1: Does it do/have what I need it to? Answer must be 'yes'
2: Can I afford it? Answer must be 'yes'
3: Value for the price: this includes less obvious things like life expectancy, reliability, repair cost, upgradability, how much work I can do on my own ... cost per year of life, and how aggravating that will be.

let's make this a practical example, then... maybe I can illustrate my problem better that way:

1: Yes, both devices in question have both what I 'need' and what I want. the features lacking in one of the devices are complemented by features not present in the other.

2: Yes, i can afford both devices, as both price tags are identical.

3: We're talking about two recently launched devices, both manufactured by two brands which are well-placed in the tech market. Build-quality has had good reviews, therefore life expectancy and reliability are going to be very good. Repair cost will probably be identical.

All practical factors being equal, I go with witch one appeals to me more. Place side by side and just look. One will probably have more gut-level attractiveness than the other.

I think about what realy is importan in the features im looking for,, and what will work best for my needs... then i lok up dependability and best options... price is usualy last on my list... if my best choice is the most exspesive, then so be it. bt mostly my needs fall in the mid line of price.

My biggest problem is choosing one, then regret it since I'm still 'ogling' the other's features...

Like, do I choose this one cuz its more practical and has more storage, or that one which is faster and easier to use...?

The 'easier to use' is probably the more important factor to me.

My experience is with computers, but I'll give you my 2-cents.

1st - Specifications. You need to know what you are buying. The best components will give you the longest life out of your machine and the best performance.

2nd - Design/appearance. Now that you know what you want in it, what makes a good statement?

3rd - Price. Is your ideal product within your budget?

4th - Software. I normally do not concern myself with this because most PCs and PC Laptops are loaded with junk software that I end up uninstalling. To a degree, you might be deciding between Mac and PC, since their operating systems run a bit different. Another note is whether you need that software bundle the company is selling is worth purchasing with your machine.

As for usability. I think that mostly applies to cellphones/smart phones and even game consoles. I'm not into using my phone for every little thing, so the more functions it can do is not appealing to me. I have devices that are filling those roles at the moment and do not feel it is worth downsizing and/or "upgrading."

That's what I usually go by. Hopefully it will help.

Thanks for your 2-cents ^^

Regarding the case in hand, my dificulty is due mostly to both devices being 'very' similar, in features, usability, performance, price, etc, etc, etc...

That makes it especially dificult to choose...

Go with the one that will fulfill your needs the most.

For example: if one of the products you want has a bigger hard drive capacity, and you really need the space for music, pictures or whatever, then get that one.

I always do thorough research into what I am buying when it comes to big purchases. When it comes to a situation like what you have, decide what sacrifices you are willing to live without and go with the one that will achieve your needs the most. Otherwise, the only compromise is to dish out the extra money for a custom product.

For computers, the OS is the most critical factor to me. Mac OS X is BSD UNIX with a user friendly shell. BSD UNIX was designed under Advanced Research Projects Agency (Dept. of Defense) grants as a secure networked operating system for military use in a compromised network environment. I have been running OS X 10.4 since 2006 with the Firefox browser with NoScript, but with no antiviral (or antianything else) software with zero infections.

DO A BARREL ROLL.