modes, this printer screamed through all assigned tasks.
The paper capacity of this printer is 2100 pages set out over five bins: four internal 500-sheet trays, and an external 100-sheet manual feeder. It can handle all US paper sizes up to 11” x 17”, and international sizes up to A4/SRA3 (12” x 18”).
An automatic duplexer is also standard. Printer drivers for this unit included PCL5, PCL6, and PostScript. An added benefit is that you can download all of the software required to run the CM6040f from HP.com.
Scanning: High performance scanning, output either to print, the embedded hard drive, to folders set up on a file server, or on client computers.
The CM6040f in use
Compared to the printers we normally recommend and implement, the computer background of HP shows in the operation of this MFC.
From the intuitive UI on the touchscreen control panel to the web-based configuration, to the included accessory software, the testers were able to be immediately productive on this MFC. All employees got an inbox for documents, and I also created local storage for them.
In the use of the CM6040f, I looked for ease of use, speed, and versatility. I found it all. This MFC is years ahead of all supposed competitors in ease of use, value, reliability, versatility, speed, and functionality. In print/copy mode, having a printer spew out pages at a 40 page per minute clip in black-and-white or color is just impressive. As a network fax, the physicians were able to skip two steps in prescription fulfillment: printing out and faxing a script to pharmacies.
It is a testament to the ability of this MFC device that a departmental printer would garner such ink.
With all of the work that was thrown at it, the CM6040f worked capably, and relatively silently
Cons
Unfortunately, not all was well.
-
Due to a miscommunication, the review unit did not come with a sorter/stacker or the booklet maker/finisher.
-
The fax sending software that came with the unit was a trial version only, with an MSRP of nearly $300. After laying down nearly $10K USD for a printer, that seems very wrong.
The epiphany I had with regards to the need for a greater integration between the print assets of a company, its users, and the network paid off handsomely in this review of the CM6040f. We are placing it at the very top of our list for enterprise printers.
As a result of the abilities displayed by the Hewlett-Packard Color LaserJet CM6040f, we have awarded it the SmallBizVista Superstar Award.
This is one impressive MFC device!
Technorati Tags: HP,Color LaserJet,LaserJet,CM6040f,MFC,John Obeto,AbsoluteVista,SmallBizVista,The Interlocutor,Logikworx
NetworkWorld: Subscription renewal made easy
I renewed my subscription to NetworkWorld magazine, the print and digital edition easily.
How easy was it?
Confirm an identifier I entered when I first subscribed, and clicked submit.
That was all. No more re-entering all the information I had entered...(read more)
Lewis Hamilton is the 2008 FIA Formula One Champion
Yesterday, at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Driver’s Championship.
Mad, mad props to you, Lewis.
Not since the retirement of Michael Schumacher have I been this...(read more)
PDC2008 Day 1 Keynote: Ray Ozzie
A few moments ago, Ray Ozzie, Chief Software Architect at Microsoft, announced Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud-based service foundation, which powers the Azure Services Platform, which is the moniker for Microsoft’s variation on SaaS offerings. Called...(read more)
PDC2008: Attendee Reception
Held at the rooftop of one of LA’s newest ‘beautiful people’ hangouts, this was a kinda odd event for me, as my two most favorite bloggers on Terra, Terri Stratton and Mike Reyes, were not in attendance due to previous plans.
However, it was good seeing...(read more)
del.icio.us Tags: Microsoft,Windows 7,John Obeto,AbsoluteVista,SmallBizVista,The Interlocutor,Logikworx
PDC2008
I am in Los Angeles for the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2008, aka PDC2008.
This promises to be a ‘ very big deal’ , as several new technologies will be announced, showcased, and demo-ed here.
Most importantly, Windows 7, will be shown...(read more)
del.icio.us Tags: Microsoft,PDC,PDC2008,Windows 7,Windows Live,Live Mesh,John Obeto,AbsoluteVista,SmallBizVista,The Interlocutor,Logikworx