GeekSugar

Two Easy Ways to Recycle Printer Ink Cartridges

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:05:00 PDT

I know most of you still use home printers, so listen up - recycling those empty printer cartridges has just gotten a whole lot easier thanks to HP and Walgreens! Last week I purchased a new HP cartridge and included in the box was a little envelope (postage paid) for me to mail away my old cartridge for recycling. And then after a quick trip to Walgreens, I noticed on my bag that Walgreens has a printer cartridge recycling program where you just take your empty cartridge to the photo counter for recycling - how great is that?! And if you have an old HP cartridge but didn't get an envelope with your new one, you can order one here.

Hewlett-Packard Launches an Easy Printing App

GeekSugar — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:31:00 PST

I don't know about you, but my iPhone is filled with pics - and don't even get me started on how many I've taken in the past week! Although I upload them onto my laptop, I often wish there was an easier way to print them up. Printing guru's Hewlett-Packard have just released a new iPhone app called HP iPrint Photo that works with your wireless network and printer to print up 4x6 photos directly from your iPhone or iPod Touch. The app is free and available from the iTunes Store.

Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Mother's Style

LilSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:30:27 PST

Rock star mama Gwen Stefani has learned a thing or two about motherhood since having her lil cutie pie, Kingston. And, so the singer, songwriter and designer extraordinaire is sharing her skills by adding a baby collection to her current line of Harajuke Lovers-inspired designs for Hewlett-Packard.

Darling baby shower invitations and birth announcements in Gwen's signature style can be customized and printed at your computer. You can expect the images to arrive ready to download on their due date, December 7 at her HP site.

Source

Beauty Byte: Would You Let a Computer Choose Your Cosmetics?

BellaSugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:13:24 PDT

If you've been hoping for a Jetsons-style way to shop for makeup, you'll be pleased to learn this. Hewlett-Packard has created a service that will help you find the right shades of foundation, lipstick, blush and eye shadow for your skin tone.

According to a new story in Scientific American, all you need is a cell phone camera and a sheet of color swatches that HP provides. Just snap your picture with the color sheet and send it as a picture message to HP, where computers will use algorithms to deduce the right colors for you. The software color-corrects the image, matches your skin tone to a database of colors chosen by makeup artists, and sends you the findings via text message.

Hewlett-Packard is mum on when this service will roll out, and it'll likely happen with only one cosmetics brand at first. Admittedly, the idea is innovative, but I have some reservations. To find out what they are,

Beyond the novelty aspect of this concept, I'm not sure how successful it would be in the long run. Most women I know enjoy playing around with different colors, and trying new products. I've spent many hours buzzing around Sephora seeing what I'd look like with, say, green eyeliner with yellow eye shadow (the answer: not very good). So unless you really hate shopping for makeup, it seems like you might be giving up some of the fun factor.

Additionally, who's to say that a certain color is flattering? Although the hues were selected by makeup artists, every person has different tastes. While a makeup artist might think you look great in tawny tones, what if your tastes are a little wilder?

With all of that said, I do think this kind of technology is innovative. It would probably be most helpful at the drugstore, where it's nearly impossible to figure out which colors will look good under that fluorescent light. But I'm still not completely sold. What do you think?
Source

HP's New Digital Diet

FabSugar — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 16:41:15 PDT

If you've ever wish your photos could be touched up like celebrities on magazine covers, you're now in luck. Hewlett Packard has just come out with seven different versions of its Photosmart Digital Slimming Cameras, which include a feature that can make your photo subjects look up to 10 pounds thinner. When the slimming effect is applied, the pixels of the photo are compressed in the center and expanded on the edges, so everything stays in proportion.

You can buy the cameras here, and the various models range in price from $169 to $399.99. (Be sure and apply for your rebate to get the discount). Better yet, the slimming effect is just one of more than 25 cool artistic effects on these cameras. To learn how to put your photo subjects on a digital diet,

The slimming features is basically like having photo editing software at your fingertips, and it's really easy to use. All you do is:

Take a photo.
Go to the menu on the back of the camera, select an image and press OK.
Highlight the design/gallery menu and press OK.
Highlight "apply artist effects."
Adjust the level of the slimming effect using the arrows and press OK. The original image that you took will always be saved just in case you don't like the way it turned out.

What do you guys think of this idea?

How to Cash in on Spring Cleaning

Kiplinger — Mon, 09 May 2011 10:10:28 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

After about a year and a half of marriage, my husband and I have finally unpacked the boxes of his stuff and our wedding gifts that had piled up in every corner of our apartment. In doing so, we organized the whole place - finding a home within our home for all our "new" things while purging the old.

Through the whole process, we've unearthed a veritable trove of potential income sources littering our former wasteland. If you invest some time in spring cleaning, be sure to take stock of these six possible treasures disguised as trash:

1) Receipts

My level-one hoarding issues have finally paid off… big time. (Kiplinger’s does not encourage or condone hoarding in any way.) Shuffled amid our apartment’s piles and piles of papers, we located receipts we were able to use for Flexible Spending Account claims amounting to nearly $2,000.

You just missed most employers’ March 15 deadline by which you needed to spend 2010 FSA funds. But you may still have time to file your claims: My company, for example, gives participating employees until June 15, as long as the receipts show services were rendered or purchases were made before March 15. If you don’t drain the account in time, you’ll have to kiss that cash goodbye. (See ASK KIM: Make the Most of the New Flex-Account Rules for more about how FSAs work.)

Also keep an eye out for receipts you can use to claim tax deductions, such as for charitable donations or job-hunting expenses, if you itemize. For more write-offs you may have forgotten, check out our slide show: The Most-Overlooked Tax Deductions.

2) Gift Cards

Be sure to sift through your clutter for unused gift cards. Even if you don’t care to use them yourself, you can still gain value from them before they expire. Exchange sites such as Gift Card Granny or Plastic Jungle will buy gift cards for a portion of their value (see KIP TIP: Get Cash Fast for more information).

Read on to find out how to deal with your electronics.