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Monthly Archives: November 2008

Epson Artisan 800

Tis the season of many pictures, now I just need to print, Oh Santa help!

I recently had fun using a Epson Artisan 800 All-in-One printer. It’s perfect for creative projects and ideas that will spice up gifts and holiday décor. From greeting cards to holiday labels to custom gift wrap, the possibilities are immeasurable. It’s black mirror-like image is slick and gives off the appearance of an high-end home theater product. Features include a built in wired and wireless networking, ultra fast print speeds (38 ppm), 6-color ink, a 7.8” cool touch panel, a 3.5” LCD screen, standalone photo capabilities, faded photo restorations, and a smart ink system. The Artisan 800 is no bigger than a tower PC on its side. It comes an ethernet cable, power cable, driver/software disc, user manuals, some sample paper, USB cable, phone cable and the necessary printer B&W & color cartridges.

It’s so easy to setup that it took me less than 15 minutes to do so. The touch screen panel pulls up at an angle and tucked away again making it easy to use as an ATM. You can load photos from a card reader and USB port.

The compartment on the bottom is for loading standard printer paper, glossy photo paper and other types, which can be adjusted for all the paper sizes and envelopes. On the top is the automatic document feeder, capable of holding up to 30 pages for faxing or scanning. Below that is the flat bed scanner that will scan and can be used as a plain copier.

The good: Prints fast supurb high-quality color photos and documents, But I really liked the faded photo restoration feature, I used to essentially clean up a yellowish 1942 photo of my mom and dad. You would swear it was taken in 2009, and was just printed. Moreover, it can print CD’s if you have a printable disc. Just push a button and the CD tray slides out.

The bad: If I had a pet peeve, it would be the cheap plastic output tray and the delicate input tray prone to paper jams. So don’t be ruff with it.

The verdict: The Epson Artisan 800 is a fun printer to use, and makes impressive color prints, photos, and text documents, and prints fast. But don’t just take it from me on a recent Rachael Ray show as part of a daily, holiday gift series, everyone in that audience received an all-in-one so they can also create unique holiday gifts for family and friends this year.
Price range: $230-$320,

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Amzer Snap-On Case

 

iPhone 3G Protector 

COOL PRODUCT: MUST HAVE
If you’re like me, you can end up spending a lot of money on cell phones like the Apple iPhone 3G or the LG Dare.  In the course of a short time you get scratches and dings that can make it hard to see what the screen is showing. It even looks ugly too. Just bang it or drop it and your cringing that you lost everything. I found a cool product from www.fommy.com that sells outer shells that can protect your devices. The new Amzer Snap-On Case  (at left  in Red) is designed specifically for the Apple iPhone 3G, made of lightweight, durable plastic that hugs every curve of the phone.

 
“The crystal faceplate covers the front, back and sides of the iPhone 3G, with cutouts for the touch-screen and buttons so the phone’s functionality is not impeded,” remarked Pallavi Dinesh, COO of Fommy.com. “The case snaps on for easy application and has openings precisely made for the top and side buttons, charger port/dock connector, headset jack and speaker for complete access to the phone.”
Don’t have a IPhone 3G, don’t worry,  I have the LG Dare which I found is also available for the Amzer Snap-On Case (at left in Pink, comes also in Black and other colors), including the first generation iPhone,  Blackberry Bold, Samsung Instinct, T-Mobile Dash, and more models. Price $8.95, www.fommy.com. 

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The Atari joystick is back

I am an old school video game player, who misses his Atari 2600 system from the 80’s. I loved playing Asteroids or Pacman, but until now I had to use my keyboard/mouse on my PC to play the games. Now the wait is over, the gang at Legacy Entertainment made a classic controller that looks exactly like an Atari joystick, but it’s for Windows 98SE to Vista / Apple Mac OS X / Linux, and connects via Standard USB with no drivers required, just plug-n-play, up to 4 Joysticks to a single computer.

It should work with almost any game Emulator like MAME, Daphne, Stella, Atari ST, Amiga, C64 and others. Dig this, it will work with classic Atari system games like Atari Arcade Hits, Midway Arcade Treasures, Taito Legends, Dragon’s Lair 20th Anniversary and so many more.

So if you want some cool 80’s fun when graphics did not rule the games, but game play did, then get the Atari joystick. Only $14.99, http://www.legacyengineer.com/store.html. Want more classic game systems or games go to atari2600.com, were I found the largest online source for classic video games, systems and accessories.
by Roy Bassave – The Tekzar Guru

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Philco brand helps the DTV Transition

The old familiar brand name that made famous the classic cathedral-shaped wooden radio of the 1930s, and the very futuristic (1950s) Predicta television receivers is still here, well sort of. Philco started in 1926, and then became Philco-Ford 1961 and then being acquired by Philips in 1981. Philips licenses the name for private brands and retro style consumer electronics.

1958 Philco Predicta Television, the kind my Dad serviced in Cuba, cira 1958.

The Philco TB100HH9 DTV Digital-to-Analog Converter (Philips, Funai, $40, the same amount as the government’s coupon toward your purchase of one), is an entry-level model. It comes with RCA audio/video outputs, offers trilingual (English, French, and Spanish) on-screen setup, supports V-Chip parental controls and and closed captioning, is EnergyStar compliant, plus a remote control. Not bad for the price, and ease of installation. The step-up model, the Philco TB150HH9 DTV Digital-to-Analog Converter, adds a digital audio output via coaxial audio and a cool smart antenna control to optimize reception. No need for rabbit ears anymore. Philco is not the only brand to make digital converter boxes, For me the name brings back something familiar in this world of so many changes.

About Philco: My dad Raul Bassave, who passed away this past July at the age of 94, worked with Philco from 1947-1977, he was for sure “The original Gadget Guru,” who tested products at home for Philco months before they ever came to the market. His reports/reviews went back to Philco, similar to what I do for the public. I was so lucky, that I grew up seeing electronic products in early stages, proposed products and final production ones. This was years before CES started in 1967 in New York.
by Roy Bassave – The Tekzar Guru
11/02/2008

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