Let’s run down a few of them.

Of course, some things can be worth their cost ifyoufind them truly useful.

Even so, others are hard sells at any price point.

Their conclusion was not good news for Riedel.

For the intensity ratings of most attributes, no significant difference was found between the glasses, they write.

But overall, they concluded, None of the correlations are significant.

If you’re wondering who paid for the study, the answer is simple: the researchers themselves.

So what does this mean for wine glasses?

and call it a day.

Do they keep your drink chilled?

Sure, a little bit, but do theyreallydo anything?

Will they bring the temperature of your whiskey down at all?

Well…not so much.

Will they all chill your drink?

Surefor a very short period of time.

That’s about it.

The more expensive models tended to have a sleeker design, but not much beyond that.

They pointed out that corroborating research fromAmerica’s Test KitchenandConsumer Reportsyielded similar results.

Part of it is that we all have smartphones that do the job already.

They stream music to us, and give us solid, always-updated turn-by-turn directions.

Plus, mobile GPS apps are generally easy to use.

They even accept voice commands.

In-car units have notoriously bad interfaces and can be a pain to use.

When it comes to entertainment though, the picture changes a bit.

For example:

In practice, smart TVs just arent that great.

Smart TVs have software made by TV manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG.

Their software is generally not very good.

Smart TVs usually have confusing, often baffling interfaces.

The menu interfaces usually feel old.

…Smart TVs will become dumber over time as they dont receive updates.

Some smart TVs may already lack services youd want to use.

For example, Amazon notes that Amazon Instant Video is available on select 2012 and 2013 LG Smart TVs.

Not all of them, in other words just some of them.

Youd have to do your research before buying a smart TV to get the services you want.

Similarly, there’s a privacy aspect to the Smart TV debate.

We’re not exaggerating herewe even mean filenames on USB drives you may connect to the TV’s ports.

Is all of this worth the price premium if you’re shopping new?

verify that you’re spending your money on things that actually matter to you before you open your wallet.

Title photo bySilberkorn(Shutterstock) andVlok(Shutterstock).

Additional photos byRichard Semik(Shutterstock),Andy Beatty,Justin Grimes,Jeff Wilcox, andKarlis Dambrans.