Our reviews here at CNET can tell you a lot of things about any
given piece of technology -- how well it works, how long the
battery lasts, how well it stacks up against the competition.
And
then we carefully box the product back up and send it back to the
manufacturer, leaving one critical question unanswered, �Will this
product survive a drop from a moving car?�
That�s where Molly Wood comes in.
In her show, Always On,
Molly has subjected countless gadgets to her torture testing.
Some take a licking and keep on ticking, while others crumble
into an expensive pile of glass and microchips.
I�m Donald Bell, and in this Top 5 we�re counting down the five
pieces of high-profile tech that flopped the hardest during the
Always On torture test.
Starting things off at #5: the iPhone 4S.
Just because there was
less screen back then, didn�t mean the design was any less
fragile.
We had an ugly black bar running down the display of the
4S after just one drop.
Granted, the glass never broke, even
after repeated tosses down the stairs, but the fact that we
crippled the screen right out of the gate is enough to put this
bygone iPhone on the list.
But at least the iPhone never really advertised itself as rugged.
The same cannot be said for #4: the ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
Now,
this is a great all-around machine, and a 4-star review from us,
but if you�re looking for a truly rugged laptop that can withstand
scorching heat, or the occasional cup of coffee on the keyboard -
- then the X1 is not for you.
Molly didn�t even get around to a
drop test, since the heat test pretty much toasted the thing.
Fine
computer, but not the tough guy you�d expect.
#3 is another one that surprised us: the Samsung Galaxy S4.
This is CNET�s highest rated cell phone currently, and the heir to
one of the toughest cell phones around, the Galaxy S3.
The S4 was undone by a hurl off a rock wall, and then put to rest
after being run over by a dirt bike.
Now, personally, my active
lifestyle is non-existent -- so I wouldn�t discount the S4 right
away.
But it�s a shame that it doesn�t seem as resilient as the S3.
At #2: the Microsoft Surface.
It was already looking pretty bad
when Always On�s Jeff Cannata spilled a glass of wine on the
thing, but it was the drop test that really made me wince.
To be fair, Jeff went over the top when he used the kickstand as
a foot rest� and maybe took things a bit too far when he turned
it into functioning skateboard� but what�s a torture test without a
little humiliation?
Now before we get to the #1 most breakable gadget, as
evidenced by the Always On torture tests, go take a look at the
Top 5 toughest gadgets.
Molly and the gang have a great
roundup that you can find at CNET.com/alwayson.
Alright, and now, the wimpiest gadget ever to appear on Always
On: the 2012 Google Nexus 7 -- the original.
The $199 Android
tablet that brought the industry to its knees turned out to be a
total creampuff.
I�ve seen Christmas ornaments tougher than this
thing.
During the drop test, the back cover went flying and the
glass shattered like a creme brulee.
I can always tell I�m hungry
when my metaphors are all deserts.
Still, it was a great tablet -- and for $199 it could have been
made out of Legos and I still would have bought one.
So there you go, five highly-rated gadgets that you really
shouldn�t use without a case and an extended warranty.
To
witness more gadget abuse be sure to tune in to Always On with
Molly Wood each and every week.
And for more Top 5s like this,
Top5.
CNET.com
I�m Donald Bell, reminding you to hug your gadgets and hold
them close.
