10 embarrassing moments in tech

Bill Gates at CES 2005

Technology is sometimes a complex concept, such that it can lead to some embarrassing moments.

Whether it's an infamous presentation that went awry, a product that shipped long before it should, or just a goofy marketing gaffe, these low points in tech serve as a good reminder: make sure your stuff works.

3. Windows Vista
This might be first time an entire operating system has been listed as an embarrassing moment, but Vista qualifies - not for the fact that sales have been disappointing, because when you include an OS on a computer by default it is bound to be a big seller. But consumer perceptions are ultra-low. So low, in fact, that Microsoft faked people into thinking their new OS was not Vista to get them to like it.

6. EMC career day gaffe
Last year, EMC held a career day on Second Life. Polly Pearson, a vice president, participated - virtually - in the event, where EMC handed out trinkets and held mock interviews. Here's Pearson's own description of what happened next: "When it came time for my mock interview, I sat down behind a virtual desk and noticed that I was still wearing a hardhat with a miner-like light beam shining directly in the face of my interviewer. I thought, 'My goodness, you can't wear a hat during an interview,' so I right clicked on a menu that would allow me to remove my hat. My hat was removed all right. So were all my clothes! I sat there like a naked mannequin with my team circled around laughing."

7. BlackBerry Storm
Maybe it's too early, what with Verizon still hyping the BlackBerry Storm in commercials during American football matches in the US, but the Storm is a dud. A powerful device that supports music and video, has a 3 megapixel camera, and runs fast on Qualcomm 528 Mhz processor - but a BlackBerry is all about typing, and doing so on the Storm's clickable screen is woefully difficult. Critics have soundly panned the device, and we officially recommend that you try before buying.

9. Anything Jerry Yang does
The current but soon former CEO of Yahoo! has had his share of gaffes over the years, including a recent letter to employees explaining how some of them would be fired. You'd think a tech company would know that anything you transmit electronically can be re-transmitted widely on the web. Under Yang's leadership, the company stalled a Microsoft buy-out and sunk its stock price. Ouch.

10. Green computing Initiatives
Here's one that might gets us all riled up. "Green computing" is more of a concept than a reality for most companies. Google has led the charge by offering a handful of hybrids that employees can rent and installing solar panels on its roof. But many of the major initiatives in green computing are meant to bolster sales and raise your environmental cred, but often languish as a lame iconic gesture rather than real change. Microsoft is one exception: it has been building LEED-certified data centers.

Contributor

John Brandon has covered gadgets and cars for the past 12 years having published over 12,000 articles and tested nearly 8,000 products. He's nothing if not prolific. Before starting his writing career, he led an Information Design practice at a large consumer electronics retailer in the US. His hobbies include deep sea exploration, complaining about the weather, and engineering a vast multiverse conspiracy.