Even if you have the money, how to know what to buy?

People often ask me for advice on purchasing high-tech items (computers, software, mp3 players, HDTV, etc). I work at a PreK-12 private school, where I am responsible for maintaining 250 -300 computers, the campus network, several smart boards and multimedia projectors, as well as suggesting new technology for the school to use, and integrating that technology after it is purchased. I also help the football team by making the game film DVDs for the coaches.
I have noticed that it has become pretty darned difficult to keep up with the various brands and models of computers, computer components, and consumer electronics available these days.

Here is one example (though it deals with power tools, and not consumer electronics): When I was 19 years old (1991 or so), my friends who owned a car stereo store told me that Makita made the best cordless drills/screwdrivers. If you spent enough money to buy a Makita, you know you won't have to worry about buying another one any time soon. I assume that they still make good products, but then again, for all I know, they could have switched their manufacturing operations from a place with a stellar reputation for quality to a third-world country where 13 year-old kids are throwing these things together. They might not even manufacture their products at all (they may have someone else manufacture it under contract). They may have even been bought by another company, and the only thing today's products have in common with those of the 90's is the name on the side. Nothing personal, Makita. I could wonder the same about any company these days. And again, as a disclaimer, I can just as easily assume that Makita products are 10 times better than they used to be, still the market leader, etc, etc. I don't know. That's the point.

15 years ago, brand x would have had maybe 2-3 laptops or camcorders out at the same time. One was the budget model, the other was the higher-end model. If there was a third, it would be somewhere in the middle. Today, that same company will have 6-7 different models available just under the classification of "HD camcorders." They will have 3-4 more models that all burn mini-DVDs on the fly, and several more models under different classifications. Under laptops, there will be a consumer line, a gaming line, a business line and at least 2 budget lines (one for consumers, and one for business). Each line will have its 2 or 3 sub-categories, and each sub-category will have 3-4 or more different "models" available. This results in way too many models to keep track of (especially since most good models seem to be discontinued the minute you discover them)
Note that I put the word "model" in quotes. This is because each model is so customizable that it's like several models in one. You can change the processor, the graphics card, 32 or 64-bit OS, firewire or not, touch screen or not (hence tablet pc or not), and the list goes on. I can't imagine what buying a computer is like for someone who doesn't at least understand the ramifications for each piece of optional technology (at least I can keep up with that).

Now is the kicker. If there were only one or two brands out there, things would be complicated enough. But every year, there are new brands introduced into any given market.

At this point, I have to say that I realize that more choice is generally better than less choice. But in reality, at some point, anyone will be overwhelmed. Of course, this can easily work to the manufacturer's advantage, because unless we do tons and tons of homework (or know people in the business), we have to take their word for so many things. With the advent of the internet, it became easier to find information and reviews for more popular products. But even when you find a review, does that review cover the configuration that you want, or the one with the killer graphics card?

I haven't even touched on the intangible properties of a product or service, such as the support available to the customer just by purchasing the product. The product itself may be identical, but to recieve support, you may have to spend hours on the phone (much of that time on hold), and talk to someone who you can't understand who has zero practical experience with the product and is just reading script to you, and checking off a list (starting with making sure it is plugged in).
I sometimes use sites like cnet.com for computer and other hi-tech products. I have found sites like epinions.com, and just today, I found ProductWiki. The problem with epinions.com is that since it covers all sorts of products, it is spread a little thin. As a result, too often I look up products and see that there are no reviews available for that product on the site yet. For many of these sites to work, people have to be willing to take the time to write the reviews (for free, as far as I know). Which also brings up the question of who is on the take and who isn't (the more anonymous the reviewers can be, the less accountable the site has to be as far as disclosure--they can't tell you about relationshops that they don't know about themselves). As for ProductWiki, I haven't been able to spend enough time using it to form an opinion yet. Maybe I can save some time if I can find a website somewhere that does reviews on review websites.

Maybe someone out there can post your favorite/useful review websites, and what sorts of products that website is competent in reviewing.