Samsung ML-1915

As many of you guys probably know, there's a serious problem with the business model of printer manufacturers: the ink/toner cost more than a new printer. The replacement toner for my old laser printer is $100 CAD. The Samsung ML-1915, which is better than my old printer is only $70 CAD. What would you buy?

It's pretty obvious that there is some serious price fixing going on here. I am always hesitant to go out and buy a new printer; it really doesn't make sense environmentally. But whose fault is it? The consumer for buying the cheaper option or the companies that rip the users off on ink and toner?

I've never connected a printer to my Mac, was interested on how this works.

Why is the "purchasing" spelt with an upper case?

Look at all that plastic and styrofoam. Only if the toner was cheaper.

Here it is.

The whole printer is covered in tape and plastic. Even the inside of the toner cartridge, and when you pull the tape off, toner flies in your face. Not the most intuitive packaging.

Looks cheap, functional and simple.

Although everything is made of harsh plastic, Samsung did play with textures to make the whole package decent.

Being a low-end printer, it's pretty small and compact... except for this block at the back. It's there to accompany the length of the paper.

The paper tray.

Loads of garbage from the unboxing. Why oh why must you charge so much for toner.

It's no design breakthrough but it's inconspicuous and blends into the background. Nobody wants to show off their printer, right?

Vroom vroom.

I was surprised to see how simple and intuitive the Mac interface is for printing. No software install or drivers; just worked as soon as I connected it.

The print quality is really crisp. If you are looking for a simple printer for simple documents, this really seems like one of the best. The ML-1915 has a 600 - 1200dpi resolution, which I'm told is quite competitive for the pricing.

The ML-1915 is fast, decent quality and affordable. What more could you want from an entry level printer? I wonder how much the toner costs for this printer. I'm afraid to look.

Palm m105

There are a few devices that I really really love, mostly because of nostalgia. One of them is the Palm M105. Launched in 2001, when I was merely 10, this was the first "mobile" device I've ever owned. Originally, it was my dad's but was given to be me when he moved onto the HP iPAQ rz1715.

Here it is. In 2001, many electronics still had the toy-like look and feel of the 90's.

Giant dock connector, looks/feels very much like the Nintendo 64's cartridge system.

Back. As you can see, the shell is entirely made of plastic. Also note the little "feet" that prevented the back from getting scratched.

The m105 runs on 2 AAA batteries. Today, the only device that commonly sports this method for power is wireless mice.

"Do not remove batteries for more than a minute." - Why? It's because all the data was deleted if removed for more than a minute. This made synchronizing with the PC much more crucial; it's a good habit anyways.

The m105 had interchangeable faceplates like the majority of the PDAs. The process of removing the face is not an elegant process - it's very much like the Xbox 360, where you pry it off.

It's also interesting how the inside is glossy while the actual face is matte in texture. This was probably a conscious decision to extend the longevity of the device. A decision that is not as common these days in the world of glossy electronics.

9 years of separation. Moore's Law is has been proven. The Palm had only 8mb of storage. Man, we are so spoiled.

The m105 was never meant to be a "high end" device but the material and the tolerance of the parts is quite primitive. However, the device is super durable; very much like products made by little tikes.

It's quite funny how similar the home screen on these devices are. I guess you shouldn't fix what's not broken.

960 x 640 vs 160 x 160.

Something the iPhone can't do: write notes like a real memo pad.

The input panel under the display is super intuitive. Some people are probably familiar with Palm's text recognition method, Graffiti. When you learn Graffiti once, you never forget; after all these years I am still able to write without too much thought.

Ironically, I've lost the stylus. I guess Steve was right.

iPod touch 4G

My sister ordered the new iPod touch. Of course, I had to get my hands on it immediately.

The packaging. Don't know if it's just me but I prefer the cardboard boxes used in the iPhone models.

The packaging is pretty well done though.

The amount of accessories you get with Apple products these days is a bit ridiculous. Remember how many accessories we got with older iPods?

Here it is.

The iPod touch has returned to the flat back of the first generation iPod touch. The volume buttons are almost at a 45 degree angle because of the shape of the back. Feels a bit odd at first.

I really dislike the stainless steel backs on iPods; I'm a bit OCD when it comes to devices, and such a scratchable back is no good. Good for the case market though. Hmm... wouldn't it have been awesome if the iPod touch had an aluminum back like the iPad?

The camera and mic.

The camera isn't that great though. Actually, it's awful - it's only 0.7MP and fixed focus, making it even worse than the one on the 3GS.

And front facing camera. Facetime is probably the biggest addition. In my mind anyways.

The iPod touch now has the brilliant retina display. Sadly, it's not a IPS display like the iPhone 4 and it's really noticeable. The colors are generally a bit more washed out and have a "cooler" tone - bit like the iPhone 3GS. However, viewing angle is probably the biggest problem, as you can see in this video. Nevertheless, the people getting the touch won't be iPhone 4 customers anyways, so I guess this isn't a big issue. 

Despite some of the flaws, this thing is really really thin and gorgeous.

It's just a sliver of steel and glass.

Really thin.

32GB vs 160GB. Too bad Apple completely ignored the iPod Classic.

Thanks to the thinner bezzel, the footprint is much smaller too. Compared with the Zune HD and Samsung P2.

With the mintpass mintpad.

Well, it's an iPod touch. What more could you want? Though the touch feels really outclassed by the iPhone 4, we must remember that the touch is targeted as a lower-end product. The base iPod touch (8GB) is $230 so I can understand how Apple dropped some of the goodies.

Still, I think Apple could have at least given it a usable camera.

I'd be much nicer if it had an aluminum back though. :)

dot.

Just a quick little project I did for fun. I wanted to design a pair of earphones that are simple and don't have any superfluous elements. Enjoy.

Renders / Graphics: Adobe Photoshop

Week - 17

I've been working on a project so I haven't been able to post any updates for the past little bit. Nevertheless, here's another.

This ship has been sitting here for way too long now. Don't quote me on this but I think I've been seeing it for over a month now. I don't know how long it normally takes to unload all those containers but it looks like it's a slow and inefficient process.

These photos are from downtown Vancouver by the way.

Came across this. I saw these Scion posters a few times but I didn't give them a second thought. I then realized that Canada never had the Scion brand, and as far as I know, they are sold exclusively in the USA - until now. Despite this, there have been plenty of imported Scions running around in Vancouver. I'm sure that there are many Scion enthusiasts excited for this launch but I really dislike this brand so I'll just shut up.

I was in downtown for a friend's birthday.

Therefore cake was eaten.

Polaroid. I mean Fujifilm's Instax. People still call them Polaroids though.

The ridiculously overpriced Vaio P. The base price of this "netbook" is $900. That's enough to buy an iPad and a cheap netbook. Why anyone would go for the P is beyond my knowledge.

It sure is pretty though.

Brought my iPhone to the Apple store so it can meet up with its family.

I saw this and got really upset. I'll be using my phone in the US and we all know what the carrier situation is like for iPhone users there. Look at Canada. There are 5 carriers to choose from. Yes, 5.

I'm not using the bumper anymore. I got tired of the tiny cutout for the headphone jack that only allows you to use Apple's headphones.

My first facetime call. None of my friends have iPhone 4's so we gave it a try with the Apple's display unit. Photoshopped the screen for privacy.

I love the maple desks at the Apple Stores. Heard that they are $6000 though.

Will end with this. Evidence that Apple does fail and make mistakes. We're all human.