My Wish List: Netbook and Printer

Christmas should be a fun time for everyone. You get to scan sales circulars and look for gift ideas for your friends and loved ones. Since we grew into adults, often we don't think about what we want. When purchasing things for myself, I tend to focus on items I need rather than desire. This year I will continue to do the same. Using that premise, I am able to save money on an item I was planning to purchase anyway. The two items that I will need are:

Netbook. I have had persistent laptop computer problems for the last couple years. One's hopelessly broken and another is on its last legs. Being that both my wife and I are full-time college students, our single desktop computer is pulling double duty. This has affected our ability to simultaneously do our school work. We both know that we need another reliable computer for us to work on. But, finances are a bit tight now. The newly released netbooks have garnered my attention. Multiple companies have introduced their own versions of the netbook to the market. You can find great comparisons of the different models at CNET. I am personally leaning towards the Dell Mini 9. It received an excellent review from CNET and the user reviews seem to concur. The Dell Mini 9 comes with an Intel Atom processor and RAM expandable to 1 GB. The Mini 9 uses Solid State Drives (which have no breakable parts) as the hard drive, and it comes in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB sizes. Ubuntu Linux is used as the primary operating system and it has multiple wireless and Bluetooth options available. This system would be ideal for my wife or I to use the Dell Mini 9 to do homework at home and on the road. This system is not meant for hardcore multi- tasking or extensive video use, I understand that. It will simply fulfill the need of our family by increasing our resources to complete school work, without breaking the bank.

Dell Mini 9: $349-$519 (based on configuration)

Laser Multi-function Printer. Currently we own a rather cheap HP multifunction ink jet printer. I purchased it for under $100 and have been using it for the last couple years. Recently, we have noticed that it has been a black hole of ink. We have been breezing through ink cartridges monthly. Everyone knows that ink cartridges are not cheap at all. So we determined that we need the ink capacity of a laser in a multifunction printer. So after much searching and research I found the Canon ImageClass MF4270 to be the best buy for us. It is a monochrome multifunction laser that has good performance reviews from CNET and other review sites. It has been found to cost about 3.5 cents a page based on CNET testing which would beat my inkjet hands down. So not only will the Canon ImageClass MF4270 give performance enhancements, it will save me money in the long run.

Canon ImageClass MF4270: $299.00 MSRP (Can be found cheaper with price comparison)