Most hyped gadgets that didn't impress much

Apple Newton is a yesteryear predecessor of Apple iOS. Apple developed Newton platform for personal digital assistants (PDAs). On the platform, Apple surfaced gadgets like MessagePad and eMate in 1990s in association with Motorola, Digital Ocean, Sharp, and others. Most Newton gadgets were powered by ARM 610 RISC processors. The hyped-up MessagePad was launched in 1993. But the device did not attract many more customers due to high price and software failures.

Zune was a much-frenzied Apple iPod ‘killer’ MP3 player from Microsoft. The portable media player was first launched in 2006 by the company. The device was running on i MX31L processor. Later, Microsoft brought out four iterations for the device. Yet, it could not even come near to Apple iPod in sale figures. Its high price and bulky design might have distracted customers from Zune.

It was another awkward gadget that the world witnessed in the past. As its name indicates, Amstrad E-m@iler Telephone was meant both to make calls and send e-mails on a single device. For the purpose, the Amstrad gadget sported a screen and keyboard. At a glance itself, the gadget looked not that much great. Of course, customers also did not fall in attraction of E-m@iler Telephone.

The built-in audio player headset attached sunglasses from Oakley had been a much-frenzied gadget. With the Oakley Thump Sunglasses, you could be free from using headphones for your phone or music player. The built-in headphone on the sunglasses could be integrated with your handset or music player. However, the device was a failure as people did not find attraction in it.

TwitterPeek is a smartphone-like device with a keypad and a screen. But you can only use it to access Twitter, the famous micro-blogging site. You can not make calls or send texts using TwitterPeek. Certainly, the gadget gained no traction in a time smartphones were coming enabled with Twitter clients. Who might want a physical device for tweeting only?

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) was a program from a Miami-based non-profit organization One Laptop per Child Association, Inc. (OLPC-A). It was meant to avail computers for affordable price to educational institutes and students. Even though companies such as AMD, Google, News Corp, eBay, Marvel and Red Hat had been associated with the project, the flood of netbooks and notebooks eliminated the project.

Virtual Boy was a gaming console from the Japanese game device maker Nintendo. It was, in fact, the first video game console that introduced 3D graphics. However, due to a lukewarm response from the market, Nintendo was forced to discontinue the device within one year after its launch. Virtual Boy was unveiled in 1995 in Japan and in North America and it was priced at $180.

Segway PT is a single passenger electric vehicle for city commutation. The two-wheeled vehicle was designed by Dean Kamen and was produced by New Hampshire, USA-based Segway Inc. Though it was a much-appreciated product, people did not show much interest to invest in it. Therefore, you cannot see much more Segways in cities. Only some security guards use this vehicle these days.

Samsung Q1 is an ultra-mobile computer from the South Korean company on Microsoft’s Origami platform. The device features a 7-inch LCD and hit stores in various versions. Samsung launched this ultra-mobile PC in 2006. But even after massive advertising campaigns, Samsung Q1 could not draw in the attraction of more customers. Its big price and arrival of laptops affected sales of Samsung Q1 Origami.

It is not true to believe that each and every product from Steve Jobs and team has been a success. Apple’s Earbuds for its celebrated iPod music player was a failure in the market. Though Earbuds were comfortable to wear, the device did not spit out quality sound. As a result, Apple was forced to discontinue Earbuds in a short span of time.