I was personally chided by a Wall Street Journal reporter for perhaps being one of many Americans who, in her mind, relied on appliances for simple tasks because they can't cook. Well, I can cook, but despite the fact that boiled eggs can be done in a pot costing $1.99, an egg cooker makes a lot of sense to me. I can get perfectly soft boiled eggs, the way I like them, or a rack of hard-boiled eggs for lunch while I run around the kitchen, doing other things than timing the eggs. An alarm tells you when the eggs are ready. There is a warm feature, but since that overcooks the eggs eventually, I don't use it.
*Update: I have had this unit for TEN YEARS. That's right. And I still make eggs a few times a week using it. It makes perfect soft boiled eggs every time, and it's convenient to make seven hard boiled eggs for deviled eggs.