HP Print Apps store launches

If this post-Labor Day surprise from HP doesnt quite measure up to 2001 and the companys announced intention to acquire Compaq Computer, maybe we can all breathe a little easier. This news is simply the launch of the iPhone-apps-store-like HP Apps Studio, announced in June (see "HP Reveals! Web-enabled inkjet all-in-one sets new industry direction"), along with some new partners, like AOL (!) and CNET.

And its interesting tracking the early response to the news. ZDNets Larry Dignan, with a video analysis by Sam Diaz, hit pretty hard. In their piece "HP plays the print app game; Will you buy into Printing 2.0?", the App Studio screen shot is followed by the slide from the Q3 Financials slide set (see "HP Printer Metrics, Q3 FY2009 Results") and questions HPs (and the industrys) need to get back on track with printing in both home and office. And so far, the readers comments (though not volumes) seem rather lukewarm on the new urge to print that might be brought about by some of HPs recent innovations.

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The economy and Managed Print Services

As the not-so-recently-appointed editor of the Printer Industry News blog (see "Printer industry blogging activities expanding"), Im excited to point readers of Jim Lyons Observations to a timely new weigh-in opportunity weve launched. Industry members (OEMs, resellers, IT Managers, end-users, and others) are invited to take a short survey on how the future of MPS might or might not be affected by the current economic maelstrom the world is currently experiencing. (The closed-ended portion of the survey is intended for MPS implementers, but the final free-form question is open to members from all of the groups mentioned in the previous sentence.)

Start by reading the post ("Economys Impact on Managed Print Services -- We ask you!") and then link to our five-question survey. Wed appreciate your inputs!

And thanks to fellow blogger Greg Walters at "The Death of the Copier" for posting a link to the survey, too. And from the "Great Minds..." department, Gregs also hosting a LinkedIn discussion on the same topic.

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HP NYSE HPQ Guarantees Print Savings

In an announcement this morning, HP rolled out their "Payback Guarantee for Managed Print Services Customers", along with accompanying full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

The press conference, hosted by none other than Ferris Buellers Ben Stein, is ongoing, with numerous interesting tidbits offered by HP execs and MPS customers ST Microelectronics and Intel. Notable tidbits are showing up in the tweetstream (#HPMPS) and will be summarized here later.

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