APPLE recently reached a deal with Samsung to sell the new Samsung ML-1630 monochrome laser printer exclusively at its retail stores in the US.
The Samsung ML-1630 laser printer costs $298 & weighs 6.4kg
Just one look at the picture of the ML-1630 should convince you that Samsung's industrial design skills have wowed even the whizzes at the iPod makers, Apple.
It used to be that laser printers could not be sexy, dressed in all black and easily carried from room to room.
In the case of the Samsung ML-1630 ($298), it's a killer model with a piano black finishing that just begs to be touched.
And touch it you shall, because the controls are touch-sensor buttons similar to the controls on the Samsung MP3 players, complete with the signature bluish light.
In other words, no hard buttons.
The overall design fits the signature Samsung look - of glossy black matched with a blur glow - that is also sported by the company's LCD TVs and MP3 players.
I would go so far as to call it the 'iPod of All Laser Printers', or 'iLaser'.
And at 6.4kg, you can certainly carry this easily from room to room, and - in a large, sturdy haversack - between the office and home.
YOU'LL DROOL OVER IT
(There is a bigger sibling, the Samsung SCX-4500, which for $498, offers scanning and copying in addition to monochrome printing.)
The Samsung ML-1630 is perhaps the first laser printer that will sell just on sex appeal alone - simply because it looks nothing at all like a typical laser printer.
Another device that defies design convention is the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Pavilion HDX notebook.
Known as the 'Dragon', this is certainly not meant for road warriors. Weighing above 7kg and with a hefty 20.1-inch LCD screen onboard, the HDX was not designed to fit in the corporate briefcase.
It is closer to the concept of an entertainment desktop computer for watching movies and playing games, in a sleek and stylish design complete with the imprinted dragon motif.
At a recent hands-on session, the Pavilion HDX notebook certainly impressed with its sharp, high-definition capable display.
Home theatre fans will drool at the optional HD-DVD ROM drive that plays HD-DVD movies in glorious high-definition. Also, the built-in TV tuner makes this an attractive option for couch potatoes.
Interestingly, HP is selling just 88units of the HDX series of notebooks at $5,999, so this is about as 'limited edition' as you can get.
This appears to be the perfect geek-out notebook for anyone who wants a full desktop replacement with ample entertainment options, and who has $6,000 to spare.
The rest of us will, alas, have to stick to notebook computers that we actually can drag on the road.