Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household, Peripherals

Remember those battery-operated vibrating ladybugs that people used to pass around (multiple times) as office gifts? Yeah, that critter ain’t got nothing on this stable of patently awful gizmos. We’ve seen a remarkable amount of garbage pass under our noses in the past few weeks, and we’ve rounded up the worst of the worst for your consideration. So, is a USB shell speaker really more embarrassing than a V-Sports console for folks tired of searching for a Wii? Is the i-Knock personal IM notifier more unnecessary than the Encore Rockin’ Music Lamp? Or does the OMG-inducing Limbo String walk away with the gold here? We know, each and every item is a festering turd in one way or another, but which of the ones below just exemplify the word “crap?” Choose carefully.

Read - USB shell speaker
Read - USB back massager
Read - V-Sports console
Read - i-Knock IM doohickey
Read - Encore Rockin’ Music Lamp
Read - Limbo String

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

No need to bust out one of those newfangled smartphones to get your handset-based chat on — oh no, baby boomers and their offspring can now handle IM conversations via a landline telephone. You heard right, Vtech is getting all extraordinary on us today with the industry’s first instant messaging cordless phone, and sure enough, the DECT 6.0 IS6110 features a full-fledged QWERTY keypad to keep those thumbs happy. All that’s required is that the phone’s base station be connected via USB to a PC, after which users can have free access to MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger. What better way to gently introduce your mother (hint, hint) to this millennium than by dropping $99.95 on this?

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Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless

It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard from Zipit, but the company is hitting back with a second version of its trendy Wireless Messenger. The Z2 doesn’t deviate too far from the original’s design, but the keyboard left a lot to be desired during our limited playtime. As expected, this handheld unit works on any WiFi network and supports AOL, Yahoo and MSN IM platforms so users can carry on multiple conversations. Furthermore, you’ll find an integrated music player (dubbed MyTunez) that can play back files stored on your miniSD card or tunes streamed from the ‘net, and the MyPhotoz feature lets you view photo slideshows, too. For those interested, it’ll be available next month for $149.99, and if you hadn’t already noticed, a host of hands-on photos are waiting below.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!