Gear 04/05
This story appears in the April 2005 issue of . Subscribe »
Mini-Size Me
Apple Mac Mini budget PC
CNET's rating: 7.2 Good
The good: It's the first sub-$500 Mac; compact; whisper
quiet; includes iLife '05
The bad: Meager memory allotment; peripherals add up if you
don't already own them; case can't be easily opened; slow
hard drive; only two USB 2.0 ports
What it's for: Basic home computing tasks such as
sending e-mail, browsing the web and editing photos
The bottom line: Apple trimmed some corners to keep the Mac
Mini's price low, but its great design and big software bundle
make it a winner.
Street price: $499
Website:www.apple.com/macmini
Work It
Brother MFC-420cn multifunction unit
CNET's rating: 7.3 Good
The good: Low price; compact design; good-quality text,
photo and color graphics output
The bad: Limited paper supply; flimsy plastic parts
What it's for: Easily accessing photo prints from memory
cards; making brochures or greeting cards; sharing these features
in a small network
Essential extras: Buy your own USB cable.
The bottom line: The MFC-420cn is a good multifunction unit
for digital photo printing, but it's too limited for heavy
workloads.
Street price: $150
Website:www.brother.com
Screen Test
HP L2335 23-inch LCD monitor
CNET's rating: 7.7 Good
The good: Highly adjustable; extra video inputs; solid image
quality; inexpensive
The bad: No USB or FireWire ports; no cable-feed
system
What it's for: Small-office computing; multimedia
presentations
Essential extras: A good graphics card
The bottom line: The HP L2335 is a versatile choice for
business users looking to impress and home users looking to create
a home-theater convergence experience.
Street price: $1,599
Website:www.hp.com
