HP on Tuesday announced a new wireless printer designed to take advantage of native printer support in Android Kit Kat. The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M476 will be the first printer certified to use a special plug-in developed by the Mopria alliance to facilitate printing from an Android device according to David Laing, director of innovation for LaserJet Enterprise Solutions at HP.
The plug-in will allow users to send a mobile print command directly to the printer without first having to go through HP’s printer app. Simply tap the printer icon inside an app just like on a PC and select the printer of your choice. The M476 will print over peer-to-peer Wi-Fi or NFC, we’re told, which is an improvement over other models that require access to a wireless network.
As an added bonus, the M476 can also print directly from online storage services like Google Drive and Box. HP says the included cartridges (black, cyan, magenta and yellow) can turn out about 1,200 printed pages each before needing to be replaced.
Elsewhere, the $529 machine features a 3.5-inch display to help with traditional scan, copy and fax functions. The price point, two-sided printing and scanning capabilities and remote management indicate the machine is targeting small offices. The ability to print from an Android tablet or smartphone, however, seems more like a feature that would appeal to home / personal use, but I digress.
The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M476 will be available worldwide starting April 1.
