What's The Most Useless Piece of Tech That You Own?

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What's The Most Useless Piece of Tech That You Own?

It’s probably gathering dust on your shelf or in a nearby drawer.

I have an elderly digital video camera stashed in a bin with the winter sweaters. I enjoy taking videos at musician friends’ shows, and there was a time before phone cameras improved when it was essential to have a dedicated photography machine. Now my Galaxy 6 has a better resolution than my ancient Sony. I don’t think I know where the charger lives.

So what did you buy and then abandon? What technology has fallen out of your favor or lost its purpose, reduced to mere paperweight status?

623Reply

DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCraneKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:22pm

My Tandy TRS-80 Model III.

(Pictured: Not mine. Search result, but that’s indeed what it looks like, paint flaking and all)

Utterly, utterly, utterly useless. But my first computer, so nostalgia.

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mavrickKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:22pm

original droid have it in a bin in my closet along with a galaxy note 2

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HugedealKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:22pm

Fitbit Flex.

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morgartjr1Kaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:24pm

My ORB Drive. Man, the idea of that thing was great...2GB discs? 5400rpm? When compared to Zip drives, these things were amazing. But the lockups. UGH. The awful scsi to USB interface that caused the drive to drop out completely if you even breathed funny on it. I had gotten an ORB and 10GB (Shut up you whippersnappers, it was a lot back then! Get off my lawn!) of discs and used it for maybe a year before CD's eclipsed them in price and usability.

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Buck_TurgidsonKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:24pm

Recently found an iomega Zip drive in a box in my closet.

What do I win?

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epicdevKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:24pm

From the very early 2000’s: I believe it was a Sony MP3 tagger. You’d press the button and it’d remember the timestamp of that song playing on the radio then you go online and it’d lookup what your local stations were. Problem is, it was wrong 90% of the time and support was pulled like 3mos. after. I still have it in a drawer just to laugh at.

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MonkeyPuzzle @gundaraKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:25pm

most useless that I actually use? 512mb USB drive

perfect for disposable file sharing. “here, have that doc you needed,no I don’t need that back”

it’s like a boomerang though, constantly comes back. now I hand it out just to see if it will return.

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- jimesfrederickMonkeyPuzzle @gundara
  9/21/15 5:30pm
  
  I have a 16mb one in my usb stick bin. I remember having to get one for a programming I class, I think it was about $30 for the 16mb and $50 for the 32mb. I still use it for my ps2 on ocassion to back up save games with the pro action replay.
  
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- malendrasMonkeyPuzzle @gundara
  9/21/15 5:33pm
  
  I see your 512 mb drive and raise you my 128 mb drive.
  
  I use it to back up my text files.
  
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- MonkeyPuzzle @gundaramalendras
  9/21/15 5:40pm
  
  I see your 128mb and raise you this USB floppy drive I found in the wife’s desk last week (similar to pictured)
  
  I kept it, because... wait, why did I keep this!?
  
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Leonard Part 7Kaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:25pm

I have a Zip drive in my closet. Why the hell do I still have a Zip drive?

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- digdugbugLeonard Part 7
  9/21/15 5:32pm
  
  I recently moved and trashed actual unused, still shrink wrapped stacks of 250mb zip cartridges? discs? that were hiding in storage since Y2K.
  
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DennisKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:26pm

ps vita...

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- jimesfrederickDennis
  9/21/15 5:31pm
  
  I know that feel, I have 2 and a vita tv, sometimes I feel dumb for picking up two of them.
  
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:DwKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:28pm

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyboar...
Thought it would be awesome for MOBAs. Can’t stand it. Now my wife hates me.

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- thepak:Dw
  9/21/15 5:37pm
  
  I bid $20
  
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rpt1700Kaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:28pm

Flip Video Camera

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- TheMuleOfYourDreamsrpt1700
  9/21/15 5:44pm
  
  I have a Cisco branded one collecting dust. I got it as a gift and used it twice.
  
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jimthebritKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:28pm

Hands down...

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- Pending Approvaljimthebrit
  9/21/15 5:46pm
  
  the idea behind those were so cool though.
  
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RobGronkowski'sPartyBusDriverKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:28pm

I have a Nintendo DS that I just never take out and play anymore, even though it still has some good games.

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- fiendishmuffinRobGronkowski'sPartyBusDriver
  9/21/15 5:31pm
  
  Yeah, I’ll second this. I bought the “new” 3DS so my daughter would have something to play with instead of my iPad. Turns out, she still prefers my iPad. Shovel Knight is fun though.
  
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Jesse WhitemanKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:29pm

Apple Watch Sport

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ranainsanaKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:29pm

CueCat,

a barcode scanner from radio shack

CueCat Wikipedia

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muyiwaKaila Hale-Stern
9/21/15 5:30pm

Turtle Beach Audiotron. I loved it so. It could be best described as an audio-only apple tv, that couldn't display on a tv. Or an iPod that connected directly to my audio system.

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