And Now, HP Printers come with an App Store

HP has been hard at work at its printer division, with all kinds of innovations. Consider their latest - the HP all-in-one Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web (what a long name that one is). To begin with, it's an inkjet printer, not a laser. And so, you know it's going to be affordable. The great thing about it is, that it is practically a mini computer - it is WiFi enabled, it can connect directly to the Internet without a separate computer, and it comes with its own tiny 4.3" LCD screen for previews. So what does it do connecting to the web? It actually uses printer apps, to help you decide more often that hitting the Print button would be a good idea. It would be wonderful if these apps wouldwork on all existing HP printers; maybe they will one day. As of now, it's just this one HP printer that does it.

So what do the apps do? The apps are made by companies like Google, USA Today, and DreamWorks; and they are meant to help you print things like coupons, photos or Google maps and webpages much better. And if you get the Disney app from HP's app store, you can knock yourself out printing great coloring books for your children. Or, if you want to consider your next technology purchase with all the CNet reviews printed and laid out before you, you must consider the CNet app. The best part is, that these apps that go with web-compatible HP printers are totally free. If you have a great app idea in mind, HP even has a software developer kit in place that will help you program it too.

Everyone knows that the printer companies make a lot more money on ink sales, then they do selling you a $250 printer. When you have apps that make it much easier for you to print everything, there's sure to be a great deal for HP's bottom line. So what is it like using this innovative printer? To begin with, its wireless connection is rock solid. You just power it up, go through the motions on the built-in LCD screen to find an available WiFi network, he used the virtual keyboard on the touchscreen to type in your password, and you are good to go. The printer is quite intelligent; if you load in the paper the wrong way, for instance, or if you load the photo paper into the regular tray or the other way around, it will warn you.

You can get your pictures to the printer in a number of ways, and one of the best ones is using its card reader. The printer still takes about two minutes to print a full size photo that is 8" x 11", which while slow, is still okay, considering how great the picture quality is. If you have pictures stored on your iPhone, you're in luck there, because there is an iPhone app for this printer. And of course, all HP printers are great at document printing. It even automatically prints on both sides of every sheet. Maybe you think that at $250 it's a bit expensive, but for something as full-featured as this, with an app store to boot, surely you could stretch to that much?