The small multifunction home office printers were developed to cater to the market known as SOHO, meaning small office home office. This generally includes individuals operating from home, small businesses and small divisions of large companies. These multifunction printers normally have the functions of printing, scanning, photocopying, faxing, and e-mailing. The major brands supplying this segment are Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, and Xerox. Manufacturers like Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Oce, Okidata, and Olivetti also operate in this market with negligible shares. Let us compare the top 5 small multifunction home office printers in 2009.

Brother MFC-685CW

Brother MFC-685CW is a pure multifunction printer and also inexpensive. The footprint of the machine is very less, with 18.4” width, 14.6” depth, and 7.1” height. The 10-page document feeder is flush with the lid of the scanner, thus saving lot of space. The PictBridge USB port and the 2 memory card slots are mounted in the front. A rare 3.3” widescreen color LCD control panel is provided in this machine to preview pictures on one side and information on the other side.

The message center allows you to play back or erase voice messages. The fax panel lets you preview, pause/redial, hold, and operate the speaker phone. The corded handset enables manual phone calls. The paper tray could hold 100 plain papers, while the dedicated photo tray could contain 20 sheets of 4x6 photo paper. The black brother ink cartridge tank provides about 500 pages, while the cyan, yellow, and magenta tanks offer about 400 pages each.

The multifunction printer comes with a scanner, copier, and fax functions, apart from a built-in answering machine. The fax options are highly sophisticated in this low-priced machine.

Canon Pixma MX700

Canon Pixma MX700 is a printer with fast operations and high quality output. The 1.8” color LCD panel is not fully sufficient for photo previewing but it is alright for other menus. The front paper input tray could hold 110 sheets of plain paper. The rear tray is recommended for photo paper or thin T-shirts. PictBridge port and memory cards are not provided in this printer. Further, the limited fax functions, as well as the other limited task speeds, make it fit only for light printing needs.

HP Officejet J6480

HP Officejet J6480 comes with lot of high-end hardware like autoduplexer, optical character recognition scanner, wireless setup, etc. Still, the machine does not have PictBridge support and fax functions are limited to three. The printer is slower and larger in size than other similar models. The trays do not fold into the body. If you need a very rugged multifunction printer that you would not move around very much, then you could opt for this machine.

Epson Artisan 800

Epson Artisan 800 is a machine for high quality photo prints and documents. The footprint is reasonably small and the output speed is the maximum, compared to other similar models. However, the software in the machine has got lot of bugs and work is continuously disrupted. The output tray is made of flimsy plastic and the input tray is also quite delicate and is prone to frequent paper jams.
Kodak ESP 5

Kodak ESP 5 comes with functions of printing, scanning, and copying. The photo editing software is a watered down version and not suitable for professional photo edit jobs. The printer also suffers from various mechanical errors and problems. The print speed is average and the graphics quality does not have high definition. Price is high for such a poor model.

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The codename for this is seems to be The blade.  I Think this is looking pretty good at the moment.  I am glad there is no mention about a touch screen.  The Sidekick Software is intuitive enough.

Some of the new key features are:

- Facebook

- Twitter

- YouTube Mobile Access via browser

- GPS Location Based Search

- Turn by Turn Navigation

- Microsoft Live Local Search and Maps

- Blog publishing, editing, and management client

- Microsoft Outlook/Exchange synchronization

- Large (3.2 inch WVGA) screen with sharp 854×480 resolution

- Thin design

- 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and video recording

Finally, You Tube on your Sidekick!! It’s about time.  It is one the most requested thing people ask about.

No idea yet about when it is coming out.  I imagine early summer time.

Stay tuned!

Originally posted 2009-01-30 23:27:39.

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Get The New Sidekick LX

Here are the Specs from the T-mobile website.  The pricing on these throught the website is 249.99 after 150 dollar instant rebate and 50 dollar mail in rebate.

As far as I can tell, there are no deals for a free Sidekick LX 2009. I will keep looking and keep you updated.

Top Phone Features

Originally posted 2009-05-18 09:28:39.

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This requires a Q-tip and some alcohol.  Turn off your sidekick, wet the end of the q-tip, and gently clean the trackball while rotating.  Use the dry tip of the q-tip to dry off and clean again with another alcohol dipped  swab. Let dry for a minute and try it out.  If this doesn’t work then try again.

The following video will show you how to clean the trackball on your Sidekick 2009.

Hope that helps out with your Sidekick LX 2009 Trackball issues.

Let us know how it worked for you by leaving a comment below

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The T-mobile Sidekick LX 2009 and Sidekick 2008 are susceptible to screen damage so be careful with them. I strongly recommend to get a screen protector to keep scratching to a minimum.  For the best screen protection, check out the invisibleshield from Zagg.  T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 Screen and the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 (Screen)

All of the sidekick family, be it a sidekick 3, Sidekick Slide, Sidekick LX,  Sidekick (2008)  or the New Sidekick LX (2009) don’t take abuse very well.

Accidents happen though, so it is a good idea to be prepared. The best way is to keep your T-mobile Sidekick in a case when you are not using it. That way if it drops, it has some protection around it. Another way to protect it is to put a skin on it. Most skins will protect the phone from being scratched but only the gel skins offer some impact protection.

The great thing about Sidekick skins is that you can get them in a wide range of styles and colors.  You can make your sidekick unique from everyone else.    Custom Sidekick LX 2009 Skins Custom Sidekick 2008 Shells Custom Sidekick LX 2007 Skins

For best protection, get a Sidekick skin and a case. Even if you have insurance, it is still 110 dollars to replace your phone so a 30 dollar investment in protecting your phone is well worth it.

Check out the following links below to see some Sidekick Skins and case:

Sidekick LX 2009 Skins for Sale Sidekick LX 2009 Cases

Sidekick 2008 Gel skins Sidekick 2008 Cases

Skins and cases for Older Sidekick Models are listed below:

Sidekick Covers Sidekick Cases Sidekick Skins Sidekick LX Gel Skins

Sidekick Slide Gel Skins Sidekick 3 Gel Skins

I hope you find ones that you like

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Well, then this guide is for you.  Following the steps below, you will be able to replace the LCD lens by yourself for a grand total of about 15 dollars after parts and tools.  Find a new lens by clicking on the following link: Sidekick 2009  Replacement Lens

Sound good?  Then read the Sidekick 2009 LCD Lens Replacement guide below.

Tools Needed:  size 000 Philips screwdriver, T6 Torx Driver, and small plastic pry device.  I recommend a guitar pick but a credit card or something similar will also work.  If you need a Torx driver or the size 000 Philips, I suggest checking out your local hardware store.  I found mine at Home Depot.

1. Power Down Sidekick 2009
2. Remove Battery Cover and Battery
3. Remove small #000 Philips screw in battery compartment for LCD assembly
4. Flip Sidekick LX LCD screen to half position 
5. Remove the 2 T6 Torx Screws holding the Flip assembly to phone base
6. Gently lift LCD assembly from base of the sidekick
7. Set phone base to the side
8. Place LCD assembly screen down on a soft surface to prevent scratching
9. Remove 4 #000 size Philips screws from top of back cover
10. Remove 4 #000 size Philips screws from bottom of back cover. You will need to move the flip assembly down to access 2 of the screws
11. Use the guitar pick or pry tool to gently release the back cover. Start in the corner and work around the cover
12. Gently slide the back cover up and away from flip assembly to remove
13. You will now see the backside of the LCD screen
14. Gently lift the end nearest the flip assembly up and pull LCD screen out.
15. You will now have just the front lens and frame
16. Press down on the corner of the frame to separate the lens and the frame. It is held down by double sided tape.
17. Work the pry tool around the edge to release the lens from the frame.
18. Remove all remaining tape residue.
19. Make sure new lens is lined up properly before installing. The small grey piece on the back should be cover by a tab on the frame.
20. Install double sided tape onto frame.
21. Install lens into frame and press down all around the edges to seal the lens to the frame.
22. Set the frame lens side down on a soft surface to avoid scratching
23. Clean back side of lens
24. Install LCD screen into frame
25. Make sure the 3 magnets are still in place before installing back LCD cover
26. Install back cover
27. Press around the outside edges of covers to make sure they are snapped together
28. Install 4 bottom cover screws
29. Install 4 top cover screws
30. Inspect the Copper contacts pictured below for proper seating and debris free
31. Install LCD assembly back on the base of the Sidekick 2009
32. Install two T6 Torx screws
33. Flip sidekick LX 2009 over and install small screw in battery compartment
34. Install battery
35. Install battery cover
36. Power on and make sure the LCD screen comes on.

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