CNET 100: The forgettables
These products built up a ton of prerelease hype--but, honestly, we forgot about them almost as soon as they launched.
Acer Iconia dual-screen laptop
Forgettable OnesCNET 100: The forgettables
These products just never could live up to their prerelease hype.
We loved the idea of the Acer Iconia dual-screen laptop, a unique proof-of-concept 14-inch laptop with a second screen taking the place of a traditional keyboard. But once it hit in early 2011, no one else rushed to the dual-screen party, and we hardly heard a word about it again.
Read our Acer Iconia dual-screen laptop review | Return to the CNET 100.
These products just never could live up to their prerelease hype.
We loved the idea of the Acer Iconia dual-screen laptop, a unique proof-of-concept 14-inch laptop with a second screen taking the place of a traditional keyboard. But once it hit in early 2011, no one else rushed to the dual-screen party, and we hardly heard a word about it again.
Read our Acer Iconia dual-screen laptop review | Return to the CNET 100.
Blockbuster Movie Pass
Forgettable OnesNetflix may have shot itself in the foot with Qwikster, but at least we're still talking about it. The Blockbuster Movie Pass, available only to Dish Network subscribers, generated little more than a collective yawn.
Return to the CNET 100.
Return to the CNET 100.
Dell Streak 7
Forgettable Ones Look it up on Dell's Web site and you'll find it says, "Streak 7 is no longer available online." Dell's latest attempt at a tablet went out not with a bang, but a whimper. Dell's previous big touch-screen push, the Windows Duo Netbook/tablet hybrid, was similarly overhyped and undercooked.
Read our Dell Streak 7 review | Return to the CNET 100.
Read our Dell Streak 7 review | Return to the CNET 100.
Dual-screen phones
Forgettable OnesIf people like big screens on phones, then they'll definitely love having two of them, or so the thinking went. Now that products such as the Samsung Continuum and Kyocera Echo have launched to middling reviews and consumer indifference, it seems obvious that dual-screen phones work better in snazzy press shots than real life.
Return to the CNET 100.
Return to the CNET 100.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1
Forgettable OnesThinkPad-maker Lenovo generated a lot of buzz with this product, a 13-inch laptop pitched as the thinnest ThinkPad ever. It ended up being perfectly fine, but it wasn't as thin as a MacBook Air, and its battery life wasn't as good.
Read our Lenovo ThinkPad X1 review | Return to the CNET 100.
Read our Lenovo ThinkPad X1 review | Return to the CNET 100.
Motorola Xoom
Forgettable OnesFrom seeming to be the golden child of CES 2011 to being steeply discounted for holiday sales, the Motorola Xoom's hype peaked before the product was even released, demonstrating the difficulty some Android tablets are having in distinguishing themselves from the pack.
Read our Motorola Xoom review | Return to the CNET 100.
Read our Motorola Xoom review | Return to the CNET 100.
Nintendo 3DS
Forgettable OnesTo be fair, the Nintendo 3DS is a good product with some impressive technology and a handful of interesting games and features. But the lack of killer apps and the public's cooling interest in 3D in general led to a quick price cut.
Read our Nintendo 3DS review | Return to the CNET 100.
Read our Nintendo 3DS review | Return to the CNET 100.
Rage, Brink, Duke Nukem Forever
Forgettable OnesVideo game hype was out of control in 2011, with more bus shelter ads and TV spots than we've ever spotted before. These games had huge marketing budgets, and while they ranged from simply awful (Duke Nukem) to highly polished but uninspiring (Rage), they all quickly fell off the radar, replaced by Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3, and others.
Return to the CNET 100.
Return to the CNET 100.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
Forgettable OnesGamers wanting to combine their phones and PSPs were looking forward to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, a unique dual-analog control handset that was pitched as the "PlayStation phone." But a limited games library and twitchy controls cooled their interest quickly.
Read our Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review | Return to the CNET 100.
Read our Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review | Return to the CNET 100.
Toshiba glasses-free 3D laptop
Forgettable OnesWe were all very jazzed about this autostereoscopic (that means glasses-free 3D) 15-inch laptop when it was announced in January and released in August, but the long-promised software update to enable 3D gaming never materialized, making the Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D290 a one-trick pony.
Return to the CNET 100.
Return to the CNET 100.
Bonus: Qwikster
Forgettable OnesGone and forgotten before it even had a chance to launch, the abandoned Netflix spinoff will be lucky to end up as a Jeopardy answer some day.
Return to the CNET 100.
Return to the CNET 100.
Bonus: Dell XPS 14z
Forgettable OnesThis is a perfectly fine machine, even impressive if you look at the specs. But for Dell to tout the hefty XPS 14z as "thin" right on the heels of the first wave of truly thin ultrabook laptops was a mistake, and this big-holiday-push product hasn't built much buzz.
Read our Dell XPS 14z review | Return to the CNET 100.
Read our Dell XPS 14z review | Return to the CNET 100.
Bonus: Chromebooks
Forgettable OnesGoogle made a big deal about its long-awaited laptop operating system earlier this year--essentially the Chrome Web browser and some cloud-based apps. Only Samsung and Acer made commercially available systems, and both were overpriced and underwhelming.
Return to the CNET 100.
Return to the CNET 100.
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