CES 2012 duds: five weird gadgets that are doomed to fail

With this year's event setting new Consumer Electronics Show records for exhibitors, attendance and claimed floor space, you can forget about the supposed dwindling interest in the tech trade show. We've seen some very impressive products debut this week: the Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone, the LG 55EM9800 OLED TV, the HP Envy 14 Spectre ultrabook and the Fujifilm X Pro 1 mirrorless camera, to name a few.

But they can't all be winners, and this year's event revealed quite a few products that are sure to fall flat. Here's a look at our favourite duds to emerge from CES 2012:

The Solowheel

A product that you'll likely never see in a store near you, this self-balancing personal mobility device is an intriguing take on a unicycle crossed with a Segway. Once you've managed to get on the thing without falling down, get it going by squeezing the red pads with your calves and leaning forward. Sam Byford from The Verge took it for a test spin and quickly ran into a car (and his Solowheel came with training wheels).
(The Verge photo)

iNuke Boom iPod dock

Dubbed "the world's loudest iPod dock," the iNuke Boom is also the world's largest over-the-top accessory. Standing four-feet tall and eight-feet wide, the 10,000-watt speaker system is the size of a small Volkswagen. You could replace your couch with this 700 pound monstrosity for a cool $30,000.
(MacRumors photo)

Mr. Marinator

We're not exactly sure how a product that looks like it came with your FlavorWave Oven even made it inside the venue. You'd expect to see something like the Mr. Marinator in an infomercial starring Vince, the Sham-Wow guy, not on display at the world's premier technology trade show. This thing is a cement mixer for your food, and it doesn't even have Wi-Fi.

Video sun visor

So you want to check out your hair before the big date, maybe even adjust your makeup using your car's sun visor? Well, too bad, because you're watching Shrek 2! Many of today's vehicles are already equipped with at least one video screen, so we find it tough to imagine a viable market for this device. This goes to show that not everything can be improved with a video screen.
(Huffington Post photo)

Fujitsu Arrows water-proof tablet

Manufacturers have been attempting to get a leg up on the iPad for years, but this can't be the best way to go about it. Fujitsu believes in a demand for water-proof computing devices. Yet, aside from the wrist-watch, we can't think of any practical examples. The Kindle Fire is taking a bite out of Apple's market position because of its comparable functionality and cheaper price tag. It's not because you can use it in the bathtub worry free.

(GameInformer photo)