Print wirelessly on public printers
Silex WiPrint system
The product: How does Silex WiPrint work? First, move your Wi-Fi laptop within range of a WiPrint-ready printer. Don't look for any yet: Silex hopes that hotels, coffee shops, and trade shows will install the WiPrint server to open their printers to the public by year's end. Next, access that printer through your wireless connection, download the driver, and send your job to the queue. This system enables your wireless notebook to access a variety of printer models, as long as they connect to a WiPrint server and work with your operating platform. The process would spare you from cord-groping or from hunting on printer vendors' Web sites to install drivers when you need to print away from your desk. A company could, for example, designate a WiPrint-ready printer for visitors in a conference room or a lobby.

The prospects: The feasibility of this system depends on how many businesses will pay to make their printers WiPrint-ready. Possible early adopters? Companies could provide visiting Wi-Fi laptop toters with a courtesy printer that runs safely outside of the corporate network.

By Elsa Wenzel, associate editor, CNET Reviews