Computer News

On first impressions, the Lexmark Optra M410 is very much in keeping with other printers in its range. Slight differences exist of course, with the most noticeable one being the difference in height, (taller than most) and depth, (shallower than most). This design helps it slot into many of the more tightly arranged cubicles. The printer uses Lexmark Optra m410 toner.

Despite being a substantial product, weighing in at forty pounds, the Lexmark Optra M410 remains surprisingly easy to maneuver. Indeed, whether setting up the unit for the first time, replacing the toner, or simply for standard maintenance and cleaning, most should be able to cope with moving it on their own. This excellent design continues to the control panel and the layout of all fundamental access areas.

Setting up the printer should take no time at all. Though there are excellent instructions provided, a single person could manage to get up and running in about 15 minutes, without having to read them. The clear and concise operating panel will let you know when ready to print, and also provide you status updates concerning paper, blockages, toner level and so on.

That said, running out of paper really should not be too easy however - the standard draw holds up to three hundred and fifty of regular letter size sheets. Staying with the paper, misfeeds, blockages, and wrinkled, torn and even folded sheets obviously impacted on the operation of the Lexmark Optra M410. However, such was the ease of use, clearing these, with the help of the information on the panel, and the well designed cabinet doors was a breeze and took no more than a minute.

Whilst resolution in printing has moved on considerably over the years, the quality produced by the Lexmark Optra M410 is very high. Printing in monochrome, an output of up to 12 pages per minute with a resolution of 1200dpi, (600×600), is produced. This makes for clear text definition, and a very good reproduction of photos and graphic images. Be sure to only use Lexmark Optra m410 toner with this product.

Everything necessary to start printing straight away is provided. The basic package should be more than adequate for all but the most demanding of personal users, and micro enterprises. Connection can be made via parallel and serial ports, as well as the ever popular USB. The Lexmark Optra M410 is compatible with most operating systems, including Macs, whilst the 4MB memory is impressive.

Unsurprisingly, replacing the Lexmark Optra M410 toner is just as easy as operating the printer itself: You will be clearly advised by the control panel when it is time to change cartridges. Swapping over your new for old should be completed in less than a minute…and again, there shouldn’t really be any need to consult the manual! If you are switching to a simple to use, good quality printer, the Lexmark Optra M410 has to be a serious contender, for a beginner or otherwise.

For quite a while, I have been looking for a decent Mac Twitter client. With so many clients based on Adobe’s AIR platform, it’s hard to find one that is native to the Mac OS X Cocoa system.

Unfortunately, Adobe AIR applications are often lacking in usability and find themselves buggy.

Therefore, any Twitter client I want to use must meet a few requirements:

It has to be a native Macintosh application. I don’t want to have to install a runtime for a single application.

The program must be exceedingly stable. I hate programs that crash.

It must have a clean, fluid interface without the clutter of most Twitter clients.

The application must have the standard Twitter features: block/unblock, follow/unfollow, user profile viewing, trend searches, and direct messaging.

I have discovered an application that I really like. It’s called Tweetie.

First for Atebits was Tweetie for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Now it has made it’s way to the Mac platform.

Tweetie for the iPhone quickly became one of the most downloaded Twitter clients in the App Store - offering excellent functionality at a low price.

Boosted by the success of Tweetie’s iPhone variant, Atebits set out to make a full featured client for the Mac OS X.

Tweetie for Mac is an excellent native Mac Twitter client. It is based on Cocoa, Apple’s native scripting workflow. Thus, it meets my first requirement.

Tweetie has yet to crash for me. I have it open nearly any time I’m at my computer (which is often) and I have yet to see a single crash or slowdown. So it meets my second requirement.

Tweetie’s user interface is impressive. It looks beautiful and is powerful but is not overdone - like some AIR applications are. It isn’t littered with buttons and useless information. On the left side there are four buttons:

-Timeline (for tweets from your friends) -Mentions (for all tweets that mention you) -Direct Messages and -Search (so you can look for trending topics)

You can also access unlisted functions with a variety of key combinations ” as detailed in the various menus. There is also a nifty blue notification icon that sits on the menu bar at the top of your screen and turns blue when new tweets arrive. This clean interface satisfies my third requirement.

The application definitely boasts a spectacular set of features. You can even drill into your conversations and see what was said by each person involved.

Tweetie even supports user profiles fully. Find out who is following you and who isn’t. You also have the option to block a person from his/her profile.

By using the search function, you can find hot topics, users, or even phrases. See who is talking about a given topic and follow or block users from this screen.

Tweetie even comes with a bookmarklet for your browser so you can quickly tweet a link to your current webpage.

As far as pictures go, Tweetie for Mac supports yFrog, TwitPic, Twitgoo, Posterous, Img.ly, and Pix.im.

Tweetie even gives users the option to shorten URLs without even opening a web browser.

If you have multiple Twitter accounts, you can use them with Tweetie. The app supports them beautifully.

This amazing feature list more than meets my fourth requirement.

Tweetie is available for free to download and use as long as you wish. This version is supported by ads. You can buy a license for $20 to remove the ads.

I have no complaints about this amazing little app. It does everything I need and more. If you are seriously looking for a Twitter client for you Mac, take a serious look at Tweetie. I think you will be impressed.

For quite a while, I have been looking for a decent Mac Twitter client. With so many clients based on Adobe’s AIR platform, it’s hard to find one that is native to the Mac OS X Cocoa system.

I have found that Adobe AIR apps are often buggy and simply don’t measure up to the competition.

So, for me, a Twitter app needs to meet a few qualifications:

It must be a native Mac app. I don’t want to have to install a runtime just for that application.

The program must be exceedingly stable. I hate programs that crash.

It must have a clean, fluid interface without the clutter of most Twitter clients.

The application must have the standard Twitter features: block/unblock, follow/unfollow, user profile viewing, trend searches, and direct messaging.

Finally I have found an application that is fun and easy to use: Tweetie.

First for Atebits was Tweetie for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Now it has made it’s way to the Mac platform.

Tweetie quickly became a popular download in the Apple App store as one of the best Twitter clients for such a low price.

Because of Tweetie’s iPhone version success, Atebits developed a full-featured version of the software for the Mac platform.

Tweetie is a 100% native Mac Twitter application. Based on Cocoa, Apple’s native programming workflow, Tweetie meets my first requirement.

Tweetie has yet to crash for me. I have it open nearly any time I’m at my computer (which is often) and I have yet to see a single crash or slowdown. So it meets my second requirement.

Tweeties UI is nothing short of impressive. It’s beautiful and powerful but not overworked. It isn’t littered with useless buttons and widgets. At the left side of the screen are four buttons:

Timeline (for updates from you and your friends) Mentions (for all tweets that mention you with an @yourusernamehere ) Direct Messages Search

You can also get to several unlisted functions by using key combos - as shown in the program’s menus. In the notification area of your Finder bar sits a notification icon that glows blue when new Tweets arrive. This beautiful UI satisfies my third requirement.

Tweetie does sport an impressive set of features. You can drill down into your conversations and see a detailed display of what you said and what was said in reply.

Tweetie for Mac also supports user profiles. Read bios, find out who is following you and who isn’t. You also have the option to block a user from his profile.

By using the search function, you can find hot topics, users, or even phrases. See who is talking about a given topic and follow or block users from this screen.

Tweetie even includes a nifty “bookmarklet” for your web browser so you can quickly send links via Twitter.

For photo uploads, Tweetie for Mac uses yFrong, TwitPic, Posterous, Twitgoo, Img.ly, and Pix.im

You can even shorten long URLs directly in Tweetie with it’s support for Bit.ly, TinyURL, Is.gd, tr.im, and even DiggBar.

Multiple user accounts are also supported by Tweetie.

With such an extensive feature list, Tweetie more than fulfills my fourth requirement.

Tweetie is a free to download and try as long as you want. The free version is ad supported. You also have the option of buying a license for $20 which removes the ads.

I have no complaints about this amazing little app. It does everything I need and more. If you are seriously looking for a Twitter client for you Mac, take a serious look at Tweetie. I think you will be impressed.

If you want more info about Tweetie, check out the Atebits website.