10 Worst Gadgets of 2005 November 23, 2005

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If you couldn’t get your hands on an XBox 360 and plan on doing some tech shopping this weekend, PC Magazine wanted to warn you against some of the bad, bad things we’ve all come across this past year. It’s no wonder the Oakley Thump 1, MP3 sunglasses are first on the list. I mean, just look at the ad. Not so appealing. And for £260, it’s a shame to hear that the earbuds are ill-fitting and chafe and the glasses feel pretty flimsy. But check out Thump 2 if you’re really interested in this design—still not great, but certainly better.

Another dud on the list is sadly the long-awaited Motorola ROKR E1. You know it sucked, but it’s just so sad it took about 3 minutes for us all to figure it out. Unattractive design, slow music transfer speeds and limited storage made this hyped up iPod phone a real downer.

The last of the 10 we’ll comment on is the PepperPad, a Tablet PC-like pad, this looked so good at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show, but showed only an expensive price-tag, terribly short battery life and a small LCD screen that you wouldn’t want to look at anything on for very long.

Other picks include the Samsung Digimax V700 digital camera, Sony S2 Sports Network Walkman NW-S23 and Voodoo Doll D210.

Ten to Avoid—the Worst Products of 2005 [PC Magazine]