We often get e-mails asking about portable printers, so when I read about one you can pretty much guarantee I’ll share the info. The new Canon SELPHY CP740 was picked up by Gizmag, Akihabara News, Slash Gear, et al….and I can see why. For $99 you get a 2.1 pound photo printer with 2-inch LCD, 300 x 300 dpi print capabilities, retractable USB cable, and 13-in-1 integrated card reader. More important to road warriors (and something everyone inadvertently missed) is ability to add the NB-CP2L rechargeable battery. With the battery, card reader and PictBridge support, this becomes a true-standalone mobile photo printer: no PC or Mac required. If you want to connect to a computer, you can do that through USB of course and there’s a Bluetooth 2.0 option available as well.

Will this help you if you’re on the road and need to print the latest Excel reports for Mr. Suit? No, not unless you can shrink that spreadsheet to a 4 x 6 inch size, but it’s great for a quick photo excursion on the road. Besides….pics of a beautiful, sunny day might make Mr. Suit jealous enough too loosen the tie and get out of the office.