Text faster - Samsung Omnia II
- Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 95 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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17 out of 21 people found this review helpful
1.5 stars
"Very sharp looking package but not much under the hood"
Pros: Fax capabilities are top notch and will work well with a shared phone line, good quality on photo paper, wireless, built in web server for configuration
Cons: Fragile installation software, Photosmart Essentials cannot work with large photos or scans, black ink is really a dark grey
Summary: I bought this all-in-one mostly because of the wireless 802.11g networking feature. I assumed that HP has been making printers and scanners for so long the quality would be there... I was wrong.
First the drivers have a huge footprint and are fragile. When you install, you will need to install everything or nothing will work. At first I tried to select out some scumware but nothing worked until I redid things with all options checked. HP sees fit to include such rediculous items a browser addons.
Next I tried printing in black and white and the "black" was not nearly as dark as the 8-year old HP Inkjet this was going to replace.
I tried a scan next and the quality is so bad I thought something must be broken. White dots and streaks all over the photo. A quick search of the web reveals I'm not alone. Unfortunately HP does not have user forums I can ask in.
The faxing and copying work but, again, quality is subpar.
On the positive side, the wireless networking is complete and works with WEP secured networks. The printer acts as a web server so you can just browse to it and look through the log files, ink levels, and configure settings.
The speed is decent for an inkjet. I bet it could compete with the older Laserjets. I also was really happy with the form factor. It's easy on the eyes and a really nice size.
Overall I can't give this all-in-one a good review. If the software and drivers were solid (e.g. just turn off the printer and your Windows driver will crash every 10 minutes until you turn the printer back on, sigh) then I would give them much higher marks.
- 1 reply to this review
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The duplex feature does not work. (HP response is that they are aware of it) The software only allows Extended MAPI not simple MAPI which means you cant take a scanned image and drop it into any program you have on your computer (ie Picasa) and will only work with Outlook email, no other (including Thunderbird).
If you install the drivers and then leave the wireless area (ie bring your laptop to the office) you will have issues at shutdown. Very difficult to get 2 laptops to both print wireless.
Where to buy
HP Photosmart C7280 All-in-One:
$178.19 - $199.98
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$178.19 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$199.98 | Yes |
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