2010 shiny gadgets

New year. Must be time to start thinking about new kit. First on the list is a new printer. My old HP Deskjet 940c has provided stirling service for many a year - I think it was bought in about 2002 - maybe even earlier, and it's still going OK ish. However, it's not compatible with my Macbook Pro. Although the Mac can recognise it, it hasn't got a native driver that will work with Snow Leopard, and therefore it only works with it's gutenprint drivers. This at least allows me to print but, doesn't give any access to the device properties. Consequently, the only options available via the Mac is "print". No draft, no fiddling with orientation, etc. That's not good enough for me.

Additionally, I have an old flatbed scanner that now no longer works with my Windows 7 installations. It worked under XP, but not with Vista, and W7 has finally done for it.

The obvious solution therefore is an all in one printer/scanner/copier, and preferably one with wireless capability. Digging around various reviews, including my favourite PC Pro A List the one that stands out is Canon's Pixma MP640. However, it's not cheap, and apparently, not always easy to source. The MP560 variant though (which doesn't have CD/DVD print capability, which doesn't bother me), is available for about £100, getting on for £40 cheaper than the 640. Reviews are equally impressive. I'm very tempted, so I'll have a look around for the best price.