25 Worst Tech Products of All Time

**Rodion Romanovich** · 05-27-2006, 12:12

Yes to **** with RealPlayer! Someone submitted my email address to get to donwload the free RealPlayer, since then I've been plauged with their newsletter. Trying to unsubscribe that damn spam 10 times didn't help! If they don't stop spamming my email address I'll start hoping their company goes bancrupt, if that's the only way their spamming of me can stop!

**edyzmedieval** · 05-27-2006, 16:12

AOL and RealPlayer are really a crap load.

I remember being spammed with AOL software when I had a 166MHZ computer(about 5 years ago!!!).

**Mikeus Caesar** · 05-27-2006, 20:46

#18, the IBM 'deathstar'. I still have one of them in my PC, it finally failed after four years, and is now sitting unused, waiting to be taken out and replaced. It was my D: Drive...

I also have another 'deathstar', unmercifully (and slowly) being taken apart so that i can examine it's innards, somewhere in my room.

EDIT: Doesn't the .Org occasionally get a spam attack of AOL pop-ups? I remember the last one being about two months ago.

**discovery1** · 05-27-2006, 23:41

Few products literally stink, but this one did--or at least it would have, had it progressed beyond the prototype stage.

In 2001, DigiScents unveiled the iSmell, a shark-fin-shaped gizmo that plugged into your PC's USB port and wafted appropriate scents as you surfed smell-enabled Web sites--say, perfume as you were browsing Chanel.com, or cheese doodles at Frito-Lay.com. But skeptical users turned up their noses at the idea, making the iSmell the ultimate in vaporware.

WHAT! That is utterly absurd.

**orangat** · 05-28-2006, 02:30

1. AOL - nuff said
2. realplayer - bloated piece of spyware - use real alternative
3. Softram - total scamware in either version for win3.1 or win95, aptly named placeboware by reviewers
4. WindowsME - pretty buggy, definitely a downgrade from win98se

**hoom** · 05-28-2006, 03:33

The internet enabled toaster.
Not sure if it ever actually got to market after the fridge bombed though.

**KukriKhan** · 05-28-2006, 13:46

My candidate for:

#26: Peapod.com, a grocery shopping and delivery service. It actually worked for a few months - we used it. But management burnt thru several million VC bucks like a sailor on shore leave, before they figured out just how expensive "last mile" delivery services are, and adjusted their prices accordingly. Then customers stayed away in droves. Pity.

**caravel** · 05-31-2006, 11:05

Originally Posted by currywurry

#18, the IBM 'deathstar'. I still have one of them in my PC, it finally failed after four years, and is now sitting unused, waiting to be taken out and replaced. It was my D: Drive...

I also have another 'deathstar', unmercifully (and slowly) being taken apart so that i can examine it's innards, somewhere in my room.

EDIT: Doesn't the .Org occasionally get a spam attack of AOL pop-ups? I remember the last one being about two months ago.

I still have a 60GXP hanging around. It basically clicks and powers down after a bout 10 minutes, then it repeatedly tries to start up again before giving up altogether.

As to the AOL, Real, IE6, ME etc, I couldn't agree more. Junk products.

(The MAC "puck" mice were horrible as well.)

**doc_bean** · 05-31-2006, 21:25

Philips cd-i was pretty bad.

**Lemur** · 05-31-2006, 21:31

As much as it shames me to admit it, I bought one of the original 3DO's. I thought it was my portal into a gaming and multimedia future. Yes, it's true, the lemur is a schmuck.

(Although I really enjoyed playing Road Rash and Star Command on it ...)