DG> Flipping thru the Elek-Tek catalog (800-395-1000)... it's a Canon
 DG> MultiPASS 1000 (it scans! faxes! copies! slices! dices! it has a
 DG> "melody" on hold!).  No data modem, though.  $800.  HP makes several
 DG> (no telephone), the OfficeJet ($479) and OfficeJet 350 ($599, the
 DG> scanner can be used with your computer).  Brother makes two, MFC 1950
 DG> ($499, with telephone, voice mailboxes) and MFC 4500 ($999, same but
 DG> with laser printer).  Lumina makes two copier/fax/scanner/modems (the
 DG> "copier" reduces & enlarges!), no telephone, works with your existing
 DG> printer, $399 (14.4) and $499 (28.8)).  Most of these are inkjets, so
 DG> "copier" is pushing it a bit.
Oki was the first to the market with one of these "all-in-one" gee-whiz
gizmos by some 2 years, in fact. When I was finished being fascinated
with that and turned around, Canon came out with theirs...and shortly
after that, so did everybody else ! Mind, I should clarify that Oki was
"first" over here in NA: in Taiwan, such a gizmo was fully developed and
I'd seen advertisements in one pro PC vendor glossy with the distributor
looking for dealers, within Taiwan and off-shore !
 
 DG> Consider, though, whether when your fax goes into the shop to be
 DG> fixed, you want to lose your telephone, scanner, copy machine,
 DG> printer, and modem at the same time.  You're really putting all your
 DG> eggs into one basket with these things.
Oh, for certain ! Do this, and watch just how fast a biz's cash flow
drops. About the same as not being in the office to answer the
telephone. But never mind..."what you never knew you had, you won't miss
anyways"...
 DG> I personally believe that separate devices are more reliable, easier
 DG> to maintain, more flexible, let you upgrade easier, and are cheaper in
 DG> the long run.
But not necessarily more convenient ! And that's the whole idea behind
any of these "all-in-one" machines, space-savings actually being a
secondary consideration.
Personally, I agree with your philosophy, but it's not everybody running
a SOHO that feels comfortable "going under the hood" to make system
improvements, and many just don't have the time these days, biz never
having been so tightly competitive as it is these days. Fortunately,
this is that type of work that I do professionally for others, and so I DO
with my own gear ! And still, it's an "uphill battle", what with "this
revision to that revision", ad infinitum...
Semper Fi
RTP
~~~ PGPBLUE 3.0 
... An open bar? Give me a chair...
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