Wouldn’t it be nice if these technical ops would be as fun to read as the food, movie, music or book ops? Well, I think so, and since I have the chance to write an op on a fax machine (or two), I thought I’d give this one a little twist here and try to make it more interesting for my readers. So here goes, a review about a fax machine, in the style of a film review (of sorts).

Movie Trailer:
Cue Music - “What would persuade you to get your own fax machine? After a disastrous screw-up by the woman who sends all the faxes for the office, how could you resist the draw of a sleek machine that’s yours, and yours alone? EEEE-blaaaat! Music to your ears? Samsung, SF-5100, at an office supply theatre near you!” Music swells. Deep, rapid voice-over: “Found at on-line at Dabs.com for £264.37, Office Online for £293.75 and EurOffice for £324.99 (VAT excluded). Also see http://www.qsl.uk.com/samsung_fax_machines.htm for a sneak preview picture, center stage”.

The Plot (or how to use this machine):
There are two levels to this story line. The sub-plot being, will the document/s arrive safely and clearly in your in-tray (quality of the incoming faxes). While I found no fault with the clarity of this, I did find that the pages tended to fall down after arrival since the speed in which they come through the plot (machine) makes them aerodynamically perfect, and the front-protruding plastic receptacle - broad as it may be - is unable to stop their flight. While this isn’t a fault with the script, I’d say that the set designers have something to answer for here.

The Actors (or what buttons play which roles):
If you’re starting to think that this story (machine) is sounding a bit old-hat, you’ll find that as the movie progresses (as you learn to use this), the actors (features) you thought were minor are suddenly giving staring-role performances (much more useful than you might think). For instance, that gold copy button - its not essential to the plot, since it doesn’t aid in either sending or receiving faxes. But oh, if it wasn’t there! And the red stop button - shouldn’t it be gotten rid of? Surely, it goes totally counterproductive to the missions at hand. What about the redial/pause button? Do they think we can’t remember the last number we dialed? And why would we need to put a pause into a number we’re trying to store into the memory? Furthermore, why does the search/delete key have two functions? Couldn’t they have given us two separate ones? They even allowed one major character - volume control - to play a double roll as a scroll key to help you get through the menus. Yet, the writers decided - and rightly so - that these characters usefulness to the overall film were essential. And those who have two parts to play, do so in different modes of fax usage - one part played when sending a fax, and the other when working with one of the fax’s many functions. Pretty clever, huh? (Some buttons have more than one use. When sending a fax they are used in one way, and when setting up the fax or performing special functions, they are used for another purpose altogether. This means less buttons on the control panel for a cleaner look.)

So on the whole, I have to say that the acting here is on a very high level. But I have to say that the real star of the show is the document tray/feeder. Nicely angled to keep pages from falling forward, I’ve never seen it trip up and not take a page when needed, nor grab more than one page at a time. This was the biggest downfall of the similar production of the same script, called “Canon L250”, which I found to be mediocre, at best. I also have to say that the supporting role of the paper tray/feeder is played no less than superb. However, in the other smaller roles of the document exit tray and paper exit tray - well, I did already mention that aerodynamic problem.

Set Design, Costume and Make-up (or physical build and look of the unit, and print quality):
I’m a bit confused as to why this was marketed as a “compact” production. I don’t find it all that short at all. In fact, with all the rich packaging here, its not a thin production in the least. I’m sure there are many more bombastic productions out there, but at 313 x 325 x 228 without the handset, and not including the protruding, center stage exit trays at the front, its hardly what I’d call small. Mind you, with only 7 kilo to it, and a good sized memory of 2 mega bytes, a full 6ppm, and holding 150 sheets of paper in its backstage, its also hardly a piece that can’t withstand the test of time and the long-term critiques of your medium sized audiences (offices).

Regarding the make-up, remember, this is a Laser Fax machine - make-up artists famous for their plain paper, smudge-less printing, and non-fading qualities. So, all the characters come out looking crisp, clear and realistic from start to finish.

Direction and Production (or instruction manual and ease of understanding):
I have to say here that this was certainly done exactly “by the book” as they say. There is nothing ambiguous or difficult to understand here. Its all carefully spelled out for you, in clear simple language and even the most complex plot twists have been carefully illustrated for the viewers. And while there are always areas where any production could go wrong, I’ve not come across any so far - and its been almost a year since I first experienced this one. I’d say that’s close to “classic” status, in this area.

Bottom Line (or my overall opinion):
This is one of those productions that would seem to appeal to a very wide audience (lots of people would find this machine easy to use, has all the features they’d want and at a size that isn’t too big). From those who enjoy the thrill of a solid no-nonsense plot in home viewing thrillers that one never tires of, to those who like the fast-paced, easy-on-the-eye, small-business romantic comedies. It does seem to have something for everyone. My only problems with this were the inconsistent soundtrack and, I have to say, an uncomfortable showing at the box office - the production cost was a bit on the high side (not a cheap machine, and probably better for someone who works at home or a small business office), but hey, I didn’t have to pay for it, so I shouldn’t complain too much, right? Still, that - combined with the soundtrack problems - is enough for me to drop one star from this one, but no more.

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Technical Stuff:
I think I gave you most of the technical stuff inside this op. I did also find on the above web page the following information: for the business communications division, they say “… if you experience any difficulties in contacting your supplier please contact Samsung Telecoms on 0161 655 1100”. For the consumer division, there’s a postal code search engine for a service center nearest you. They also have a large list of shops that carry their items, for both business products - which is too long to list here, I’m afraid - and a postal code search engine for finding a retail shop near you. They also offer sales on-line through www.digi-uk.com - which has a sales hot-line 01386 556633, and charges £258.50 Inc. VAT at 17.5%, Business Plus (http://businessplus.opnet.co.uk/) priced here at £220.00 but doesn’t mention if this is with or without VAT) and JGBM Machines (http://www.jgbm.co.uk/) for £269.99 (and they also don’t say if that’s with or without VAT).

By the way, there is a wide-screen DVD version of this… um, what I mean is, there is a version of this fax which can be connected to your computer through a printer outlet and cable, which has software for sending faxes directly from your computer and making your own phone book that way. I think this model can also be used as a printer (not totally sure). That model is called SF-5100P. Just in case you were interested.