Tech to avoid

I know that many readers of Hardware 2.0 enjoy buying and using technology, and I know full well how easy it is to be seduced by new stuff that's shiny and promises to bring something to our lives that we're currently missing out on.

But tempted as I am to throw handfuls of cash at some companies in exchange for stuff – "Shut up and take my money!" – there's tech out there that I suggest steering clear of for one reason or another.

So, what is it that I am suggesting you steer clear of? Read on to find out.

The idea of a head-wearable computer with integrated prism projector optical display should have gotten all the geeks, nerds, and tech heads drooling.

And it did, for a while, but there are too many strikes against this tech.

• Too expensive: About $1,000 too expensive in my opinion
• Too goofy: Style is going to be a problem for all wearables, and because Glass is on your face, style is even more important.
• Front-facing camera. Perhaps the most controversial feature of Glass was the front-facing camera. It seems that there are a lot of people who don't like cameras being in their faces. This raised privacy issues that Google did nothing to try to lessen. A Glass option without a camera may have helped address this problem.
• Application. I can think of hundreds of cool things that Glass could be used to do. But it can't. It's a testament to unfulfilled potential.

While the idea might turn into something useful down the line, right now it's little more than an experiment that people are paying to participate in.

There's a lot of buzz about smartwatches out there – no doubt fueled by tech pundit fascination with spy watches as kids.

But apart from the novelty of having a wrist-mounted computer – which OK, I admit would be cool – I see little reason why a smartwatch is better than something like a smartphone. This is doubly so when I look at how little most of them do, most just being tiny second screens for smartphones.

I do have hopes that smartwatches might evolve into something that shows potential, but for now I see them as little more than solutions looking for a problem to solve.

Why? Simple – new handsets are not far off.

If you can, wait. If you can't, well … you'll probably regret it as soon as Apple announces a new handset.

Although, it is worth remembering that if you buy an iPhone from Apple, you can return it within 30 days "no questions asked" for a refund, so if a new one is released in that time, you're covered.

A high-end desktop CPU or GPU can set you back over $1,000 – heck, you can spend over $3,000 on a graphics card alone – and I'm here to tell you that apart from the bragging rights that you'll gain, it isn't money well spent.

The difference between a $1,000 CPU and a $500 CPU doesn't – in most cases at least – justify the price difference. Same goes for GPUs.

And remember, tech moves along quickly, and today's high end is tomorrow's mainstream. 

What's the difference between a $5 HDMI cable and a $50 HDMI cable?

The answer is $45 bucks.

Save your money and get something from Monoprice or the Amazon Basics line. There you'll get good quality at a very decent price. I suggest avoiding the ultra-cheap end from the likes of eBay because I find the quality just isn't there, particularly for specialist cabling such as Lightning cables for Apple products.