The gadgets we thought we'd love, but hate
Not every new piece of tech is going to be a winner -- that's just life. But as gadget-lovers, we CNET editors feel a deep level of disappointment when the products that promise to amaze and simplify our lives crumple under the weight of their own deficiencies.
And as CNET editors, we don't always agree with each other. Each choice in this collection was chosen by an individual editor, whose experience may not coincide with our official review.
Google Glass
Google Glass was always a goofy concept -- most people don't want to wear a computer on their heads. But it did have some practical applications. Privacy concerns and general clunkiness all but killed it off before Google could perfect it, though some defiant Glassholes still remain.
Ouya
The cheap, Android-based Ouya video game console was going to disrupt gaming as we know it. Until a weak software library, bugs, poorly-constructed controller and underpowered system architecture crushed our hopes and dreams.
Amazon Dash Buttons
Pressing a button to instantly order more of something from your favorite brand has incredible potential to bring us closer to that Jetsons lifestyle. But we found that limited Dash options are overpriced and only available in bulk. (Sorry, we don't need 2,400 Dixie bathroom cups for $56.95. How about just one or two boxes? Please?)
Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect
Interacting with your gaming console: good! Gimmicky games, few titles and the realization that using it swallows up your entire living room: bad.
Nintendo Wii U
We were pumped to bridge the tablet and console worlds. But ultimately, it was all style and very little substance. Game titles are drying up, and the Wii U just can't compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One's sheer horsepower.
Lytro Light Field Camera
Being able to refocus a picture after you take a picture? Wow, Lytro, bring it on. Too bad the expensive, weirdly designed camera couldn't take photos worth a damn, focus or not.
Android/Google/Web TV
Internet on a big-screen TV has never really worked. Today you're much better off just plugging an HDMI cable into a laptop and mirroring its screen, or using a device like a Chromecast with the Chrome browser.
Not yet beer o'clock
You can understand our excitement with Nitrobrew, which supposedly turns any bottle of beer at home into something that tastes like a true pour from a nitro tap. In the end, this eyesore took way too much effort and muscle to operate.
Smart smoke detector
We thought the First Alert smart smoke detector that worked with Apple's HomeKit could be better than the Nest Protect. The letdown? It takes 90 seconds to deliver any push notifications. It also has voice controls -- absolutely useless voice controls.
This digital pen
We wanted an iPad that not only played games but also worked like a Wacom tablet for sketching and editing photos -- and we thought TenOne's Pogo Stylus would give it to me. But it wasn't much better than a blunt fingertip, and we stopped using it after a couple weeks.
A battery pack that charges itself while you walk
Sound too good to be true? It is. The Ampy Move just doesn't generate enough electricity to charge much of anything.
Pocket PCs (UMPCs)
We're still upset about this oldie. Ultra-mobile PCs were supposed to be the PC you could carry around and dock to become a full-fledged computer. It was plagued by awful battery life, hobbled Windows software and a hefty price tag.
Google Wave
It isn't a gadget, but Google Wave, a collaborative tool for people to communicate on projects, baffled pretty much everyone (and was way before its time).