Crave

Many challenges will have to be solved before Google is ready to release Chrome OS, its browser-based operating system for Netbooks. One of the biggest ones could be something as far offline as it gets.

Driver support has derailed many an operating system release, perhaps most recently causing headaches for Microsoft and Windows Vista. As a result, Google is paying close attention to the thorny problem of making sure Chrome OS will work with the myriad devices consumers can be expected to connect to those Netbooks, said Linus Upson, engineering director for the Chrome browser and Chrome OS.

"The good news is that for most input devices today, there are basic standards that allow them to operate without needing a specific drive for each device," Upson said. For instance, manufacturers of USB storage drives and cameras have all pretty much settled on standards that make it easy to ensure those devices will work with your software.

Google is looking at unique ways of solving the problems posed by the lack of standards among printer drivers.

(Credit: Brother)

But printers are another story. Printer drivers are generally unique to the device and pose problems for computer makers.

"We want to get out of the business of printer drivers. All the problems related to drivers we want to go away," Upson said.

That means Google is going to have to come up with a "wonderful printing solution" that it has yet to discuss in public, although talks are ongoing with printer manufacturers, Upson said. Expect to see something from Google along those lines prior to the expected launch of Chrome OS in late 2010.

As for the other driver problem--the so-called "long-tail" of USB devices--don't hold your breath waiting for Chrome OS support for your Wacom tablet. "If that's important, Chrome OS is not the OS for you in 2010," Upson said.

Google does want to figure out a solution to this problem, but it's not something that will be ready in time for launch. Google wants to "get to a model where (Chrome OS Netbooks) can communicate with the OS without a driver."

CNET's Stephen Shankland contributed to this report.

Is that a printer in your pocket, or are you just happy to see the $29 price tag?

Happy Black Friday, everyone! As promised, I spent the morning avoiding retail stores, though I did see a few advertised items that were mighty tempting. Anybody brave the cold, the crowds, the 4 a.m. alarm clock?

Anyway, remember the Dell Wasabi pocket printer from a couple months back? It was a killer deal at $29 shipped, but it sold out quickly.

Amazon is offering the Wasabi's kissing cousin, the Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer, for $29.99 shipped.

This is one of those zero-ink (a.k.a. ZINK) printers that made headlines last year. That means it uses, duh, zero ink, instead heating the crystals embedded in special photo paper (like this $8.67 30-pack, which is worth tossing in the cart).

Consequently, the printer itself is tiny, measuring just 0.9 inch thick by 4.7 inches long by 2.8 inches wide and weighing a mere 8 ounces (with its rechargeable battery installed).

So the PoGo can literally ride around in a pocket and churn out prints on-demand. Prints from where? Any PictBridge-compatible camera or, better yet, most Bluetooth-equipped camera phones.

I bought that virtually identical Dell Wasabi back in September, and while the reviewers are right that print quality is only so-so, I gotta say I love the little thing. (Just wish I could print via Bluetooth from my iPhone!).

Because the paper has peel-and-stick backing, my whole family is having fun pasting little photos all over the place.

Consequently, I think this makes a great gift. And it's available in black or red (oooh, red!) for that same price.

Like just about everything I've posted this week, it'll probably sell out fast (grrr), so if you want one, hurry up and get clicking.

Lexmark's X4650 multifunction printer works over Wi-Fi--or with the bundled USB cable.

(Credit: Wal-Mart)

In the market for a new printer? Might as well get one that doubles as a scanner and copier. And one that works without wires.

Wal-Mart has the Lexmark X4650 wireless all-in-one printer for $59. Shipping will run you 97 cents, though you can skip that by opting for store pickup. Either way, plan on paying sales tax.

As most of you know, I hold Wi-Fi printers in the same high regard as chocolate-covered caramels and Jessica Alba. The X4650 connects to your Wi-Fi router for blissfully wireless printing and scanning.

Ironically, Wal-Mart bundles a 10-foot Tripp Lite gold-plated USB cable, just in case you're not planning to go the Wi-Fi route.

The X4650 offers dual-cartridge printing. If you want the best possible photo results, you can swap in a photo-ink cartridge for the black one and enjoy six-color output.

The downside is that, as with most inkjets, cartridges cost a pretty penny. Plan on dropping at least $25 for each replacement--a little less if you go the remanufactured route.

The printer supports all the latest versions of Windows and Mac OS X. Though it lacks fax capabilities, it can scan to your PC's fax modem (if it has one) and also offers a handy scan-to-e-mail option.

In short, it's a fairly basic multifunction printer, one that sold for $130 when it debuted about a year ago. CNET hasn't reviewed it, but the reviews I've seen elsewhere have been mostly positive. (The only real ding is relatively slow printing.)

In any case, $59 for a Wi-Fi-equipped all-in-one is a rare find. Definitely worth considering.

(Credit: Epson)

Just in time for the holiday gift-buying rush, Epson on Tuesday announced a brand new PictureMate personal photo printer. We've reviewed plenty of Epson's 4x6 photo printers in the past, but its latest PictureMate Charm promises maximum versatility and print durability for just $150.

The PictureMate Charm gives home photo enthusiasts a new way to produce lab-quality photos on the go at parties, special events, family vacations, and so on, thanks to the inclusion of a carrying handle and a dual-purpose lid that also happens to double as a paper input tray.

Creative types will be pleased to see a variety of color effects and layout options that turn photos into wallet-size proof sheets, stickers, and more. Featuring 5760x1440 dpi, the PictureMate Charm boasts the highest print resolution in its class with built-in auto photo correction and red-eye removal in tow. The Charm will also come with ink and 100 sheets of either glossy or matte-finish 4x6-inch photo paper.

Look for a full review of the Epson PictureMate Charm coming soon. One more photo of the Epson PictureMate Charm after the jump.

The free Ecofont typeface promises to consume up to 20 percent less ink.

(Credit: Ecofont)

There are lots of ways to save money on pricey printer consumables.

You can configure your print driver to output two pages on a single sheet of paper. You can enable "draft" mode to use less ink. And, of course, you can bypass printing altogether and generate PDFs.

Then there's Ecofont, a free typeface that promises to consume up to 20 percent less ink.

Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, Ecofont closely resembles your basic Arial, but with one key difference: holes. Each letter has loads of little holes punched out of it, meaning it requires less ink to print.

But as you can see in the example, Ecofont is still plenty readable. So why not use it for all your everyday print jobs?

I know, I know, there are lots of outline-style fonts that would accomplish more or less the same thing. But not many of them look just like Arial--or have the environmentally conscious "Eco" prefix. That's how you know it's "green."

Anyway, it's been about a million years since I installed a new font. If you need a refresher course like I did, you can find help on the Ecofont download page.

It's been a long time coming, but British company PrintDreams reckons it's ready to unveil what it calls the world's smallest printer: the PrintBrush.

The PrintBrush will print to A4 size, in black and white, at up to 600dpi resolution. As you can see from the video, you sweep it across the paper by hand, which means you can print on notebooks, greetings cards, boxes, sleeping midgets, and other things that won't quite fit into a traditional printer no matter how much you maneuver them. It's also supposed to be silent, so you can use it to print in meetings, recording sessions, and funerals. And all this in a package weighing just about 8.8 ounces.

That's even smaller than the Polaroid Two, but we'll let that go seeing as the Polaroid is a camera as well. The PrintBrush connects directly to computers and other devices via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or infrared.

It's expected to cost around $200. The concept first appeared in 2003, which is about a million years in tech years (we weren't even born in 2003), and comes close to qualifying for our list of vaporware. But now PrintDreams reckons we'll see the PrintBrush by the end of 2009, for realsies this time.

Or maybe early 2010. No rush.

(Source: Crave UK)

I can't imagine this deal will last long, so I'm going to make it quick: the Dell Wasabi PZ310 pocket printer is on sale for $29 shipped (plus sales tax in most states).

This is a Dell-branded version of one of those zero-ink (aka ZINK) printers that made headlines last year. That means it uses, duh, zero ink; instead heating the crystals embedded in special photo paper.

Consequently, the printer itself is tiny, measuring just 0.9 inch thick by 4.8 inches long by 2.9 inches wide and weighing a mere eight ounces (with its rechargeable battery installed).

So the Wasabi can literally ride around in a pocket and churn out prints on-demand. Prints from where? Any PictBridge-compatible camera or, better yet, most Bluetooth-equipped camera phones. (See Dell's PZ310 product page for information on Bluetooth printing.)

Alas, the iPhone doesn't seem to be supported, at least according to the FAQ page, but I'm hoping there's a workaround. Why? Because I just ordered the PZ310. Had to: it was selling for $149 just a few months ago!

Also, I've seen the Polaroid version of this printer in action, and while the 2x3-inch prints aren't spectacular, it's just crazy-cool.

Again, I have a feeling this deal won't last the morning, so if you want in on the pocket-printing action, act fast! (By the way, the PZ130 is also available in blue and pink.)

Print, scan, and copy for $29. Do I need to say anything more?

(Credit: Dell)

Multifunction printers are insanely handy. No more running to Kinkos every time you need to...

Wait a minute. This sounds familiar. Oh, right, I wrote up an MFP last Wednesday. But that deal on the Epson Workforce 500 all-in-one photo printer is long gone. And anyway, there was a rebate involved. Blech! Ptooey!

No rebates this time. Dell has the V105 multifunction printer for just $29 shipped. (You may have to pony up a couple bucks for sales tax.)

As you might expect, this is a fairly bare-bones model--but remember that it's more than just a printer. It also scans and copies (in color or monochrome) via a letter-size flatbed.

The V105 supports one tricolor and one black ink cartridge (replacements sell for around $20 apiece). You can also swap in a photo cartridge for your matte/glossy needs. However, and this is important, only the tricolor cartridge comes in the box. You can print without the black cartridge, but you'll burn through ink that much faster.

Speaking of photos, the V105 can produce borderless prints up to 5x7 inches. There's also a one-touch photo copy feature (for easily duplicating 4x6-inch prints).

Unsurprisingly, this model doesn't fax, nor does it support any connections other than USB. (Cable not included; here's a six-footer for $1.02.) It has no memory-card slots and no LCD preview screen. And the bundled software is Windows-only.

Still, $29 for an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier? I haven't found any substantial reviews of this model, but if you have simple print/scan/copy needs, this is a pretty low-risk investment.

By the way, this deal ends tomorrow, September 3--and it could easily sell out before then--so I'd click fast.

Multifunction printers are insanely handy. No more running to Kinkos every time you need to make a few copies or send a fax. And right now, OfficeMax has an insanely good deal on the Epson Workforce 500 all-in-one: it's $59.99 shipped.

Now, I know the headline says $39.99, so what gives? If you're willing to sign up for a MaxPerks account (it's free), you'll get a rebate in the form of a $20 prepaid VISA card, which is more or less the same as cash.

This fully loaded multifunction printer can be yours for just $39.99 (after an automated rebate).

(Credit: Epson)

The Workforce 500 (which is new, not a refurb) features a 30-sheet auto document feeder, memory card slots for all the major formats, and a 2.5-inch color LCD for previewing photos before printing.

In addition to cranking out photos and documents, the Workforce can send and receive faxes and scan and copy anything that fits on its letter-size flatbed. It also comes with OCR software--a nice perk.

My favorite feature: individual ink tanks (one each for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). That cuts way down on ink waste, as you replace only those cartridges that need replacing.

The only missing ingredient is Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi connectivity. Alas, this model's USB only. (OfficeMax's product page mentions parallel as well, but that's a mistake. This isn't 1993.) See Epson's product page for full specs and details.

I haven't found many professional reviews of the Workforce 500, but the user reviews I've read have been mixed. The big complaint: The ink cartridges run out quickly.

Still, given that you're essentially getting a free multifunction printer for about the price of a set of cartridges, I think it's hard to argue with this deal. I may pick one up just so my kids can print and copy stuff.