THE NEWS IN PRINT

During a privately funded research by SophosLabs, experts have zeroed in on the loophole created by the toolbox software for HP Laserjet 2500 and 4600. Sophos expertise in virus, spyware and spam analysis to help organisations overcome security limitations on their network.

The identified security risk rests with the toolbox software distributed with the Laserjet 2500 and 4600 printers. The bug in the tool allows hackers to steal information from the never suspecting user's system. The toolbox uses web interface to access printer options like status, troubleshooting tips, demos and alerts.

"A vulnerability like this opens the door for hackers to spy upon your sensitive information. Not protecting yourself against this problem is like leaving your front door open when you pop down the shops, and expecting to find no-one has stolen your belongings," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Users who are running the affected software should upgrade as soon as possible, and everyone should make sure they are fully informed of the latest security notifications."

Sophos and HP have urged users who are presently using the affected toolbox to upgrade to the latest version. HP needs to ensure that its future and current toolboxes are tested extensively for security limitations and inform customers accordingly.

We have been covering 3D printers since its news broke out a few months back. Videos of such a printer showed us some amazing models that can be reproduced at the comfort of our homes. Well, a home is just a general term that I use here. Currently, 3D printers are expensive costing an excess of few thousand pounds. Just like every other gadget, prices will fall in the near future. It would be hard to find a home without a 3D printer just like inkjets. LiveScience examines possible problems that could erupt when 3D printers become affordable.

If your favourite toy or a gadget breaks, one could easily replace it by getting hold of its 3D drawing and remanufacturing the same at home using a 3D printer. No need to order it from a store or have it shipped. Sounds amazing, isn't it?

"If you can make what you need in your own home quickly, then manufacturers become designers, with no need for factories, warehouses or shipping," Phil Anderson of the School of Theoretical and Applied Science at Ramapo College in New Jersey told LiveScience.

A rise in 3D printing could hit manufacturing units, shipping and other related functions causing unemployment of unimaginable sorts. This might be a great invention but might end up disrupting the economy; for bigger states especially.

Xerox and HP have been going at each for the past few days over the introduction of Phaser 8860 and Phaser 8860MFP printers enabled with solid ink technology. The war of words and accusations started wit Xerox formally dragging HP's counterpart during 8860's release in the US. While the war is far from over, Xerox is quietly going about introducing this cost saving printer worldwide. Earlier this week, Xerox debuted Phaser 8860 and Phaser 8860MFP at UK.

"Our customers told us that they need high-quality colour printing to support their business, but price was a barrier," said Darren Cassidy, director and general manager, Office Group, Xerox UK.

"By focusing our research on solid ink, price is no longer a barrier - Xerox colour printing is now as inexpensive as black and white - and at a much lower total cost than comparable printers from other companies."

"This is another example of Xerox transitioning the office to colour without any compromise on cost, performance, quality or reliability," he added.

We have obtained the exact retail prices of these new printers. The Phaser 8860 is priced at £1,699 and the upgrade 8860MFP has a price tag of £2,919. These prices are more expensive than the ones in the US. Even the solid ink sticks have taken a beating with the pricing; they cost £144 and not £108 as projected earlier. Individual coloured inks cost £48 each.

via PC Retail Mag

First it was the mini battle between giants HP and minnows Kodak for a piece of flesh in the market. Now, HP is turning the heat on Xerox over solid ink printers which released earlier this week. HP had to provide a quick reply as the Xerox news release openly compared and criticised the prices of HP with Phaser 8860.

HP corporate statement read - "here is a huge growth opportunity in the color market, so it's no surprise our competitors are aggressively pursuing this space to try to capture market share. Over the years, we've seen many competitors attempt what Xerox is trying to do -- give up margins in order to gain market share -- but to date no one has been successful with this strategy. It is somewhat surprising Xerox would choose to use solid ink technology as their play for the color market considering the inherent issues with solid ink for general office printing needs, its limited success in the market to date, and its environmental challenges."

HP was surprisingly on the offense than on the defense. They flayed Xerox in the field of power consumed. HP said that the solid sticks take immense energy to melt and the estimated power consumption would be three times as HP laser printers. HP also questioned the quality and durability of prints arising from solid inks.

Xerox was quick to react to HP's allegation - "While a typical color laser printer generates about 157 pounds of waste (packaging and cartridges) after 100,000 prints, the Phaser 8860 printer, (which has no cartridge) produces only 5 pounds of waste after 100,000 prints. Many agree that such results outweigh the nominal increase in energy that's required to run the device (12.6 kilowatt hours/week, vs. 4.9kilowatt hours/week for the HP 4700)"�

The battle has begun and a winner is unlikely to emerge. There will be sympathisers on both sides and customers on both ends. Xerox's gain will definitely be HP's loss as the leader could see a piece of his pie stolen away. My money is on solid ink as it reduces printing wastes and hence contributes towards greener Earth.

via Channel Web

Apple will be the exclusive retailer for the two stylish Samsung printers ML 1630 and SCX 4500 which were displayed at GITEX earlier last month. It is no surprise that Apple which manufactures elegant computers has bid for stylish printers from Samsung.

Here are the specs:

ML 1630

- High-gloss Piano Black finish and compact design
- Print speeds up to 17 pages per minute (black)
- Laser print quality up to 1200 x 1600 dpi
- Compatibility with Mac and PC
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity
- Exclusive "No-Noise" technology, allowing for operation at 45 dB or less

SCX 4500

- Convenient flatbed scanner design for easy copying and printing
- Print speeds up to 17 pages per minute (black)
- Laser print quality up to 600 x 600 dpi
- First print out in 15 seconds from sleep mode

Apple will be shipping the product free of cost in the US and will charge appropriate shipping charges outside US. The ML 1630 is priced at £100 while the multi-function laser printer SCX 4500 has a price tag o f £150. These printers along with a Mac will surely beautify any room or office its housed in; no competitors though.