I suggest to be careful getting a machine with such a small embroidery area (4 x 4 is very small, when many designs out there are 5 x 7 and larger) I have a brother PE700 and love it. It works well with Microsoft Office or with Vista, I doesn't sew, but think that you may want to sew while the machine is embroidering, since you don't have to be ther eat all times. It stops if there is a problem with the thread or if the bobbin runs out.
I like to have mine separate also, because I can have one serviced while the other one is still available. This machine is good for begginers, but you outgrow it very fast.
Maria