I am a big bread machine person, especially when I'm in a hurry and want bread but don't want to be in the kitchen while it's mixing. However, I use it mostly for mixing and proofing the dough. It's difficult to get the machine to bake the bread so that it isn't too dark or too light (I own 8 bread machines, all different brands, that I picked up at the thrift store for about $5 each. Some bake better than others, but none of my 8 are perfect). The dough setting allows you to shape the finished dough just how you want to, either in a standard bread pan, mini pans, muffin pans, or free form style like French Bread. I always use the bread machine for pita bread dough, pizza dough, English muffin dough, and roll dough. I know that partly defeats the purpose, and I've been told that it can be recalibrated at an appliance repair shop, which might be worth it.
If you're willing to pay a lot of money, the Zojirushi is a bread machine on the market that makes perfectly baked loaves, however it sells for over $200. I want to buy one of these to test, but my husband thinks I have too many machines as it is!
To answer your question on the rice cooker, the main benefit of a rice cooker is that it cooks the rice perfectly without anyone having to watch it. The rice cooker turns off automatically when the water is absorbed and keeps it warm for up to a couple of hours. I use it a lot to make rice pilaf, too. There are several recipes on the Quick Cooking site to use in the rice cooker.