HP CloudPrint Introduces Mobile Printing

The New York Times recently reported on a new and innovative development by Hewlett-Packard that will allow users to “print documents on any printer almost anywhere in the world.” And, no, this is not a joke (like Gmail Paper was).

CloudPrint has been under development for several months and was created by researchers at HP Labs. This service makes it possible to share, store and print documents using a mobile phone. The idea for the service started spreading after a conversation that questioned how HP might benefit from the introduction of the Apple iPhone, according to Patrick Scaglia, the director for internet and computing platform technologies at HP Labs.

?The world is going to flip… we want to ride the wave of the Web,? stated Mr. Scaglia. The idea sounds interesting, but will it be enough to attract users?

To use CloudPrint, users must first ?print? (upload) their documents to HP servers. This process will then lead to CloudPrint assigning a document code, which is sent to the user's cellphone.

When users are ready to retrieve their printed documents, they simply enter their cell phone number and the document code on any computer where the CloudPrint website and a printer are accessible. Users will then be able to retrieve their documents, in PDF form, ready to be printed.

Accessibility, however, currently depends on the number of printing businesses that adopt CloudPrint as a service for their customers. To help users find a location to print documents at, HP is providing a directory service, which makes use of Google Maps. My own local search turned up no results within 50 miles of my zip code though.

Currently, Mac users are out of luck, as the service only works with printers connected to PCs running Windows. Don't worry though, as a Mac-compatible version is still in development for a release later this year.

My current concerns have to deal with the fact that there are already more convenient options available for users. For example, when I need access to a document at a later date, I usually either upload it to Gmail or use a service like Box.net to save it online. Even storing a file on a USB drive will provide a temporary and mobile solution. This gives you access from anywhere, and as long as their is a Kinko's nearby, it works similar to the CloudPrint idea.

To be honest, the only innovation with CloudPrint seems to be its inclusion of a public printer directory and its cell phone security method that requires both your mobile number and a code.

Expect more related developments from HP, as it has announced that this is only “the first of a series of initiatives the company will take in the coming months to increasingly unhook printing from desktop computers.”

Coming soon to CloudPrint will be the ability to print documents to your home or office printer, no matter where you are located. Also expect the ability to send a text message containing a URL to CloudPrint from your mobile device, which will instantly upload that document to the servers and send you a document code via SMS. These future features should provide much more of a reason to use the service.

For now, I will stick with my own methods, but I want to know what others think. Does CloudPrint sound useful to you?