Technologizer: Worst PC in America Slideshow

By Harry McCracken

Some PCs are born crummy. Some achieve crumminess. And some have crumminess thrust upon them. Those are my conclusions after judging our Worst PC in America contest, in which we asked you to tell us about really rotten personal computers–with the lure of a snazzy HP Envy 13 laptop to be awarded to the most outstandingly awful entry. Herewith, some highlights lowlights, including both once-decent machines that have fallen upon hard times and some systems that were kind of terrible and/or just plain odd from the get go.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall

Yes, the worst PC in America is a Mac–the one belonging to Reynaldo Rivera, who won our contest and will be receiving the HP Envy 13. In 2006, when it was new, this MacBook Pro was arguably one of the best PCs in America. Now it’s missing its screen (and some keys), its trackpad and Superdrive don’t work, it has a mouse that’s held together with duct tape–and best of all, its video display is a 13-inch standard-definition TV, which it’s connected to using a vintage Curtis Mathes VCR as an intermediary. Oh, and the machine failed altogether while Reynaldo was preparing his entry. Did I mention he’s being using a well-worn copy of Dante’s Inferno as a mousepad?

Worst PCs in America--MacBook Pro

Another headless wonder

I’d never even seen one laptop sans screen, but two showed up for this competition. Derek Powell’s Asus is in marginally better condition than the prize-winning MacBook Pro; it sort of works, once it gets through running CHKDSK. In this photo, it almost looks like it’s meant to be used this way–like a very, very low-profile desktop computer with a built-in keyboard.

Worst PCs in America--Asus

Other machines you’re really glad you don’t own.

[This post is excerpted with Harry’s permission from his Technologizer blog.]

Stop Responding to Threats.
Prevent Them.

Want to get monthly tips & tricks?

Subscribe to our newsletter to get cybersecurity tips & tricks and stay up to date with the constantly evolving world of cybersecurity.

Related Articles

Technologizer: Dell’s Streak–Is It a Huge Smartphone or a Tiny Computer?

oncomputers

By Harry McCracken

The time I’ve spent with Verizon Wireless’s Droid X has made one thing clear to me: I like great big smartphone screens. As impressively elegant as the iPhone 4′s 3.5″ retina display is, the X’s 4.3″ superscreen makes for larger type and easier tapping. It’s like the difference between a highly refined sportscar and a roomy SUV. I hope phones in both sizes flourish.

And then there’s Dell’s Streak…which makes the Droid X look like a pipsqueak. At five inches, its screen is so expansive that it’s not clear upon first glance whether this device is a phone. It is. Or at least it can be one: The Dell executive I spoke with at a demo yesterday described the Streak as being “capable of making phone calls.” In other words, Dell sees it as a data device that does voice rather than a phone that does data.

Read More