Xerox Sponsors Clean Water Awareness Group Blue Legacy For US Tour

By Peter Lavelle

Friday 23 July 2010 10:08 GMT
Image: AlexandraCousteau.org

Blue Legacy founder and president Alexandra Cousteau

Ink cartridge manufacturer Xerox has become the document partner for clean water awareness group Blue Legacy's US tour. Named Expedition Blue Planet, the tour commenced earlier this month and chronicles water issues across the country. It will cover 14,500 miles in 138 days.

Blue Legacy will use Xerox products and printing materials throughout the tour. These include:

• The Xerox ColorQube 9200 printer. This machine produces a 10% smaller carbon footprint than comparable rival products over its lifetime.
• Xerox solid ink technology. This ink requires no plastic cartridge case, and is hence highly eco-friendly.
  

The awareness group plans to produce brochures, flyers, permits and photo release forms using these products, housed on the Expedition tour bus. This demonstrates 'the flexibility of Xerox MFPs in challenging situations,' according to a Xerox spokeswoman.

Blue Legacy founder Alexandra Cousteau – Jacques Cousteau granddaughter – meanwhile praised Xerox's environmental commitment. She said in a press release: 'Xerox's solid ink is a step in the right direction for greener, more sustainable printing.'

Cousteau established Blue Legacy in 2008 to raise awareness of water environmental issues including scarcity and pollution. The Expedition continues until November, visiting locations across the US.

Sources

Christina Williams, 'Xerox Ink Gets Green Props From Blue Legacy,' SustainableBusinessOregon.com, 21 July 2010.
Lisa Weaver, 'Xerox Joins The Expedition Blue Planet Water Conservation Campaign,' MarketWatch.com, 21 July 2010.
Judy Jefferson, 'Xerox Teams With Blue Legacy On Water Awareness Project,' PrinterComparison.com, 22 July 2010.

HP Receives Trademark For Name PalmPad: iPad Competitor On The Way?

By Peter Lavelle

Thursday 22 July 16:48 GMT
Image: Techgenie.com

On the way? - A mock-up of the potential HP PalmPad

Ink cartridge manufacturer Hewlett Packard has received trademark rights to the name PalmPad, igniting rumours the company will soon release an iPad competitor.

HP has not released specific details about the trademark. However according to the application form the PalmPad name can be applied to: 'Computers, computer hardware, computer software, computer peripherals, portable computers, handheld and mobile computers, PDAs, electronic notepads, mobile digital electronic devices.'

This easily encompasses a tablet.

Rumours about an HP tablet have been circulating for years. For example:

• Earlier this year Hewlett Packard began collaborating with Microsoft to build the HP Slate. This project however has been scrapped.
• HP recently bought smartphone developer Palm for $1.2bn. Palm's WebOS operating system in particular enables HP to release countless mobile devices – including web enabled printers.
  

Hence given the new trademark the release of an HP tablet looks increasingly likely. Look out Steve Jobs!

Sources

Ashok Bindra, 'HP Files For PalmPad Trademark With USPTO,' TMCNet.com, 22 July 2010.
Ben Woods, 'HP Slate 500 Found Buried On HP Website, PalmPad Trademark Also Acquired,' ZDNet.co.uk, 21 July 2010.
Edward Berridge, HP TradeMarks PalmPad,' TheInquirer.net, 20 July 2010.

Times Website Loses 66% Of Readers Following Paywall Introduction

By Peter Lavelle

Tuesday 20 July 10:44 GMT
Image: Guardian.co.uk

The Times website has lost 66% of its readership following the introduction of mandatory registration and a paywall. The decline, though massive, is smaller than industry predictions.

Visitors to The Times' website are redirected to the paywall.

The Times newspaper's website has lost 66% of its readers following the introduction of mandatory registration and a paywall, according to new figures by website traffic monitor Experian Hitwise. The figures are better than expected: other newspapers that introduced paywalls experienced up to 90% declines in readership.

The Times began charging visitors £1 per day or £2 weekly on July 2nd, following owner Rubert Murdoch's decision to end free access to online content last year. His decision is controversial: most online publishers including The Guardian believe online newspapers can make profits using advertising revenues – without charging people.

Experian Hitwise figures show though that The Times website performed better than expected. In the week following the paywall's introduction, readership fell to only 33% pre-paywall levels: other news sites that implemented paywalls, such as Long Island's Newsday, encountered 90% readership drops. To this extent The Times experiment can be considered successful.

Interestingly, the Experian figures reveal readership fell by only 8% in the week following the paywall's introduction. Instead, the majority of readers – 58% - stop reading when The Times introduced mandatory registration 1 month before the paywall. This two-tiered approach suggests The Times intended to weed out casual readers before charging for content.

However, the Experian Hitwise statistics do not reveal whether The Times' paying readership can make the newspaper's website profitable. This information is crucial: it determines whether The Times' experiment has succeeded and, for the newspaper industry, whether online paywalls can be feasible. Hence final judgement of the paywall ought be suspended until The Times reveals its online revenues.

Sources

Anonymous, 'Paywall Leads To Two-Thirds Drop In Times Online Readership,' TheFrontline.v3.co.uk, 18 July 2010.
David Teather, 'New Paywall Costs The Times 66% Of Its Online Readership,' Guardian.co.uk, 18 July 2010.
Greybeard, 'The Times They Are A-Changing; Paywall Sees Two Thirds Drop In Web Traffic,' Unthinkable.biz, 19 July 2010.
Matthew Ingram, 'Rubert's Paywall Is Meant To Keep People In, Not Out,' Gigaom.com, 19 July 2010.

New York Cartoonist Creates Luminescent Ink Posters

By Peter Lavelle

09 July 2010
Image: JoeAlterio.com

Click for a bigger view of Alterio's poster!

New York cartoonist Joe Alterio has created three innovative ink posters that become luminescent when exposed to heat.

Printed for the UK Institute of Physics, the posters contain 2 layers of ink: one on the surface, and another that becomes visible after heat is applied. The effect means the posters glow.

The posters will be displayed in schools across the UK.

Writing on his website, Alterio explains why he accepted the project:

“Part of the problem, it was postulated, was that UK kids were not exposed to the interesting side of what physics is at a young enough age; by the time physics becomes a school course option, most kids have already relegated physics to the ‘boring’ category, and go on to pursue their degree in macrame interpretive dance.

But even as an artist, I can say, this is not so! Physics is without a doubt one of the most far-thinking, philosophical fields out there.”

Other images of the posters – before and after heat application – are available here.

Enjoy!

Sources

Annalee Newitz, 'Photo Luminescent And Thermal Ink Physics Posters Are Awesome,' io9.com, 07 July 2010.
Joe Alterio, 'Get Physical!' JoeAlterio.com, 06 July 2010.

HP Hit Print Ad: Life, The Universe & Everything Inside 2 Minutes

By Peter Lavelle

08 July 2010 10:03 GMT
Image: TheJunketClub.Wordpress.com
Videos: YouTube.com

The product of graduate animators Matt Robinson and Tom Wrigglesworth, new short film HP Hit Print covers pretty much everything.

Tom Wrigglesworth: One half of the creative partnership behind HP Hit Print

Graduate animators Matt Robinson and Tom Wrigglesworth have created a sequel to last year's HP printer-centred short film Invent.

The original film (included below alongside the sequel) was created as part of a D&AD student competition, and showed several HP printers performing a synchronised dance.

The new film though, commissioned by Hewlett Packard this time, encapsulates life, the universe and everything inside 2 minutes. It's called Hit Print and, honestly, it's excellent. Check out both films below.

HP Invent



HP Hit Print



Sources

Brian Barrett, 'A Tale Told By A Printer,' Gizmodo.com.au, 07 July 2010.
Eliza Williams, 'HP Hit Print,' CreativeReview.co.uk, 06 July 2010.
Matthew, 'HP Hit Print Ad,' GadgetVenue.com, 05 July 2010.

Reading Print Books Faster But Less Enjoyable Than Reading eBooks, Says New Study

By Peter Lavelle

07 July 2010 10:24 GMT
Image: Grockit.com

People read printed books most quickly but find reading iPads most enjoyable, according to user experience testers Nielson Norman Group.

Apple iBook: The Most Fun You Can Have Processing Sequenced Characters Into Cognitively Enriching Experience

Reading printed pages is 10% faster but also less enjoyable than reading iPads and eBooks, according to a new study released by the Nielson Norman Group.

User experience testers Nielson Norman compared reading speeds and user satisfaction on several formats including: printed books, iPads, Kindle 2s and PC monitors.

Testing 24 subjects, the Group found that reading printed pages is outright faster than reading other formats, but slightly less enjoyable than reading eBooks and iPads. The PC monitor tested worst on both criteria.

The study worked as follows:

• 24 users were asked to read an Ernest Hemingway short story on the different formats. Report writer Jakob Nielson notes that: “We picked Ernest Hemingway because his work is pleasant and engaging to read, and yet not so complicated it would be above the heads of users.”

• Users were timed, and then given a comprehension test to assess their retention and understanding. The average reading time was 17 minutes 20 seconds: “enough time to get them immersed in the story,” says Nielson.
  

This average aside though, the formats tested substantially different for exact times and user enjoyment. For example, though comprehension tested equal:

• Print page reading time was fastest (unstated) and rated 5.6 on an enjoyment scale out of 7.

• iPad reading time was 6.2% slower than the printed page, but rated 5.8 on the enjoyment scale.

• Kindle 2 reading time was 10.7% slower than the printed page, but rated 5.7 on the enjoyment scale.

• PC monitor reading time was slowest (unstated) and rated only 3.6 on the enjoyment scale.
  

Users also made specific comments about each format in addition to scoring them numerically.

For example, users disliked the iPad's weight and the Kindle's grey-on-grey text. Reading on PC monitors meanwhile scored poorly because the format reminded people of work.

In contrast, users found reading printed pages relaxing and liked that the iBook app included remaining chapter length.

Nielson concluded the study by saying: “This study is promising for the future of e-readers and tablet computers. We can expect higher-quality screens in the future, as indicated by the recent release of the iPhone 4 with a 326 dpi display.

But even the current generation is almost as good as print in formal performance metrics — and actually scores slightly higher in user satisfaction.”

Comment

For advocates of printed or digital reading, the report provides ammunition for both sides: reading print is faster but reading e-books more enjoyable.

Head of eReaders at Sony Steve Haber predicted last month that printed text will be obsolete in 5 years: Nielson's conclusion that technological improvements will make eBook reading easier seemingly corroborates this. To this extent the publishing industry looks in trouble.

On the other hand: people may not abandon printed books simply because an alternative is available.

For consumers meanwhile, the Nielson Norman report raises a question: what kind of reading experience do you want?

For fast and relaxing reading printed books are preferable. For ultimately more enjoyable user experiences choose eBooks.

There are obviously other factors to consider: the higher price but greater capacity of eReaders for example. The choice though seems ultimately clear.

Finally, it is worth querying the Nielson Norman report before potentially spending hundreds of pounds based on these findings.

The 24-person test group is notably small for example – and what are their characteristics? The comments and preferences of a PhD-educated English Literature lecturer are likely to differ from those of a Tesco trolley attendant.

Furthermore, what does numerically rating the experience of these reading formats truly tell us? One user may be fiercely prejudiced against electronic devices; another may be predisposed to receiving paper cuts.

In short then, it is difficult to assess the genuine value of Nielson Norman's report without more information.

Sources

Adam Hadhazy, 'Reading Print Book Faster Than E-Books On iPad And Kindle,' iPadNewsDaily, 06 July 2010.
Darren Allan, Study Says People Read eBooks Slower Than Print,' TechWatch.co.uk, 07 July 2010.
Jakob Nielson, 'iPad And Kindle Reading Speeds,' UseIt.com, 02 July 2010.
Ryan Fleming, 'Study: Reading eBook eReaders Takes Longer Than Print,' DigitalTrends.com, 06 July 2010.

Xerox 'Print Advisor' Utility Offers Printing Efficiency And Savings

By Peter Lavelle
06 July 2010 22:57 GMT
Image: Xerox.com

Ink cartridge manufacturer Xerox has unveiled Print Advisor: a software utility aimed at enabling businesses to improve their printing efficiency.

Xerox's Print Advisor Software Utility

Ink cartridge manufacturer Xerox has unveiled a new software utility aimed at enabling businesses to optimise their printing processes and save money. Named Print Advisor, the utility works as follows:

• Businesses install Print Advisor and the software monitors printing output across the office network.
• Print Advisor then issues a report advising business owners how to optimise their printing, reducing waste and saving money.
• In addition, Print Advisor informs users about to print inefficiently how they can save money printing another way: for example, by duplex printing.
  

In the future, IT managers will also be able to monitor the printing habits of individuals using Print Advisor. This will enable further savings (though with an Orwellian tinge.)

Print Advisor is currently only planned for release with ColourQube 9200 Series MFP Xerox printers. Business owners can freely download the utility this Autumn.

Sources

Anonymous, 'Xerox Unveils Software Tool For ColourQube 9200 Series,' TradingMarkets.com, 06 July 2010.
Heather Clancy, 'Xerox Software Urges Your Staff To Print Smarter,' ZDNet.com, 05 July 2010.
Jstokdyk, 'Xerox Targets Waste With Print Advisor,' AccountingWeb.co.uk, 06 July 2010.

New Scottish Arts Council Will Not Support Print Publishing

By Peter Lavelle Monday
5th June 15:44 GMT
Image: BBC.co.uk

Perhaps owing to public sector funding cuts, Scotland's new arts council Creative Scotland will not support print publishing.

Fiona Hyslop SMP: Less A Chaînés Turn Than An Attitude Leap For Scottish Culture?

The newly launched Creative Scotland arts council will not support print publishing, according to the organisation's chief executive Andrew Dixon. He told allmediascotland.com recently that Creative Scotland's remit includes theatre and short films, but not newspapers and general publishing. Ironically perhaps given this, the new body was launched at Edinburgh Printmakers.

Creative Scotland was launched earlier this month to support Scotland's creative and cultural industries. The new body is the product of a merger between Screen Scotland and the Scottish Arts Council and, according to Scottish Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop, is Scotland's first “single national body for the arts, culture and creative industries.”

In spite of this though, Creative Scotland may have limited influence. Widespread public spending cuts mean the organisation has only a £60m budget and, according to Mr. Dixon, will have to find “new ways of investing in the industry.”

Comment

The arts budgets are often the first thing to disappear in times of economic hardship, making the creation of Creative Scotland itself heartening. Equally though, print publishing has been hit especially hard in this recession; hence Creative Scotland's limited scope is ultimately disappointing. For example, who decided that theatre was more creatively valid that newspaper publishing? The axe must obviously fall somewhere, but a period of public consultancy might perhaps have made the chop less brutal.

Sources

Anonymous, 'Creative Scotland Aims To Boost Arts and Culture,' News.BBC.co.uk, 1 July 2010.
Anonymous, 'Creative Scotland Rules Out Support For Print Media,' allmediascotland.com, 2 July 2010.
Anonymous, 'New Arts Body Officially Launched,' DissExpress.co.uk, 5 July 2010.
Tom Allan, 'Edinburgh Today – Creative Scotland Launched, Car-Jacking, African Piglets & Thrift,' Guardian.co.uk, 1 July 2010.

Gloucester MP Blames Printer For Parliament Gaffe

By Peter Lavelle
01 July 2010 17:40 GMT
Image: BBC.co.uk
Video: YouTube.com

Gloucester MP Richard Graham arrived late for a House of Commons debate this Tuesday, after the printer he was using to print his speech jammed.

Richard Graham: Perhaps ought claim managed print services on expenses.

Gloucester MP Richard Graham has blamed his printer for making him miss the beginning of a House of Commons debate he was supposed to open. The Right Honourable Mr. Graham says his printer malfunctioned this Tuesday night while printing his speech, hence causing him to be late. The Gloucester MP has since apologised, and hopes to reschedule the debate.

Printer malfunctions have been responsible for many disasters in the past. For example, this gem:



Here's hoping Mr. Graham reacted more rationally in the face of printer-related inconvenience.

Sources

Anonymous, 'Gloucester MP Red-Faced After Jammed Printer,' BBC.News.co.uk, 30 June 2010.