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9 O'Clock hour
What's new in the World of Printers?
Justin Joseph Senior Marketing Specialist from Canon USA says that the big news is that prices are coming down drastically. Canon's new "flagship" all in one inkjet color printer, copier and scanner, the MP970 has a suggested retail price of only $299.00 - and for that you are getting 9600 dpi print resolution! The MP970 will handle paper sizes up to 8.5 x 11 and uses 7-color ink to produce professional quality prints.
But it's not just price that's new in the world of Canon printers. Canon is developing it's line of printers to be sleek and elegant in design. Look for Canon's stylish glossy finish printers with silver accents in home offices.
As Marc notes, Apple led the world in making design a big part of their success, and Canon looks like they are going the same way.
The MP970 certainly looks the part, and performance wise, it promises to deliver photo quality prints at around 28 cents a print. When asked why some other brands boast color print costs as low as 15 cents, Justin said that many times, that price is based on printing on plain paper, not photo paper - a big difference.
More than Style and Price, there are new features from Canon's range of color printers too. Perhaps the most important is "Quick Start;" Canon uses White LED technology in the scanner. This means almost a zero wait time when scanning - you don't have to wait for the scanner to warm up with White LEDs.
Quick Start also means you can print almost instantly, without waiting for the printer to stop whirring, clicking and calibrating while it prepares itself to print.
Bye-Bye WiFi? Justin says that WiFi, or wireless printing, has not proven to be as popular as most people thought it would be. None of Canon's new range of printers feature WiFi, but that's not to say WiFi is a thing of the past. It's just not 'in' at the moment.
So what's real the cost a print? Justin's calculations go like this: If you take a roll of film to be developed and printed, the cost of 36 4x6 color prints in about $36, and you throw away half of them anyway! When you print at home, you can choose what to print, and the cost of 36 prints? $9.00. Quite a saving!
At the high end of Canon's range is the PIXMA Pro 9000, an 8 color dye-based printer ideal for someone who has started using a digital SLR. It currently costs $499, but used to be over $1,000. The big brother to that is the PIXMA Pro 9500, a 10 color printer using pigment based ink. It's ideal for someone who wants to print really sharp black and whites, and it costs $849.
What's the difference between pigment based ink and dye based ink? Longevity - Pigment based inks last longer up to 200 years instead of the 100 years that you get from dye based inks.
Go to Canon USA for more information on Canon's new range of Quick Start printers, the stylish flagship MP970 all in one, and color printers starting from just $49.
Guest: Bob Saget
Bob Saget, remembered by many as Danny Tanner from the sitcom "Full House," and the as presenter of America's Funniest Home Videos.
Bob talks to Marc about his new HBO show and DVD "That Ain't Right." It's definitely aimed at a more adult audience that Full House, so this is not for kids!
"That Ain't Right" on DVD goes on sale "everywhere" on Tuesday, and is full of hilarious stand-up comedy, much based on true experiences. As Bob freely admits, he's always had a somewhat irreverent sense of humor, and his DVD shows exactly what he means by that!
What's next for Bob? He wants to develop his own show along the lines of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Caller: Jerry
Jerry is using Panda's new Internet Security and wonders if that means he does not have to use other programs like SpySweeper?
Marc's advice is not to run both programs at the same time if there are problems.
Caller: John in Burbank
John bought a Brother Color Laser printer for around $500, but was not able to install it with his XP system. He tried installing updated drivers from Brother's website, but still could install the printer. In the end he returned the Brother and bought a cheaper Samsung color laser which is "Slow as molasses," so does Marc have any idea why he could not install the printer? And does Canon have anything in a color printer?
As for the failure on installation, Marc says there are many reasons why an installation might fail. Most problems are with the computer rather than the printer. The best way to check whether the problem is with the printer or the computer, is to try to install the printer on another computer. It is also very important to follow the installation directions accurately - it is critical not to connect the USB until a certain point in the installation process.
Justin from Canon says that he is not an expert on color lasers, but he knows Canon has a range of them starting at under $1,000. Justin also says it is vital to follow the step by step installation instructions.
Louis in Palos Verdes
Louis cannot play music CD's or DVD's on his computer. He has two slots, one for CD's and one for DVD's and he cannot get either to work. He can use the drives to install software, so the problem may not be with the drives. Louis cannot update drivers because his computer is running Windows ME.
Marc has sometimes encountered problems where Windows Media Play will not play a DVD but it will play with Power DVD, but that's not a free program.
Marc suggests trying VLC Media Player or AVS DVD player, both of which are free.
Editor's Note: Maybe it's time for a more modern o/s - Win ME is not supported by Microsoft anymore, and was never a great system.
Marc likes the Apple MacBook!
Marc's first Mac - the MacBook 13-inch White costs around $1300 and continues to impress. Marc is surprised at how easy it is for him to adapt to Apple's operating system, and loves the built in camera, and the way it instantly finds your WiFi connection. Marc's beginning to become a Mac guy!
10 O'Clock hour
Guest: Phil McClendon from Palm
Are Palm products allowed in School? Phil says many schools actually use Palm products as part of their curriculum not only for text, but also as scientific calculators because of the complex calculator functions available. But schools don't allow 'beaming' or "bluetoothing" - too easy to pass on answers in exams! Marc says he would have been genius if he had a Palm device in school!
What's New? The Palm Foleo - a Treo Companion. It's a large screen and keyboard that connects to the Treo via Bluetooth. It can also be used alone as a WiFi browser, and the great thing about it is the instant start up - no wait for boot up. It has been announced but not released yet. Price is $499.
Marc is still impressed with his new Palm 755p, it has great reception, soft touch paint (makes it harder to drop) and no antenna sticking out.
At present it's only available through Sprint, who have a $199 "special" at the moment.
Mark notes that the 755p has a significant advantage over the Apple iPhone - a keyboard that you can feel. Marc says that using the Palm 755p in the car is safer because you can dial by 'feel.' With the iPhone, you have to take your eyes off the road.
When will the 755p be available through other carriers? The GSM version will be available, but it depends on the certification cycle of the carrier. There will be an unlocked GSM 755p in the future.
What's hot at the moment?
Phil says the $199 deal on the Treo 755p from Sprint is the deal of the moment.
The Treo 680 is another great product with 2G speed and is available unlocked for $399, or for $199 with a service contract from AT&T.
Phil points to the multitude of downloadable applications that are available for Palm products, and with travel in mind, applications like Splash Travel and WorldMate give you currency converters, weather information, flight information and more.
More information on Palm Smartphones and Applications from Palm's website: www.Palm.com.
Caller: Sharon in North Hollywood
Sharon's had problems with XP and has to reinstall the operating system. She cannot find her original XP disc, so she bought one on eBay. Will she lose all her programs if she re-installs XP from the disc? Marc says 'No,' programs and files will remain, but be sure to backup all files before installing. She will have to install all the patches and updates from Microsoft.
Caller: John in Los Feliz
John's still having problems with NeverWinter Nights (see last week). He went to an internet cafe to download patches for the game (he has no internet connection), and transferred the patches to a flash drive and installed them. He also download some other games, and installed them. Now the problem is he cannot run the games because his "CD Key" does not work. Marc says first check that he's entering the CD Key correctly - they are case sensitive. If that doesn't work, contact NeverWinter Nights tech support and request a new CD Key.
Buy Of The Week
It's a Mustek PVR for $99.99 from Tiger Direct.
Caller: Lupe
Lupe went to Vegas and went she came back her husband said he had "cleaned" it up and installed new "things." That's when the problem started, Lupe could not use her thumb drive. Her husband then used the "restore disk." Now Lupe cannot find any of her photographs.
Marc says using the Restore Disc has overwritten all the photos and data recovery is very expensive. There are programs that can recover files, and Marc suggests that Lupe contact him by email for recommendations.
Caller: Annette in Garden Grove
Cannot uninstall Google Earth. Has tried Add/Remove programs but gets an error message. She wants to remove Google Earth because she's heard that it can lead to vulnerability with sensitive files. She says that the Google Earth forum has many messages from other people who also cannot remove this program.
Marc says he has not heard of this problem, but if she sends him an email, he'll see what can be done.
Caller: John in West Hills
Wants to know if he can take and print black and white photos with his digital camera and the cheap $50 printer he's getting from DELL.
Justin says that a cheap printer will print in black and white, but quality is not going to be great. John needs to select "Monochrome" or "Black and White" from his printing program otherwise the picture will be color.
If the camera (a 5year old Olympus) has a "Black and White" mode, that makes it easier, but most recommend taking the photo in color and printing in black and white.
Next Week's Show
More on Marc's experiences with the Apple MacBook.
Still some doubt as to whether the show will be starting at 9:00 am or 10:00 am.
