Best Wi-Fi Printers

Wireless printers are nowadays common both in homes and offices. And this is hardly a surprise, because Wi-Fi offers a greater flexibility, allowing you to print from any mobile device, for example.

And the good news doesn’t stop here: during the past few years, wireless printers have lowered their prices, becoming an attractive buy for home users as well. Most wireless printers use Wi-Fi Direct, which makes wireless connectivity a lot easier. The technology allows the computers and printers to connect directly through Wi-Fi, without needing a wireless access point.

According to the Data Alliance consultants, Wi-Fi Direct creates a special communication channel with the WPS system, thus getting access to a virtual wireless access point. Often times, a simple button press on the wireless printer is enough to complete the device set up.

Here are some of the most popular, top rated wireless printers.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF 4630 defines itself as offering an economical print cost for volume printing. It has a 20 ppm printing speed in both black and color mode, and is able to print on the most common paper sizes, with a resolution of up to 4,800×1,200. The printer weighs about 31 pounds / 14 Kg and can be connected to the cloud. The only drawback is the noise level; the printer seems to be pretty loud. It’s the ideal product for small businesses.

epson-printers

Epson WorkForce WF-100 is a portable, easy to use wireless printer which can print with speeds of up to 7 ppm (black and white) or 4 ppm (color mode). The printing resolution can reach 5,760×1,440, and it weighs only 3.5 pounds / 1.6 Kg. It is definitely a good option for traveling professionals.

HP OfficeJet Pro 6830 e-All-in-one can print with speed that reach 18 ppm (black) and 10 ppm (color) with a resolution of 4,800×1,200. It weighs 18 pounds / 8 Kg and is considered a robust inkjet engine. It can also work as a scanner and copier and has an attractive price.

hp-printers

Epson WorkForce WF 2660 prints with speeds that reach 13 ppm (black) and 7.3 ppm (color) at resolutions of up to 4,800×1,200 pixels. It can print on different paper sizes. The printer weighs about 15 pounds / 7 Kg, has many wireless connectivity options and an automatic document feeder.

Canon Pixma MG7150 also includes a photo printing mode and a touch screen. It’s a very fast wireless printer, reaching 15 ppm (black) and 10 ppm (color). It weighs about 18 pounds / 8 Kg and produces high quality prints. There’s only a drawback, and this could be a deal breaker: its cartridges are pretty expensive.

Brother MFC-J4620DW is a very fast printer that can produce up to 35 ppm (black and white) and 27 ppm (color) at resolutions that can reach 6000×1,200 pixels. It offers a wide range of features, but it’s quite simple to install and then. The printer can use A3 paper and includes a fax and a copier. It can also connect to cloud based services like OneDrive and Dropbox.

brother-printers

Brother DCP J4120DW is a fast A3 entry level printer. Its printing speed can reach 35 ppm (black) and 27 ppm (color). The replacement cartridges aren’t expensive, and when you factor in the duplex printing ability, it becomes an interesting buy. It’s also able to print straight from memory sticks and flash drives, a feature that comes in handy when you are away from a computer.

Top 6 Android Apps That Improve Your Travel Experience

Having a modern mobile phone will allow you to do much more than just call various people. Take Android smartphones for example: there are literally thousands of apps that can make our lives easier and better. The only problem is that you need to have a lot of time at your disposal, in order to evaluate the quality of each application, and then decide if it is something that you want to install and use on your smartphone. Read this article to discover some of the best apps that will make all your trips stress free, more enjoyable and easier to plan than ever before.

1. TripIt

If you only want to install a travel app, get a TripIt account and all your travel related needs will be taken care of. As an example, the app will help you check flights, verify the status of your flight, map your travel from the hotel room and many others.

2. Kayack

This app boasts to help you find the cheapest flights ever. There interface might look a bit busy, because there are numerous buttons and options. Nevertheless, when you learn to use them, you will start saving a lot of time; you’ll be able to find out what are the luggage fees, you will have access to the airlines’ contact details, manage your itinerary, and so on.

3. Google Goggles

This app was created for people that use to travel abroad very often; it can offer details related to unknown, foreign brand names, it can help you translate what you want to say in different languages, thus eliminating a lot of the stress that is usually associated to the language barrier.

4. Hotels Near Me

This is an app that will help you find a suitable hotel room once you got at the vacation destination. It has details for about 60,000 hotels which is, let’s be fair, an amazingly powerful database. Thanks to it, you will not have to worry about finding a hotel room while you are abroad, in a not so familiar geographical area.

Use this app and you will be given not only the name of the hotel, but also its rating, address, phone numbers and even feedback from other people that have stayed there in the past. You will also get the chance to see several photos, and thus you will be able to take an educated decision. And the good news doesn’t stop here: if you like what you see and the prices seem OK, you can book the room right away using your smartphone.

5. Trip Journal

This app is using the GPS that is installed on your phone to keep a record of your trip, using the coordinates provided by the GPS. Trip Journal also uses the photos you took while you were away, creating a nice presentation, a photo journal of your trip that includes your pictures. When you get back home, you can export your itinerary using Google Earth and thus share it with your family and friends.

6. WorldMate

Considered to be pretty much similar to Triplt, this app uses the details input by you to create a portfolio containing your flight details, the hotel booking, car rental, and so on. The key feature of this app is its ability to refresh the data very fast, in case that a new hotel needs to be booked, the flight needs to be changed etc. You are also given the possibility to consult Google Maps and see each and every important tourist attraction on your itinerary. Besides all these, you will have the ability to get a five day weather forecast both in the city you live and at the destination point.

There has never been a better time to own an Android smartphone, especially if you are interested in traveling in the near future. Test these applications and decide which ones suit your needs or (our recommendation) install and use them all – you won’t regret it.

How to Choose the Best Family Car

I want to buy a car for my family in the near future, so I did some research and I want to share the results of my work with you. There you go:

Once you have your own family, the car that you are going to use when you travel with all your family members should fit your needs of space and safety perfectly. Of course, the choice for the car that you will end up with will depend on the budget that you have for your rental; nevertheless, the experts have done something that is going to ease the choice, evaluating and comparing some of the best family cars that have been bought by people. We are going to talk about two of the family cars which rank well in some of the most important tests.

hyunday-sonataIf you plan to visit a remote country you know nothing about, your biggest concerns are probably related to the safety aspect of the car. If this is the case, then Hyundai Sonata 2012 may be your choice. Specialists have given a 10 out of 10 mark to this model, stating that it offers the best driving safety features. In fact, Hyundai Sonata was actually crash tested and it scored 10, the maximum possible.

The safety equipment on Sonata includes dual front, side, curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control and active headrests. At the same time, the outward visibility is very good as well. And everyone agrees that its looks are stunning: Sonata is a unique blend of crests and curves that really help it stand out in comparison with the other possible competitors that are running in the same category. You will have the same pleasant surprise admiring the interior or of the Sonata, where every tiny detail has been carefully trimmed.

Once you have driven a Sonata during the holiday, you might want to buy one as soon as you return home. The base price of the Hyundai Sonata is around the USD 20,500 mark; the specialists say that its integrated features are top notch. In fact, the car was given 9 out of 10 with regards to its features; it includes Bluetooth connections, a USB port, power windows, locks and mirrors, a telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, and so on, with all these features being included even in the entry level model.

In addition to this, depending on the exact model of Sonata that you are going to choose, the car can have paddle shifters, a sport tuned suspension, heated front and rear seats, a sunroof, a backup camera, automatic climatic control, an automatic dimming rearview mirror, etc. The Sonata navigation system is easy to use; you are also given 8GB of flash memory to store over 1,000 tracks from your preferred music. And even if you are only interested in renting this great car for your holiday, you will be glad to discover that the trunk is very spacious.

ford-fusion

Ford Fusion picture by Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz

The only serious competitor as an affordable, and yet great vacation rental is Ford Fusion 2012, another family sedan which was voted #1 out of 19 affordable midsize cars. This ranking was established after analyzing dozens of expert reviews, actual test drives, safety and reliability tests.

People who have been driving it say it is a family car which is also fun to drive, offering a high quality interior. Ford Fusion has an optional all wheel drive, a manual transmission and numerous trimming options, which will allow you to customize the car exactly the way you want. The three engine choices have all benefited from very good reviews and so did the trunk which is considered spacious for any family long drive. When it comes to safety, Ford Fusion has earned an 8 out of 10 mark, a good rating for the safety offered to car occupants. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has given the Top Safety Pick award to Ford Fusion, while federal NCAP has give it a three star ranking for frontal impact and a four start ranking for side impact.

All models of Ford Fusion have standard climate control, power windows, telescoping wheel, split folding rear seats, and so on. Options include rearview cameras, with output displayed in the rearview mirror and navigation systems. And with Ford Fusion, you can always choose to get a new generation hybrid car that can offer you the possibility to switch from the fuel-powered engine to battery.

The autumn has begun, but the cold weather is still months away; right now I can feel how the bright sunshine rays warm up my desk. If you plan to take a vacation with your family, renting one of these great cars is definitely a good idea, one that will make your holiday much better and safer. And if you plan to purchase one of these cars in the near future, why not rent one of them for a few days? It’s a surefire, inexpensive way of verifying if you are taking the right decision. I plan to purchase a car next spring, so I know I’ll do that for sure.