Sep 07 2008
Home Office - All-In-One devices saves space
2008-09-07 18:55:41
Electronic devices found in a home office are getting smaller. More and more manufactures are designing printers and computers alike to perform multiple functions.
All-in-one is the buzz word for these types of devices. This is good news for home offices. Flat workspace is immediately increased when the total footprint of mltiple electronic devices are reduced to the size of one device.
You may think that you will never need a copier or a fax machine. Think again. Trips to the office can be lessened if you can finish your work at home. Schools and doctors offices exchanges faxes with parents and each other for permission slips and reports. Even real estate deals are completed over fax. Banks, closing companies and lawyers exchange information at break neck speeds.
Dell, HP, Lexmark and Kodak are just a few of the manufacturers offering all-in-one printers. Most of the all-in-one printers will make copies, scan documents, fax and oh yes, they print too. Some are now WiFi enabled which would save the need for a phone line.
All-in-one computers are beginning to appear from several manufactures such as HP, Sony and Gateway. The new HP Touch Smart all-in-one desktop computer is different than most. The 22″ monitor is a touchscreen. I want to see one of these up close.
Why are these desktop computers called all-in-one? The monitor, the CD drive, memory card slots, webcam and microphone is all built together. The monitors are typically very large - now 22″ is not uncommon. A lot of home office space is saved because there is no large CPU box sitting on the floor or on a desk.
There are advantages to all-in-one devices but there are also negatives. What is one component stops working. Do you replace the entire device? Are all components top of the line or are they compromised in an effort to keep the prices low?
The only all-in-one device that I use is my laptop. Now that WiFi and Bluetooth can connect several computers to one printer I don’t need to buy an all-in-one. I use efax instead of a home fax machine because I do not want to be limited to receiving faxes at home. I use my scanner as both a scanner and a copier.
