I've only just this last year bought a filter coffee maker and just about managing to fathom that out, and i still prefer the instant! If you are a coffee lover and want to be a little continental and trendy go for it, i think Debs had some similar machines on offer, but i hate going into the cook shop as i get confused with anything more technical in the kitchen than a toaster
The tassimo didn't make the coffee hot enough for me.
The dolce gusto makes coffee extremely quickly, so hot that you have to blow it, and the froth stays all the way to the bottom of the cup.
The pods are one of the dearest, about 36p a coffee, but still cheap compared to a starbucks!
You can register online and then collect points for free stuff.