Posts Tagged ‘madness’

Tonight I joined up after Todd Cochrane and his regular show to test out what is now called “Ohana-saurus”: The two monitor Skype machine in the back. Of course Todd is getting ready to do his 24 Hour Podcast on Saturday, December 12th starting at 11 A.M. E.S.T.

Geekazine will be part of the event at 3 times: For the Holiday Roundtable, for the CES coverage discussion and finally talking about Geekazine and Podcast Madness in the wee hours of the morning. The event will help this years’ charity: Ronald McDonald house.

Helping test out the new Ohanasaurus

For more info, go to Geeknewscentral.

Over on Podcast Madness, we gave away an Artisan 810 all-in-one printer / scanner / fax. It has WiFi, Ethernet and USB capabilities and can be used without computer by plugging in a USB drive or compliant memory card.

Names were pulled, then placed into the Randomizer at ranomizer.org. Susabelle was the top name on the list.

Congrats to Susabelle on winning this great printer for Epson!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (380.4MB)

We pull out and set up the Epson Artisan 810 All in one Printer. This is a fully functional copier / printer / scanner / Fax. We set up the printer to the network and make a couple print samples.

**Before we start, I have to say that this device was sent to me by Epson and does not influence my review of the product. It is part of the giveaway on Podcast Madness this month.

The Epson Artisan 810 has a few great features to it. The 3.5″ LCD touch panel allows you to move around easily. The 700 didn’t have the touch screen, which was frustrating. This one is a lot easier to handle.

The Artisan 810 runs on the Claria ink system. That means the six toners give high-quality reproductions. The ink system is said to help reduce fading – 200 years in photo albums. I probably won’t be able to test that claim…

Epson Artisan 810 sheet of 8

The built in USB and card reader allows you to print without a computer. You can print pictures, proof sheets, documents and other items through the system. You can even plug in your iPhone to charge, but unfortunately, it will not read and print out your pictures from the phone**. I had a sheet of 8 pictures printed, which seemed to take a while to print (about 60 seconds a page). However, I liked the quality – even for the fact that I printed on standard paper.

**EDITORS NOTE** Although the Artisan 810 cannot read the pictures from an iPhone, you can get a program called “We Print” by Eurosmartz . This is a program that will install and turn a computer into an iPhone print server to the Artisan 810. The App is available on iTunes for $4.99 and $6.99.

The speed of the printer otherwise is pretty good for an ink jet. The warm up process takes longer than the print itself. A regular page will print in about 11 seconds. With scanning, it will be about 15 seconds a page. Scanning is at 4800 dpi as shown in the picture to the right.

The 810 has one big feature that the 800 didn’t – the duplexer is included. Now you can print double-sided sheets within seconds. The top feeder allows for scanning of multiple documents, in which you can print out, or create a PDF for a paperless office. I scanned 4 pages in about 50 seconds, which then was saved to 1 PDF file on a USB drive (1.6 MB).

The printer can be controlled at the computer through a web page interface. However, the tasks are simplistic – change settings or check toner levels. An “Install Printer” option would be nice. That way I press the button and within a few minutes I have the printer set on applicable machines.

In the end, not a bad printer. Like I said in the unboxing video – could use a larger black toner to the smaller 6- part Claria ink. The printer retails for $299, but I have seen prices as low as $199 online.  As for the ink – well, you might want to check your wallet. The highest price ink is the black on Epson’s online store at $17.09. However, if you need to purchase all 6 toners then you will be shelling out $97. They do have a pack for $79.99, but you can get the toner cheaper at a place like Amazon.com for $63. Best part for me is the ink from the Artisan 700 I had can be used in the 810.

In the end, this is a decent ink based printer. The quality to print is surpurb, the setup is easy and the scanning is high. Add to it the network capabilities and possible fax options – although I don’t have a phone line anymore. In the end, a good low business solution someone who doesn’t print as much and wants to start a paperless office.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (380.4MB)

During the show the dogs decided to get a little ansy. Of course it was raining outside, so that might be why. Could also be the new puppy next door. Nonetheless, we trudged on!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:55 — 24.2MB)