Get ready for an eyeful of ugly this week.
We count down the worst-looking tech products, as judged by an impartial panel of me and a bunch of people on Twitter and Facebook.
And, as usual, there is a lame prize. One of the lamer ones, actually. Something called CubeGuard. Well, it's all yours if you're one of the first 10 people to post an answer correctly in the comments.
Oh, and by the way, make sure your registered e-mail address is correct, or I can't contact you about where to send the prize!
Technology never, ever, ever lives up to our expectations. No matter how much promise a gadget has, there's always a small level of disappointment. But some products have let us down a lot more than others. Sometimes it's the fault of the manufacturer's overhyping their wares, and sometimes we just dream too big.
Watch our video of the top 5 biggest tech disappointments, then come back to this page and answer the trivia question for a chance to win the army of small Jar-Jars.
It's time to check in on the most popular products of the month, which usually means phones. This month is no exception. We do have one not-phone. And to keep the suspense, we don't know which of the phones will be number one. Note: this all came out before the iPhone 3G S.
So watch the video and come back here to post your answer to the lame-prize trivia question.
This week's Top 5 counts down the top tech ads. As promised at the end of the segment, here are the links to YouTube videos of all the tech ads mentioned one through 10. Watch the Top 5 to see what order they're in and get clips of all of them at once.
This is not what you want to hear when you call tech support and tell them your operating system is OS X.
"What's that?" or "OSN?"
But that's what happened when I called Verizon to troubleshoot connection trouble on my EVDO card. I had to say it was a Mac before they understood. Well, sort of understood.
I was having difficulty where I would make a connection and within 30 seconds the connection would be terminated.
The first person I talked to asked me to launch Verizon's VZ Access Manager software. I explained that the instructions for Mac that came with the device said to just plug in the card and I would be able to manage it from within the OS. They did not tell you to install software. So therefore I could manage the card, but I did not have VZ Access Manager. This seemed to stymie the person on the other end and I was told that they don't get a lot of Mac questions.
On my own, while the tech fumbled for an idea of what do for a Mac user, I poked around on their site during the call and found an OS X version of the Access Manager and installed it. Once I did that we were able to troubleshoot and fix the problem.
But when I got home, I was still having access trouble. So I called Verizon again and gave them the case number. The support person asked me to choose tools from the menu option in VZ Access Manager. I explained that there was no tools option. I got another response that Macs "sure are different" and that they don't get many Mac calls. This technician fumbled around trying to give me steps for the Windows version of VZ Access Manager that I couldn't implement. Eventually it was suggested that I go outside and see if it worked outside the building. I agreed I'd try and we ended the call amicably.
Strangely, after I got off the call, the card connected and worked fine thereafter.
Now I must make clear that both techs I talked to seemed intelligent and were trying to be helpful. They just acted as if they had never seen a Mac before. They had no idea what this crazy "OS X" was, and had no scripts to help them support a Mac user.
Get it together, Verizon. If you advertise, as you do, that your card works with Macs, then you need to train your support personnel to know how to use them.
Help a brother out. Or help out someone you've never met. Seriously. Fiona Ramsey of Kiva.org stopped by to talk about how to make microloans to help small businesses in developing countries.
Watch the show soon on CNET TV.
Things we Crave
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Free tools for multiple monitors.
ThinkFree Show alternative to PowerPoint.
Editors' choice Webcam Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000.
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As the beginning of summer also approaches, so does the strange tech. This week, Tom shares a peripheral that's guaranteed to keep your digits toasty, in his Crave pick of the week. In addition, Brian will share which hot app he's been eyeing, in this week's selection for Best of the Web.
Have an annoying tech problem that no group of geeks can handle? Give our tech gurus a shout. That's right, ring Brian and Tom between 12:40 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. (PT) this Thursday at 888-900-CNET, and get that pesky problem solved.
Don't forget to tune in this Thursday for the best thing since sliced bread...or Tom's ThinkPad!
Tom's box of Star Wars goodies
Okay, so the boys won't be barbequing or grilling loyal callers with their issues (the legal department was not too happy with that pitch). However--they will be taking a look at the latest and greatest in outdoor-entertaining gadgetry. What's the difference between infrared cooking and traditional flame cooking? Cooley is determined to find out.
Also this week, Tom gets out his box of Star Wars toys to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars films. Tom's Crave of the week will be something that any Wookie, Ewok, or citizen of Naboo would desire.
In addition, CNET's own tech-Jedis will be fielding phone calls at 888-900-CNET. Make sure to call 20 minutes ahead--you could be the first caller in the seventh installment of CNET Live!
Tune in to CNET TV at 1 p.m. PT/ 4 p.m. ET today to get your fix. May the force be with you!
Past guests include Justin Kan of JustinTV and James Kao at Green Citizen, who shed some wisdom on earth-friendly tech. Last week, Biz Stone from Twitter.com joined CNET Live to talk about the future of mini-blogging. Tom and Brian also took a number of calls, many having to do with iTunes, Apple, and the best new version of Linux. Tom craved a mini-lightsaber, a perfect addition to his newly acquired box of Star Wars toys.
This week's show features CEO and President of Kyte TV, Daniel Graf (read CNET's Webware review). Not only is Brian going to chat with him about the burgeoning new instant video blog, but he's also going to get a live demo. Later in the show, Brian will reveal his pick for this week's Best of the Web, while Tom is going to talk to Zach Wilson, the winner of the Cellflix Festival Video Contest. And as always, Tom and Brian will be putting on their thinking caps to answer questions from CNET Live viewers. Want to talk to the Cooley-Merritt super duo directly? Call 1-888-900-CNET today during the show!
If that's not enough, there will also be a First Look at the new Xbox 360 Elite. Is it back in black and worth the cash or totally overrated? Find out on this week's edition of CNET Live today, at 1 p.m. Pacific/ 4 p.m. Eastern on CNET TV.
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