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How to Choose Combination Appliances

Step 1:
Consider a Microfridge. It is a brand name, but has become emblematic over the past twenty years of the best that combination appliances offer. For a college student, this could literally serve all your food needs, except for your endless pots of coffee. A Microfridge is a refrigerator / freezer / microwave combination that is said to use just half the electricity of the three appliances together.

Step 2:
Look into Tiny Living. That company makes a toaster coffee maker combination at a reasonable price. At the high end, KitchenAid makes an in-sink dishwasher.

Step 3:
If space is at a premium in your laundry room, consider a compact washer dryer combination. You’ll never have to transfer clothes again. Thor Appliances makes one that doesn’t even require a vent. It’s less than three feet high and smaller than two feet deep and wide.

Step 4:
Think about a compact stereo. In a small place, you simply don’t need the volume you do in a larger one, so there are many home entertainment options available to you that integrate a radio, CD player and stereo speakers. I have one made by Sony that was originally bought for my executive office. Since I live in earthquake country I can also listen to the TV broadcast channels for news updates. As a sailor I find the weather bands to be a handy bonus. On some models, you can split the speakers for better stereo channel separation.

Step 5:
Look into a television / DVD player. Not long ago the only home video players combined the worse of VHS with tube TV’s. Since then there has been a sea change. Many models of flat screen sets are available that play DVD’s as well. Unfortunately, one of the leaders in the HD field is Toshiba, which makes a crisp LCD display, but one that is still coupled with HD DVD.

Step 6:
Shun combination Blu Ray / HD DVD players. Two Korean manufacturers, LG and Samsung thought they had found a way to handle the DVD format wars, by building machines that handle both. Within weeks after their introduction, Time Warner announced that it was committing to Blu Ray so these players make as much sense as buying a VHS Betamax combo.

Step 7:
Some experts predict the end of all physical playback media for movies so keep an eye open for combination computer / televisions that will enable your to download HD movies to a hard drive and play them back like those on Tivo. I’ve had a tuner installed in my desktop computer for years. I can monitor election returns with the sound down while doing other work and set my computer to record shows that I've done.

Step 8:
Many of us are already using combination Personal Digital Assistants, PDA’s and cellular phones. I-Phone has taken it to a whole new level of sophistication, with faster data handling on the way. Be sure that you understand that the initial prices for Blackberries, Treos and their ilk are only valid if you committ to substantial monthly service plans.