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The Worst Tech of Q2 2006
ClickOnThis writes "CNET has an article on the Worst tech of Q2 2006. Their rogue's gallery includes: Segway Polo, the 'Nyko Intelligent Remote 360', and a dishonorable mention for the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format war. My personal (un)favorite is the appropriately-named Pantech 300 mobile phone, which is so small you could almost swallow it. From the article: 'When it's in your hand, you will feel like Gigantor. But it's a trick. You are not Gigantor. And if you're at a monster truck rally, bully convention, or Hell's Angels hangout while you're using it, you'll catch some hell for being Mr. Fancy Li'l Mini Phone. A wedgie, Kick Me sign, or stop-hitting-yourself situation might ensue.'"
I would have voted for Vista...
:)
But now it looks like we will have to wait until 2007.
Yeah, yeah mod me Troll, I don't care this time!
I'll probably be modded down for this...
... and I'll say it again; Nintendo renaming the 'Revolution' to the 'Wii' was one of the most ingenious strokes of marketing I've ever witnessed. Never before has the name of videogame console been so talked about, argued about and generally advertised to the average (read: non-gamer) person.
I get the feeling that in the upcoming console war this name change is going to be proof of the old adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity".
It's probably a bad sign when gadgets nowadays are so stupid that we need quarterly reports to mock them.
Philosophy.
My phone is smaller than most, and it's still too damn big. I don't use it for anything other than calling people and checking the time, and I don't need it to be big enough to have other functions (not that I don't understand people that do need features and bigness that I don't). I have a lot of crap I need to carry in my pockets, and I don't like having huge, bulging, jagged thighs all the time. I'd pay quite a bit for a truly miniscule phone. Not the one from the article, though, because it's still too big.
hm.. dont let ballmer join the segway polo team. that'd be one expensive chair when he loses.
That article was so badly written, I thought it was a digg posting. Is there any journalism left in the eletronic age?
360 Red Lights of Death
I think the record is up to someone who is on their SEVENTH!!! 360 replacement unit.
It is bizarre to see 360 owners talk about how lucky they are with only have to have gone through one or two replacement 360s. Or how 'impressed' they were with how quickly Microsoft sent the delivery truck to pickup their dead 360. Boggle. It's like airline passengers bragging about how a certain airline has the best bodybags when confronted with the abysmal safety record of the airline they are flying on.
The failure rate of the Xbox 360 hardware is so beyond any other piece of electronic hardware it has to be costing Microsoft insane amounts of money to keep the 2 million or so poor sods with 360s from storming the Redmond headquarters. Free games, waving fees for out of warranty failures, insane amount of money on shipping units to and from Microsoft for replacement.
What is funny about the whole Xbox 360 hardware failure fiasco is after the first Xbox marketplace failure this was the one where Microsoft was supposed to get things right and take over the console world.
Heh, so much for that plan...
I laughed my head off. This is one of the funniest articles I read in a long time. Maybe the fact that I love lists like this added to the fun. BTW, it seems many people like to be annoyed or we wouldn't have lists like this :-) I can't wait for the Worst tech of Q3 2006!
-- Cheers!
"Have you swallowed your mobile again?"
Can someone mod this person down? Posting the same text in every thread is kind of annoying.
-- Cheers!
Eh, I thought this article was pretty stupid and pointless. At least it was only one page.
wow zonk :) up all night after a long stint on the bottle?
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
"It's a series of tubes. This amazing network technology enables you to get email from associates in as little as five days! Thankfully, Mr. Stevens is yet-another-confused Congresscritter more interested in pork than in sound public policy.
"You're young, you're drunk, you're in bed, you have knives; shit happens." -- Angelina Jolie
back in the 19th century.
I think, the Segway will be my relief when I get old and can't walk as good as now. It should be a nice replacement for those grandma walking aids that must be used these days.
So, I don't think the segway is a bad thing at all. looks stupid, but hey... %)
And yes, I'm logged in with excellent karma.
by Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward has excellent karma? He must have hacked the system.
I'll probably be modded down for this...
An article with next to no content, that doesn't even stick to the tech like the headline states...so-so reviews...and an annoying convoluted site design.
Recently I have noticed that a lot of review sites review hardware with a specific purpose in mind. The Samsung Q1 UltraMobile devices are great in an educational setting as well as for mobile employees previously tied to a Tablet PC. Still, the complaints from many review sites is basically "This device is not good for this purpose" instead of a simple "The battery options limit the usable time to 2.5 hours". Explore the specifications and any limitations exposed beyond simple spec sheet and leave us with enough knowledge to determine whether the devices will work in our specific situation.
BTW, a name change is not "worst tech".
I think, the Segway will be my relief when I get old and can't walk as good as now. It should be a nice replacement for those grandma walking aids that must be used these days.
Now it makes sense. The Segway's market is that large group of elderly people who can't walk long distances but are able to stand for long periods of time.
"Somewhere between mobility and the Rascal Scooter? Consider Segway!"
Hey, I still do, because it's so easy! They're riding those bikes while rubbing their genitals against the saddle, wearing those ghey tight shorts (or moronic baggy ones) and stupid fugly helmets, taking up space on the roads for no reason at all.
I hope by "bikers" you meant the people riding bicycles, not motorbikes. Those guys would kick my ass.
but I'll say it now; The name change might be good for publicity, but I still find the new name retarded.
because watching a movie, usually mpeg2, xvid/divx, theora e.g., requires Macromedia's banner-ad-player. Macromedia guys would really like us to depend on them but all I do is to BOYCOTT it.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Comment removed based on user account deletion
That mention of that small phone reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Peter, after going over a bump in his car while talking on his cell phone, swallows it, without pushing 'END' first.
You'll never see a European or Japanese review complaining that a gadget is too small, only US reviewers (although certainly not all.)
I think it has to do with finger fatness among certain American reviewers, reminds me of that Simpsons episode...
Am I the only one who misread it as Segway Pogo? I thought that maybe they went one-stick because two-wheel wasn't going far enough. That would certainly count as one of the worst tech...
So when you're too old to walk, you won't be too old to withstand the forces of falling off a segway?
Okay, am I the only one who thought the video of Woz was ridiculous? I mean, of course it's ridiculous, but more specifically he goes on at limited but noticable length about how he's so good at this that they keep having to change the rules to minimize his dominance. The interviewer goads him on a bit, but really, he seems pretty conceited throughout the whole interview. I haven't had much experience watching him in the past, so it could be that he's always this way. But good God, the man is playing a full-size version of table hockey, more or less, with minimal expenditure of energy and a silly helmet, and all he can do is brag about how much better he is at it than everyone else.
...
All that said, it DOES look like goofy fun. I guess the contrast between the World Cup (twenty-two guys from all over the world and a ball, running their butts off for close to two hours) and this (a bunch of people with lots of resources riding fabulous machines around and whacking at stuff) got to me, though.
Wait, I just basically described auto racing, too, and I love auto racing. Ah, hells bells, I gotta rethink this one
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
I commute around NYC by bike, so "no reason at all" isn't always true. It's faster than walking, driving, or taking the subway; better exercise; and doesn't get you any parking tickets ever.
I hope by "bikers" you meant the people riding bicycles, not motorbikes. Those guys would kick my ass.
Talk to the motorbike people once in a while. They're actually pretty cool most of the time and many of them are geeks in their own way - they hack mechanical things instead of software.
-b. (who rides both types of bikes and enjoys it all)
Not to take article this seriously, but hopping land mines get my vote for worst tech.
It would be good to be able to completely assess the entire gamut of users opinions.
If only there were some kind of list of messages containing the opinions of users of slashdot... messages that would be listed like a line, no.. a... a thread. Yes.
If only you could read the fucking thread. If only.
You can't take the sky from me...
Hey, get with the program, everyone is over the name change now and actually thinks it's a good idea, plus Nintendo got a mass of publicity over the device for it into the bargain.
-= This is a self-referential sig =-
You know, all the old people with cane's and walkers. There are quite a few.
They never assumed you would have to fit your whole framebuffer in EDRAM at once, that's why they have predicated tiling. I'm not going to go beyond what info is publicly available, but you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.
Predicated Tiling
Yeah, they use them because they don't have an balance. I can just picture someone ona Segway using a walker to maintain balance.
What I find interesting is that if you click the links for the items you get the CNET reviews for the same items. In several cases CNET gave an item a positive review only to include it on the list of "Worst Tech". Now I know they say there is no such thing as bad press but this seems like a case of social engineering on the part of CNET using /. to drive people to a questionable article. That being said I did go read the article and the linked reviews so I guess as sheeple I cant complain to much (doh!)
What's up Amy? Have you swallowed your cellphone again?
Fight hunger. Filet a politician and send him to a 3rd world country of your choice.
You might want to consider either emailing Cmdr Taco, or alternatively put the question in a journal entry and then link to the entry in your sig. That way you don't have to keep repeating the question to which the answer is evidently that if there is a way to do what you're trying to do, then most people don't know it.
Man, I just don't understand why so many tech journalists are such lapdogs who trot out this same lame line about how terrible a format war is. The real problem is that there aren't enough competing candidates. As it is both main candidates have similar user hostile lock down technology. Imagine if we simply had to accept whatever is annointed and brought down to the masses from the mountain. When only insiders get to make binding design choices that means your likely to get devices that have less than optimum (from the consumer standpoint) features.
It appears that HD-DVD might have a slight edge that you might have an approved option to transfer some content to your computer. Without competition between formats even these slight concessions would be unlikely. I hope the competition continues at least until they have to compete to see which format provides an affordable (less than $100) disc writer so that contestant can be rewarded.
I understand that early adopters face the prospect that a wrong choice means the need to buy a less expensive device of the competing format and a collection of media dependent on legacy players that can only be obtained at bargain prices on eBay (I've purchased more than one LD player there). I'm much happier with my superior LD collection than the cheesy tapes other people collected. So in this particular case even when you lose, you still win because you could have made your choice for reasons that continue to matter to you.
Think of the big shot at ABC who had no trouble claiming people didn't really care about having fast forward for skipping over obnoxious or tedious commercials (or the mysteriously required musical guest on every talk show). If they could enforce a single PVR design (which cable providers pretty much can) there would be a remote possibility that it would be missing the 30/60 second jump forward capability. It is a remote possibility now because people know of its possibility because of competing designs.
The problem isn't the lack of an industry annointed standard format, it is that we could do even better if there were a larger variety of options to compete for our acceptance.
I'm voting for Windows Genuine Advantage. Strangely, that did ship on time. On time to what, I'll be buggered if I know.
Its simple really, so the Windows development team can spy on your computer usage and know how they can make "Windows work better for you". Also, as has been said many times before, so your PC can communicate with the mothership and accept commands to even turn off your PC remotely. Basically, it boils down to yet another attempt to rid Windows of casual privacy while unfortunately paining the legimate consumer at the exact same time. I vote for WGA also.
I used to think motorcycles were "scary" and "lame", but then I decided to get one. I found out they are cool and awesome. Riding a motorcycle is totally fun. Plus, most bikers are really nice. In fact, I have found that motorcyclists pretty much usually wave to each other as they pass. Sometimes when I am in my car, I want to wave to bikers, but I think you are only supposed to do that when you are actually on the bike.
Also, side car bikes rule.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
Just be careful whilst going around turns. You tend to look really silly weaving around a turn with sidecar imitating a pogo stick :)
-b.
Such "lack of programming" disturbs many people around the world; it's the "quick" way of writing stuff without thinking about later consequences like user input/output. Why program lazy and not use the real ways; which will take some more time to complete the project but it will sure be double as steady and reliable; let not mention it'll make your life easier for later adjustments to it.
...)", "reliability is a factor; an application should work many years with the least of maintenance", "don't be egoistic and program space-memory optimized, don't use 5 DVD's to unstall your program when 1 CD should be enough", ....
;)
640k ought to be enough in that time; when floppy's where 5/14" 360k and 3.5" 720k; harddrives where a luxe and the code-and-data needed to fit on one floppy. I grew up in such environment where code and data -needed- to fit on a 360k floppy; and I got to tell; these floppies in duo where often BIG ENOUGH for most purposes.
Since Windows came out a lot of people became lazy to program for it; I blame partially the "click-and-point" languages giving not enough perspective to all factors needed to program reliable, secure and towards future expandibility when needed. Yes they are expandable; but in their own way; just like Dreamweaver will use its own blocks of code in HTML, will other "intelligent" editors always be intelligent till their own changable parameters.
Those parameters are often not enough and need to be optimized/tweaked to be working to real life working applications. A lot of applications do lack that kind of optimizing and tweaking. Web browsers are mostly already protected against the many parameters of user additives showing even the errors "right"; although there are still a lot of webpages out there which are not really "clean" and "optimized" but rather (very)big in size. Moral of the entire text is; like there will be bad html, perl, C++, PHP, whatever code; there will be code using all bells-and-whistles of the click-and-point interface they use but without the real optimizing which is perhaps the "fine workcraftmanship"...
On the Internet there is the "netiquette", why shouldn't a programmer behave on similar ethics? Document, create secure, modular and reliable code which is taking real-world parameters. Such parameters do include but not limited to "expect unknown user input; always limit your incoming values!", "take care of hooks for user output (data export, printing, publishing,
To stay on topic ; your comments are completely moot; the 10mb should be enough if you use it as a responsible coder. You document your code right? They did
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..