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HP stands for "Hailstorm of Printers"...no, really

It's like Christmas around here in printer-land! Epson (here and here) and Canon recently announced a huge bunch of printers and HP is joining in with its announcement Tuesday of 15 printers. I'm telling you: Hailstorm of Printers. Ready to hear about them? Get a snack...the list's long.

On the home consumer side are a bunch of Photosmarts--standalone snapshot printers and all-in-ones--as well a Deskjet printer.

Photosmart A526 Compact Photo Printer: This portable little 4x6 snapshot printer features memory card slots, a 2.4-inch color display, and one-touch red-eye removal. The fold-up paper tray and handle … Read more

Epson's new photo scanner for photo hobbyists

Epson today announced its new V500 Photo color scanner. It's geared for advanced photo hobbyists at a price of $250. It uses Epson's ReadyScan LED technology, which cuts out warm-up time entirely and cuts scanning time. The 6400dpi scanner allows users to make enlargements of up to 17x22 inches, from film or prints. The scanner also lets you scan negatives--35mm, slides, and medium format--using the included guides.

The V500 Photo scanner comes with two photo restoration programs--Digital ICE and Epson Easy Photo Fix. The former removes dust and scratches from film, while the latter restores faded photos and … Read more

An airport scanner for the home

One simply can't be too careful in this security-conscious age. You could, for example, have installed security cams, metal detectors and even a moat around your dwelling, but there's always the chance that you missed something. And for some reason, the idea of hiring security personnel to conduct body-cavity searches hasn't quite caught on for private residences.

Once again, we turn to technology for a reasonable compromise: Your very own X-ray scanner. Now you too can play TSA agent in the comfort of your own home while viewing this system's 17-inch LCD to inspect the contents … Read more

'Users just don't learn'

As a computer tech, Jack's used to helping families evict unwanted malware.

What he's not used to is having to perform the same service three times in as many months for the same family. Is malware overpowering their defenses, or is the family relying too heavily on professional services as their safety net for chancy online behavior? Find out in this week's Spyware Horror Story.

Gone in 30 minutes

William is philosophizing to his toothbrush one minute and contemplating practicing shot put with his computer the next. What burst his bubble?

William blames a virus, and in his tussle with the malignant malware, he learns a few lessons about the risks of sharing a computer with family and friends. But was it actually a virus that got him, and are the lessons he learned the right ones?

After the frustrations of dealing with damaged data, it's easy to generalize about past and future behavior. Set the record straight in a thrilling malware true-and-false in this week's Spyware … Read more

3D scanning for every office party

We always assumed that the price of 3D scanning equipment was a bit out of reach for commoners like us, but maybe there's hope after all.

Epson's immodestly named "Perfection V200" not only handles the usual flat images, but its lid lifts 180 degrees to scan 3D objects as well in 4800-dpi resolution, according to CrunchGear. And at just $99, it won't break the budget when these machines are inevitably crushed at holiday office parties.

Google's malware witch hunt

Ten percent of the 4.5 million URLs Google researchers analyzed for a malware expos? harbored malicious code. The code executes through widgets, ads, compromised downloads, server vulnerabilities, browser holes, phishing lures, and links, making infection possible for even ordinarily safe users.

CNET.com's Robert Vamosi has the full story, and CNET Download.com has programs to add muscle to your antivirus armor. Netcraft Toolbar (for Internet Explorer and Firefox), is an antiphishing browser extension that sniffs out suspicious hosting locations common in spoofed sites.… Read more

Printing without the printer

We're not huge on scanning devices (especially where our bodies are concerned), but mostly because they aren't always as practical or workable as they might first seem. Still, we're intrigued by PrintDreams' "Xyron Design Runner" for its unique approach if nothing else.

Unlike other handheld scanners that require separate storage (cards, sticks, etc.) that's then transferred to a printer, this gadget scans the images and spits them back onto whatever object you want, not just paper. It's kind of like a digital version of those old handheld label makers, but it prints directly … Read more

Face scanning in less than a second

We almost passed up this item because it looked so much like an Internet phone that surfaced awhile back called the "Luna." But on closer inspection, it wasn't a handset at all but, of all things, a biometric device.

What's unclear is why a face scanner needs to be shaped vaguely like a banana phone, but we're hardly experts on the subject, thank goodness. All that matters is that it works, as Red Ferret says, scanning and athenticating a mug in less than a second. The "VisionAccess 3D Face Reader" from Ontario-based Bioscrypt … Read more