Brits vote for useless gadgets
Manufacturers run scared
Obviously Register Hardware’s writers love their gadgets, but some inventions leave us a little perplexed as to their point. And we’re not alone, because a list of punters' most useless gadgets has been compiled.
The inventory was made after Reevoo.com questioned 4500 British shoppers about which gadgets they thought were the most pointless.
Electric nail-files led the poll and, although no reasons were given, many people could be put off by the gadget’s ability to file your nails away to mere stumps at the flick of the switch.
Laser-guided scissors: a little over the top?
Laser-guided scissors and electric candles fell into second and third place, respectively. The humble Soda Stream – a 1970s attempt at making fizzy drinks a ridiculously laborious process - fell into fourth place.
A lazy man’s favourite, the trouser press, also featured on the list in position 11. But it isn’t seen as pointless as the electric fluff remover, which took ninth place, or an electric carving knife – which turns carving the Christmas turkey into a Grand Theft Auto IV massacre.
Register Hardware's readers held their own poll of pointless gadgets back in February. The website's Q&A section received comments from readers shunning - yes! - the laser-guided scissors. Black and Decker's Autotape also received criticism because the electronic feeding mechanisum adds too much to the weight and size.
We can think of lots more useless, but somewhat cool, gadgets to add to the list too. For example, the Wi-Fi watch, a cassette that’s also an MP3 player and Honda's walking gadget.
COMMENTS
@ Dazed and Confused
"So contrary to popular opinion they can be useful."
The knives or women? Arf.
<get's chased out of the Reg Comments ection by an army of women with electric carvers>
What is next...?
Next thing you know, they'll come out with a ready-made 360 million dollar check to use for defrauding banks and the like.
Oi Electric carving knives are useful
Ours sat in a draw gathering dust for many years whilst it's manual equivalent happily carved any sort of join put in front of it with far greater easy.
Then one day I was fitting curtain rails and the need arose to cut one of the sections. DAMN, not enough room to get a reasonable stroke with a saw. I scratched my head. My father in law scratched his head. It had taken about an hour and much swearing to get this far and the though of marking it up, taking it down cutting the damn thing and starting all over again didn't bare thinking about. In strolls the wife, with two life saving beers. We described the problem.
Why don't you use the electric carving knife - she says
Don't be so bl**dy stupid wo..... Good idea hand me the gadget would you please darling.
30 seconds later and the jobs was done.
So contrary to popular opinion they can be useful.
SodaStream?
Get busy with the fizzy!
I love my SodaStream, aside from being able to carbonate drinks that don't have a massive amount of sugar in them, it's great for reviving flat Cola (for when sugary drinks are required (Long Island))
Soda Streams aren't useless ...
try getting a double shot of caffeine/sugar goodness in a homemade cola without this priceless invention.
Of course if you worked for Maccas etc you could dip into their post-mix supplies but for the average person these things are great.
I actually own two machines so I never run out of carbonating goodness, me thinks these brits like their beer too much...
