Do You Need a Better Mousetrap?

In the 1970s, hi-fi stereo wasn't enough, so you went quadraphonic.

In the early 1980s, a simple VCR wasn't enough. You wanted portable and you wanted stereo, so you went and spent a thousand bucks.

In the early 1990s, you dropped $500 on a brick-sized cell phone. In the late '90s, you dropped another $800 on a first-generation PDA. Now you want to drop $500 on a new Apple iPhone.

I'm not going to say whether that's a good idea or not. That's for you to decide. But I do think -- and this one's from experience -- that you should call time out, take a deep breath, and think clearly about such technology acquisitions before you make them.

Truth is, we've all been burned before. We buy upgraded features on PCs but never need them. We fall for enhanced features in all our technologies: VCRs, camcorders, cell phones, PDAs, microwave ovens -- you name it. The features we buy sound good but never get put to use. For instance, how often did you use the meat probe that came with your first microwave?

In the wake of the Consumer Electronics Show, the semiannual Las Vegas gadget bash at which hundreds of tempting, feature-encrusted devices are paraded in front of us, I think we should reflect on when it does -- and when it doesn't - make sense to partake.

Click here for the video version of this story from Jennifer Openshaw.