Remember those battery-operated vibrating ladybugs that people used to pass around (multiple times) as office gifts? Yeah, that critter ain't got nothing on this stable of patently awful gizmos. We've seen a remarkable amount of garbage pass under our noses in the
past few weeks, and we've rounded up the worst of the worst for your consideration. So, is a USB shell speaker really more embarrassing than a V-Sports console for folks
tired of searching for a Wii? Is the i-Knock personal IM notifier more unnecessary than the Encore Rockin' Music Lamp? Or does the OMG-inducing Limbo String walk away with the gold here? We know, each and every item is a festering turd in one way or another, but which of the ones below just exemplify the word "crap?" Choose carefully.
Read - USB shell speaker
Read - USB back massager
Read - V-Sports console
Read - i-Knock IM doohickey
Read - Encore Rockin' Music Lamp
Read - Limbo String
posted Aug 9th 2008 at 6:42PM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Skyride @ Aug 9th 2008 6:46PM
Lol. Some of these things just begger belief.
Hellios @ Aug 9th 2008 6:52PM
Wow, usually I find at least one gadget that isn't as crappy as Engadget makes it out to be, but this time, there's nothing but fail.
Chris Macdonald @ Aug 10th 2008 8:14PM
shut up man that limbo string is fucking awesome!!!
Derek @ Aug 9th 2008 6:55PM
What's wrong with the USB back massager?
Roto13 @ Aug 9th 2008 7:47PM
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. It doesn't sound like a horrible idea to me. xP
icepop4who @ Aug 9th 2008 8:00PM
um, it's not the massager that's the bad idea, it's the USB connectivity that's ticking me off. If you are gonna sit for that long, you're probably in a place with an AC outlet. Why would you use a USB port to power it? oh, there is the whole embarrassment factor of carrying a messager with you.
happy_penguin @ Aug 10th 2008 4:19PM
It doesn't seem that USB would be able to provide enough power to make a decent back massager.
BlackBelt @ Oct 23rd 2009 12:48PM
well the limbo string looks kinda fun......
Mike @ Aug 9th 2008 8:47PM
and its also the most expensive, at around 55$.
Smileypanda @ Aug 10th 2008 6:12PM
Nuh-uh! The v-sports is $80.
Zorque @ Aug 9th 2008 7:14PM
The iKnock is almost funny, but I imagine it'd get old pretty fast.
JohnnyBoy @ Aug 9th 2008 7:29PM
The limbo string looks like some awful craze from the 1970s...
Jon2309 @ Aug 9th 2008 8:12PM
WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!
Ahem.
scott @ Aug 9th 2008 7:34PM
i've always wanted to listen to my music through a mono speaker while writing a paper in the dark with my only light being the lamp with dancing lights.
daaper @ Aug 11th 2008 10:51AM
well then you'll love this thing, because it's got two speakers! ...probably still mono, though
Makoto99 @ Aug 9th 2008 7:39PM
The USB back massager doesn't look that stupid.
Now, if it was the USB butt freezer mentioned on the back massager's page, then okay, that would win hands down....
Derek @ Aug 9th 2008 7:49PM
WHY did you mention the iPhone on this???
You should be BANNED!
Almighty- @ Aug 9th 2008 8:11PM
Ye, I was searching the iPhone in the list, but I didnt found it ... They forgot it I think ... :/
Jon Nelson @ Aug 9th 2008 8:18PM
@ Derek: Agreed.
@ switchbitch: Fail.
BratPAQ @ Aug 9th 2008 8:46PM
"Remember the last time you tried to do the limbo at your office Christmas party? Embarrassing - wasn’t it? You were the first one to come crashing to the floor. Sure you played it off as if you really didn’t care - but inside you vowed to practice that damn limbo for next year’s party. Here’s a great way for those with way too much time on their hands to practice their limbo moves - solo."
so if you are dreaming about that limbo event in the office last christmas party, it keeps you up at night, and you promised yourself that you'll practice until you perfect it, the only thing that you need is a....life, you frackin nerd.
paul34 @ Aug 9th 2008 9:36PM
Or to conveniently get the flu before every office holiday party... and then get busted when a co-worker comes over to your place to say hi only to find you in the middle of a barbeque with a 100 of your closest friends =/ .
Maybe that's just here in Florida, haha.
Jonathan Badger @ Aug 9th 2008 9:02PM
The V-sports isn't "lamer than the Vii" as the poll option says -- V-sports *is* the Vii under a different name. And while clearly not as good as the Wii, Dr, Ashens reviewed the Vii on Youtube and actually found it quite fun. Of course, given that he tends to review truly awful things like Popstations, his standards might not be very high.
rjm.mclean @ Aug 9th 2008 8:54PM
FAIL!
Judging by the fact that my iPhone is the awesomenest of awesome, i'm going to disagree :P, and yeah at least stick to the subject.
deyanimay @ Aug 9th 2008 8:57PM
stfu you think everyone who says or does something you don't like should be banned.
Zorque @ Aug 9th 2008 9:18PM
I think people who hate the iPhone obsess over it more than people who like it.
pakkman781 @ Aug 9th 2008 10:13PM
Am I the only who thinks that the V-Sports looks like the disfigured illegitimate child of the Wii and PS3?
dvsbstrd @ Aug 9th 2008 10:39PM
I thought the lamp was kinda cool.
bootleg16 @ Aug 9th 2008 11:32PM
the massager could easily replace my back scratcher
Akeem @ Aug 10th 2008 1:50AM
Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with the USB back massager. It isn't much different from the purpose of a normal massager that's similarly equipped. At least you could plug this into your laptop or any other USB enabled device although that would probably drain your battery. Not to mention the large selection of usb car / ac chargers you could easily find at any CVS.
neutron @ Aug 11th 2008 12:52AM
Hi. I think you missed the most craptacular gadget of them all: the incredible, really cool (literally) USB Butt Cooler! Go to http://www.everythingusb.com/usb_butt_cooler_12745.html and just take a look at your new friend :)
taavi @ Aug 10th 2008 5:29AM
test
PC Paul @ Aug 10th 2008 6:30AM
So, let me get this straight.. to limbo, you lean back as far as you can cope with and shuffle your feet forward a little at a time.
So what happens when your feet get to the string? One touch and the whole loop collapses round your ears...
targe @ Aug 10th 2008 10:18AM
USB Shell speaker: OK...I see the point, but why a shell??? I can only assume the inventor thinks he's Captain Nemo.
USB Back massager: Thought up by someone who is so obsessive-compulsive that they could no longer live with that one last USB port on their computer that never got used for anything.
V-sports console: This is China's way of saying "See! You stupid Westerners really will buy ANYTHING!"
i-Knock: Oh sure....they look fairly innocuous and cute, but they're doing recon for the robot uprising. Beware their deadly little hammers!!!!!
Music Lamp: Anyone who actually would pay $37.99 for this really should have spent the money on a good hammer and chisel and used said tools to carve out their own frontal lobe.
Limbo String: Definitely the winner.....and why, exactly, does that guy have bare feet and rolled-up pants?
switchbitch @ Aug 10th 2008 10:32AM
@ jon nelson: Get a life. The irony is that posts like yours are the real failure here.
Californian @ Aug 10th 2008 11:04AM
How is anyone going to step over that bottom string while doing the limbo?
John H. @ Aug 10th 2008 2:40PM
I actually thought that was a rather witty comment. However, you named the wrong gadget. When you said iPhone, I think you meant to say "Samsung Instinct by Sprint"
AM @ Aug 10th 2008 10:49PM
I thought the limbo thing was kinda cool. But that was probably the dumbest use for a reasonably clever machine.
db @ Aug 10th 2008 5:49PM
Check this out! The speaker has a "VOLVIME" control.
http://www.gadget4all.com/prod_img/zoom/SPEK000200_03_L.jpg
happy_penguin @ Aug 10th 2008 7:06PM
@Zorque
You got that right!
Chris Macdonald @ Aug 10th 2008 8:53PM
Here i will debut my new "engadget-ology campaign" to show comment vs. post ratios of fanboys to normal readers and apple posts to normal posts. I hope readers will enjoy my statistical findings and the authors of engadget will use them to their own advantages.
I have charts for the following months:
June: http://i34.tinypic.com/2j13e2s.jpg
July: http://i35.tinypic.com/xp351j.jpg
August: http://i34.tinypic.com/2ytsi9c.jpg
As you may note, June was a regular 'ol month with standard ratios of fanboys to noramals and apple posts to normal posts, With july came an shitload of posts about the new iphone PLUS the regular abundance of apple news, causing a rift in the engadget-time-dimesnsion continuum, which made AUGUST a complete BACKLASH month where fanboys were flamed, no RAGING INFERNO'D into their fanboy holes every time they mentioned their beloved iphone and the normals for the first time in engadget history, reigned supreme, which in combination with ryan block leaving, caused, the first time in history, for there to be slightly few posts about apple products!!
BradS @ Aug 11th 2008 1:47PM
That USB Shell Speaker sure seems happy to see you....
I didn't know shellfish could pop a woody.