High-Tech Features You Can Do Without

HEAD INTO THE electronics store without knowing exactly what you're looking for, and odds are good that you'll easily fall victim to an up-sell. Vague notions of buying a simple digital camera good enough for taking candid photos at your son's birthday party suddenly transform into an urgent need for pricey megapixels and face-recognition features. Go into the store to buy a standard cellphone, and walk out with a smartphone.

But spending more for a gadget with every possible bell and whistle doesn't automatically mean you're getting everything (or even anything) you want. "Unless you're buying bare-bones, thrifty, no-name devices, chances are that with the basic version you're going to have more than you need," says Michael Gartenberg, research director for Jupiter Research, a market research firm. Obviously, it's more in the retailers' and manufacturers' interest to sell you the latest, most feature-heavy devices. After all, consumers are expected to spend $155 billion on electronics in 2007, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group.

While shopping for gadgets, the best way to avoid buying more pixels, memory or whatever else than you need is to simply be honest with yourself. "If you don't already know that you need it, you probably don't," says Liana Lehua, a co-host for Girls Gone Geek, a tech pod- and videocast. "Try not to be swayed by a salesperson or sexy advertising."

Of course, you can also do some research on the particular device you're shopping for. Here are some helpful tips on everything from cellphones to laptops.

Cellphone

Full keyboards, GPS, MP3 players...with all the funky features available on cellphones, it's easy to lose sight of the most important one: call quality. Since you can't chat on the phone while in the store, make sure to visit gadget review sites like PC Magazine and CNET to assess the phone's sound quality.

As for features, you'll have a tough time finding a basic phone that doesn't have at least a color screen and a camera. If you're determined to keep it simple, don't buy a phone that is pared down beyond that point, warns Gartenberg. Manufacturers and carriers both know that added features pay the bills, so they don't invest much money in the design or quality of their most basic phones.

If you want a little more out of your phone, ask yourself exactly which features you're going to use on a regular basis. Only 31% of cellphone owners actually use their phone to take pictures, while only 15% browse the Internet, and less than 10% listen to music, download games or watch videos, according to Parks Associates, a market research group. It doesn't help that the more you cram in your phone, the better the chance it will do nothing well, says Joni Blecher, editorial director for wireless plan comparison site LetsTalk. Cameras are notoriously low-resolution and GPS chips can be inaccurate, while MP3 players and web browsing swiftly drain the battery.

And don't forget that extras such as web browsing or streaming videos or music require a more expensive cellphone plan. Through Verizon Wireless, for example, the cheapest individual voice plan is $39.99 per month. Tack on unlimited text messaging and pay an added $20; include streaming videos and email access, pile another $20 on top of that. At that point, you're paying twice as much a month.

Shopping Tip: Instead of T-Mobile's Nokia 5300 Xpress Music ($179), which includes an MP3 player, try the carrier's Nokia 6133 ($159). It may not play MP3s, but the sound quality on your calls is just as good. Plus, you'll gain 134 hours of standby battery life, and about 50 minutes of talk time. Another plus: You'll save $20, or 11%.

Digital Camcorders

If you want to record your baby's first steps with a brand new digital camcorder, don't waste your money on high-definition versions, advises Brian Cooley, editor at large for electronics review site CNET. "The prices are high. They tend to struggle more to get a good image. Plus, the video is dicey to edit," he says. It doesn't help that most HD camcorders are compatible with either Blu-ray or HD DVD standards, but not both. That could make for a pricey — and quickly obsolete — investment should you buy the standard that goes the way of Betamax.

When perusing the selection of standard digital camcorders, look for a zoom of at least 10x to effectively capture the action and a minimum illumination rating of 7 lux or lower, which means you'll get good images even in low light or relative darkness. The most important feature to keep an eye out for is the size and number of charge couple devices, or CCDs, which control picture quality. Professional-grade cameras may have three, but home moviemakers need just one with at least a 340,000-pixel resolution.

Shopping Tip: Pass up the Sony Handycam High-Definition digital camcorder ($999.99) for the brand's standard digital camcorder ($549.99). You'll save $450, or 45%.

Digital Camera

The number of megapixels you need in a digital camera depends solely on the size of the prints you'll be producing. The larger the photo, the more megapixels you need to avoid distortions and grainy images. If you just want to develop 4-by-6 shots to fill an album — or maybe even a few 8-by-10 prints — a 5MP camera will do the trick, says Lehua. Although, you may have a hard time finding one. Most new camera models start at 7MP.

Much-hyped face-recognition software, digital zoom and image stabilization are other features that are out of focus with consumer needs. These tricks won't really help a novice take a better picture, says Cooley. Consider using the cash you'll save for a how-to photography book instead of trading up a model. What you should be looking for is a good retractable zoom lens and a fast processor, which can help even the most awkward point-and-shoot photographer get wow-worthy shots. You only need a 3x or 4x optical zoom, but there are no easily checkable minimums for lenses or processors, he says. The quality of both is best determined by reading professional and user reviews on web sites like Consumer Reports or CNET. When reading these reviews, look specifically for mentions of image quality and shutter speed.

Shopping Tip: Try a 7.1MP Canon PowerShot A570IS ($179.99), instead of the 12.1MP PowerShot G9 ($499.99). You'll save $320, or 64%.

Laptop Computer

"Computers coming out now are so advanced that even the basic models have more than enough [power and features] for the average user," says Cat Schwartz, a toy and gadget director for eBay. There's no need to spring for a high-performance laptop like the Dell XPS M1710 ($2,299) or Sony VAIO AR Series ($1,599) unless you're doing far more intense work than web surfing and word processing — think professional video editing, high-end graphic design or competitive online gaming. Only then do the better graphics cards and faster processors such upgraded models offer generate enough performance oomph to balance out the higher cost.

On basic models, the more memory the better, although all you really need is 1GB, says Schwartz. Make sure there's an Intel Core Duo or AMD Turion processor. Because most manufacturers are phasing out small laptops, you'll get better value with a screen that's at least 14 inches. Wireless capabilities have become standardized, so steer clear of any laptop that wants to tie you down with Internet cables or wires.

Shopping Tip: Instead of an Apple MacBook Pro with 2GB memory and a 120GB hard drive ($1,999), get a standard MacBook with 1GB memory and an 80GB hard drive ($1,099). You'll save $900, or 45%.