CES 2008 product names: Best of the worst

Perhaps they lacked a crackshot marketing team, the URL they wanted was camped by someone unreasonable, or -- sadly -- they just thought it was a good idea at the time. For whatever reason, these products and companies actually made it to fruition for our sheer enjoyment.

Gallery: CES 2008 product names: Best of the worst

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More Best of the Worst

• CES 2008 Adwatch: Best of the worst
  
• CES 2008 booth gimmickery: Best of the worst
• CES 2008 Crapgadget
• CES 2008: Fugliest headphones awards
• The fugliest laptop you'll see all day

[Phil @ Jan 11th 2008 3:00PM]

Pretty funny :)

[Dave M @ Jan 11th 2008 3:13PM]

You know, of course, that McIntosh has been around long before Woz and Jobs....

[superfresh @ Jan 11th 2008 4:45PM]

You mean to tell me you guys were close enough to a Rolly to do a hands-on review, and we get nothing?!

[StevenW @ Jan 11th 2008 3:13PM]

why did you guys put of the picture of McIntosh? Have you never heard of them? They have been around for a long time and produce some audiophile quality components.

[sanctified @ Jan 11th 2008 3:22PM]

I'm in also on the McIntosh bandwagon... They have been around forever and make excellent stuff... Definitely NOT low end audio components...

[sanctified @ Jan 11th 2008 3:22PM]

I'm in also on the McIntosh bandwagon... They have been around forever and make excellent stuff... Definitely NOT low end audio components...

[sanctified @ Jan 11th 2008 3:22PM]

I'm in also on the McIntosh bandwagon... They have been around forever and make excellent stuff... Definitely NOT low end audio components...

[sanctified @ Jan 11th 2008 3:24PM]

Doh, stupid browser! Sorry for the triple post!

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jan 11th 2008 3:48PM]

McIntosh is in a class by it's self. Definitly not a stupid name and definitly better than Panasonic or Sony. They are to audio what Duesenberg and Rolls Royce are to Automobiles. McIntosh is a very old and respectable company since 1949.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McIntosh_Laboratory

[Adam Pennington @ Jan 11th 2008 3:50PM]

I also came here to complain about the McIntosh slight, but it looks like plenty of people beat me here. McIntosh was a reasonably well known name in pro audio and audiophile circles long before Apple was born.

[StevenW @ Jan 11th 2008 7:00PM]

of = up, sorry for the typo

[John @ Jan 11th 2008 3:18PM]

McIntosh was founded back in 1949. This is like the time you guys thought Phoenix Technologies was some new startup.

[etane @ Jan 11th 2008 3:19PM]

Engadget doesn't like retru tube amps.

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Jan 11th 2008 3:27PM]

100% game juice!


Should I dare ask what "game juice" is?

[Brian f @ Jan 12th 2008 2:55AM]

Oh mang I can't wait till we start carrying the BigDeal!Pak at my store! Such an easy sell with 100% game juice. You have no idea how hard it is to sell products with a paltry 40% game juice or less! I wanted one of those frickin Zeus flashlights ever since he smote my ass with the 3 d-cell version. Also, wasn't the lavaglow controller voted worst peripheral here recently?

[Chris Brafford @ Jan 11th 2008 3:28PM]

I was going to comment on the same thing; but, it looks like McIntosh has already been adequately defended...

[Jeff @ Jan 11th 2008 3:37PM]

word.

[TrentD @ Jan 11th 2008 3:38PM]

No it hasn't.

Morons! Leave McIntosh alone! I learned something a long time ago in audio - if you haven't heard it, it's probably face-melting awesome.

Of course, some of these other photos seem to disprove that theory...

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Jan 11th 2008 3:28PM]

100% game juice!!

Do I really want to know what "game juice" is?

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Jan 11th 2008 3:28PM]

This keeps happening a lot to me

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Jan 11th 2008 3:28PM]

This keeps happening a lot to me

[pixelpusher @ Mar 12th 2008 5:53PM]

the name doesn't really make you think "car audio" either though... who cares if they've been around forever, it's still funny

[andrew @ Jan 11th 2008 3:42PM]

It does if you know anything about Car Audio. It was a big deal when they borought out their first Car Amps (about 15 years ago now). Gorgeous Amps with analog meters. They even make OEM stereos for some Subarus sold in Australia.

[Ian @ Jan 11th 2008 3:29PM]

LOL@Engadget: Clueless high end A/V newbs.

Again: LOL.

[Liam @ Jan 11th 2008 3:35PM]

It's like something out of a Cat and Girl episode. That's an immense name for a company. Is Howard Moon on the board or something?

[Marshall @ Jan 11th 2008 3:36PM]

Buttkicker is another one that's been around for a couple years now, and you can think it's poor marketing if you want, but if you head over to an A/V forum, and mention a buttkicker, they'll know exactly what you're talking about.

Marshall
---------
The Real HT Info Podcast

[barb dybwad @ Jan 11th 2008 3:45PM]

we're not saying we don't like the ButtKicker, in fact we wrote it up 2 days ago:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/09/butt-on-with-the-buttkicker/

... but the name is still funny.

[Adam Pennington @ Jan 11th 2008 3:53PM]

I'm amused to see these repurposed as a gamer device. These aren't all that uncommon as a monitor for a drummer. You attach one to their "drum throne" and they can feel the beat coming through it (drummers have a tendency to be deaf after years around cymbols, and there's only so far you can push monitor volume to overcome drum sound levels).

[Jesse @ Jan 12th 2008 10:48PM]

Actually, Buttkicker's ... well, they kick butt. They definitely add to the experience when watching an action movie.

I agree that it is still a funny name.

[Liam @ Jan 11th 2008 3:36PM]

It's like something out of a Cat and Girl episode. That's an immense name for a company. Is Howard Moon on the board or something?

[Liam @ Jan 11th 2008 3:45PM]

DAMN YOU SATAN

[caalas @ Jan 11th 2008 3:44PM]

Obviously the McIntosh pic was put up there by a fresh out of school, minimum wage earning intern who couldn't afford to even look at the McIntosh audio line. Guys you gotta pull that pic it's making Engadget look really foolish. This reminds me of when McDonalds tried to sue a bunch of eateries in Scotland for using their name! Some of the those sued had been in business in one form or another for 200 years. Hint to the intern; Paris Hilton was named after the city in France, not the other way around.

[annoyed @ Jan 11th 2008 4:31PM]

ive never heard of hilton, france.

[Kettle Pot @ Jan 11th 2008 3:43PM]

W.r.t. Image 15 - how can someone who is wearing a silver THUMB ring knock the name of a product/company....?

[dos @ Jan 11th 2008 3:50PM]

I don't get the eneloop picture, I'm pretty sure you guys have covered those before. I've got a few they're pretty good for rechargeable batteries.

[Blake Bowen @ Jan 11th 2008 3:53PM]

Those Hisense guys are completely ripping off the design from Bicentennial Man.
http://www.ketzer.com/original_movie_props/bicentennial_man_robot_suit.jpg

[jrgrade @ Jan 11th 2008 3:56PM]

Retract the McIntosh photo before I am forced to move to Giz!

[X-Files @ Jan 11th 2008 4:05PM]

Ditto!!!!

[Za @ Jan 11th 2008 4:09PM]

Eneloop is not that bad. It's the name of a frigging rechargeable battery and it makes sense. Damned good product too.

[Josef @ Jan 11th 2008 4:17PM]

I find it pretty funny that the same people who are now poking fun for stupid names routinely go all mushy over something called an "eye-podd"

[Josh Wardell @ Jan 11th 2008 4:23PM]

I had a friend with a Broksonic TV in college. It definitely lived up to its name. I never thought that brand would still exist...I'm impressed!

[pbull @ Jan 12th 2008 10:10AM]

Oh wow, my parents had a Broksonic VCR for years. It was so cheap, it didn't even have a display! I am also surprised they are still around.

[Jake @ Jan 11th 2008 4:27PM]

Oh Engadget, when are you suckers going to hire a web developer that knows about this great new technology called Ajax so I can scroll through the pictures without leaving this page?


Jake: "Hello?"
Jake: "Engadget, it's for you. It's the year 2003."

-jp

[scobob @ Jan 11th 2008 4:32PM]

McIntosh has got to be a mistake. I would love to have my theater room glowing blue with McIntosh amps.

[david @ Jan 13th 2008 7:11AM]

If I'm not mistaken, Apple Inc. pays a licensing fee to McIntosh Labs for the name, even though it's spelled differently. McIntosh Labs is now owned by the same Japanese company that makes Denon and Marantz, but McIntosh Labs continues to make extremely high-quality equipment.

[Able-X @ Jan 11th 2008 4:43PM]

Who picked this list? Tsunami has been making decent car audio for a decade, like others said McIntosh has been at it since 49, the Warlock name actually makes sense for it's context...premium vehicle security. Y'know, WarLOCK.
You guys are full of FAIL today.

[Victor @ Jan 11th 2008 4:49PM]

Barb, it's either you or your staff who needs to brush up before mocking some of the bigger and more respectible names listed here. (Tsunami, Buttkicker, McIntosh, eneloop). You guys actually work in tech?

[barb dybwad @ Jan 12th 2008 4:24PM]

not sure if you actually read the site, but we never shy away from mocking any of the bigger and more respectable names in tech... one might even say it's an overarcing narrative

[Lionel Mandrake @ Jan 12th 2008 1:39AM]

McIntosh????

Bet you guys had NO IDEA that, Apple had to license the name Macintosh from these very guys from McIntosh, now a division of D&M Holdings (Denon and Marantz).

At least you didn't run around the floor of the show with TV-be-Gone remote zappers, but this is DAMN close.

Please keep the keyboard away from children at all times...

[damon @ Jan 11th 2008 5:22PM]

I love you guys, I really do... but the McIntosh slight just earned you MAJOR demerit points. McIntosh basically created the category of high-end audio and remains one of the best audio component manufacturers in the world. I own a fair amount of the stuff that pops up on here, but between that stuff and my McIntosh amp, there's no contest I'd pick the McIntosh every time.

Oh, and by the way, McIntosh is a traditional Scottish spelling, so you kind of look a little stupid putting it up there...