Seriously, our hands are trembling at the mere thought of having to actually use any of these shameful peripherals. A camera that takes the good with the (mostly) bad? A star-shaped mouse guaranteed to accelerate the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome by 409%? A USB fan that blatantly lies about purifying the hot air coming from that clogged up tower of yours? All present and accounted for, sir, and that's not even the half of 'em. We have all ideas you too would want to keep your digits far, far away from any of the disasters linked below, but give the list a look and let us know which one you think is the
most pitiful of all.
Read - Mouse pad / USB hub / mic
Read - USB Whack It
Read - Yang Ying Camera
Read - Star Mouse
Read - Key-shaped USB key
Read - Totally original touchscreen MP3 player
Read - USB fan with super-secret germ killing powers
posted Sep 6th 2008 1:44PM
Methinks the "fail" photo of the star mouse is raising its vote count. That "Yang Ying" camera is far worse.
Is that a rhetorical question?
I love you too Engadget commenting system.
I have to agree. It's what happens when Transformers drink during pregnancy.
@GON
It wasn't even a question so how could it be a rhetorical question
Yes, the camera is far worse, but you can actually buy a star mouse.
Where do people think of this stuff?!
Where do they think of this stuff?
CHINA
I'd say the USB Star Mouse. It looks horrible to use. Three buttons are too close together.
Is that seriously why you voted it the stupidest?
not for the fact it is a star and has less use than the rest of those things, but for the fact that the buttons are too close together
wow
Totally! Infact I think it's nearly perfect in its complete disregard for ergonomics. I just needs some annoying and unavoidable spikes on the top or something.
The mouse is not ergonomic at all. My hand has carpel tunnel syndrome just looking at it.
wowwwww props to engadget for not having a "PC running Widows Vista" option!
i would have voted for "macbook pro"
What's a Widow's Vista? Sounds like a Monet painting.
The star mouse is by far the worst. At least the others look slightly useful/usable.
The 'Totally original touchscreen MP3 player' is made by Onda, which is a pretty decent manufacturer of computer parts plus mp3 players. Your blatant disdain for all non Apple products is so apparent that it's sickening.
http://www.onda.cn/english/product/productlist.jsp?CLASS_ID=201
Decent manufacturer? Their website is shit. The MP3 player is obviously an iPhone ripoff and the "decent" computer parts they make are X800s. From ATI. A LONG time ago.
It seems to me he's pretty intellectual, but definitely not open-minded.
Anyway, I checked the website. The MP3 player that looked like a ripped piece of paper looks pretty cool!
USB Fan and Ionizer Air Purifier
is just funny
"Rotator can rotate 360 degrees"
Anything that performs "strong blowing" gets high marks in my book.
-jp
@Jake
I wouldn't recommend it with that fan, dude. Ouch.
Call me crazy but I actually like the idea of the USB key. That way, if for some reason I wanted to have a USB key on my keychain then it wouldn't stick out as much as a normal one.
Not exactly the most secure way to carry around your data in the first place, but let's just ignore that fact for a moment, shall we?
Lol.. The green thing doesn't even look like a key...
Haha, wow, I didn't even realize that hideous little thing was the USB stick. Alright, well my previous comment still holds true...the IDEA is a good one...their implementation? FAIL. :)
But the key looks like a baby's fake key... you know, the kind they teeth on?
Hear hear, that's just what I was thinking
Yeah, the rest of them actually have some sort of use case. No one in their right mind would ever use that Star Mouse.
And seriously, putting something on this list just because it's aping the iPhone/iPod Touch is pretty weak sauce, guys.
I don't think the USB key thing is that bad really. Voted for the fan thing, purely on the basis of crap science.
i totally agree... i would actually buy that key-shaped USB drive... it's much more practical than having a "normal" usb key on a key chain... don't really understand endgadget for putting it on this list...
i had to vote for the mic/mousepad/hub thing... wow...
I want that USB whack it :D
+1
I enjoyed playing the old-fashioned "whack the frog" games in seaside arcades and thought that product looked retro-cool. So, I just searched YouTube - and am not yet sure whether this USB Whack It competition changed my mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT4xPocG5a0&fmt=18
FAILFAILFAIL
Why can't people do something useful with their lives ... oh wait no one does....
jk
usefulness is subjective... for example, i would say that your comment is useless... and guess what, those products sell... what have you started up, manufactured and sold lately?
Needs More Cowbell!
... are you feeling ok?
what exactly is wrong with you?
Lack of cowbell, I assume.
Star Mouse FTL.
Faster than light?
No no no.. FTL stands for Fruit of The Loom
Furious Tunisian Leprechauns.
5 bucks says that if that fan were made by apple you guys would be singing a different tune.
agreed, 100%.
Where's the Zune button?
WHOAH. That yang-ying camera thing (heehee, rhymes...) totally says Sony on it. I guess Sony's really stepping up their game, there's been a lot of sony news recently...and now this?
I voted for the "Yang Yin Camera" cos the manufacturer couldn't even get the name right!
They will be too late to make this list.
Hey , the Iphone is missing from the list!
I guess its position would be just between the USB whack it and the air purifying usb fan.
Hey , the Iphone is missing from the list!
I guess its position would be just between the USB whack it and the air purifying usb fan.
The star mouse had my vote. I mean, all the other products were pretty awful (with the exception of the USB Key), but who is going to pay $50 for that celestial pointing device?
can't decide between the star-mouse and the ying yang camera. Both fail with superiority. Where's the "Anything by Toshiba" button?
As I post this from a Toshiba laptop, I'd be clicking that same button as you.
Is there a deadline for getting this list out b/c these gadgets don't even compare to others that ahve been featured.
However, if I'm gonna pick the one that makes you look the most like a dumb@ss, then I'm picking the USB Whack It
Anyone else terribly disappointed after clicking on "USB Whack It" and seeing what it really is?
I think the Star Mouse is an absolutely marvelous idea. How short-sighted of anyone to suggest otherwise.
I'll be back tomorrow to make sure I get that highly-coveted "Lowest Ranked" accolade....Thank you!
See, you're trying to hard. I just high-ranked you because of that.
Gotta make some innane iPod or Apple comment on a completely irrelevant article to earn Lowest Ranked.
it takes skill
i would know :-(
FIRST!!!111
What the hell is the matter with you Engadget?? USB Whack it is probably the greatest peripheral of all time and should not be on this list! I want one right now and Im am going to tape photos of all my colleagues to it. >:)
That mouse is the worst thing there, but I don't know why the USB Wack-a-Mole is there, I wouldn't mind having one
Does the star mouse work on a mac?
had it worked it would not have been in the list..
BTW, why iPhone 3G is missing in the list
howcanyou guys be so pitifully bored to put up such wasteful vote ?
/g/ was too much for you then.
Aren't you sick of people low ranking you for stupid comments like these?
The biggest failure of all is the "me too" ultimate copycat MP3 player. Zune and its Marketplace.
what the hell does that have to do with this article?
The Star mouse it just god awful
im sorry but- that is the mos stupid thing i have ever seen
I actually think some of these look cool. besides the mouse. that would hurt
Someone should check out Brando's USB Mooncake Flash Drive- it has my vote as an even crappier gadget.
The Star Mouse might be good for a Super Mario fan.
Speaking of Mario:
Do you know what Mario uses while grocery shopping?
Answer at:
http://cackl.com/joke/view/701/What-does-Mario-use-while-grocery-shopping
The star mouse could be cool, but it looks like it would hurt like hell, not to mention the ergonomic nightmare. The other weird-looking things are not entirely crappy, just ugly.
The fail is having to click on so many links to see the products.
I wonder why people complain so much about gadgets connected to USB, while there are way stupider things connected to other types of power sources (which is what most of these gadgets are using USB for), like Mickey Mouse phones.
A USB fan is an excellent gadget. So is a cup heater, etc.
$44 for that star-shaped mouse? I think that makes it the winner. And don't forget that the USB fan is "quietly and efficiently."
I don't know about YOU guys but
Show me where to buy a USB Whack A Mole ;]
I don't get it. Except for the Star Mouse, they are all awesome gadget. I just bought them all.
But when oh when can I get a USB powered buzz saw?
It was a close one between the Ying-Yang camera and the USB fan, but I ultimately decided on the latter because of some key items in the description. (Actually several of them).
"Plug and play. Strong blowing and low power consumption."
Sounds like all the makings of a "that's what she said" joke.
"Rotator can rotate 360 degrees."
First off, what's a "rotator"? "Motor" maybe? "Propeller" possibly? And I've never seen a fan whose blades don't spin 360 degrees! It wouldn't be so useful otherwise.
"One button to push on and also you can control the wind volume by it."
Wind volume as in how loud it is or wind volume as in how much air it moves. (In actuality, it's probably referring to both. However, it's just really bad wording.)
"USB ion Fan with durable soft fan blades; keep you free from injuries"
That's the kicker for me. I have to buy it knowing th soft blades will keep me free from injuries.
Note that I'm not necessairily personally attacking anyone (like the author of that product description). It's just that the language barrier now seems really huge.