There’s never a shortage of gadgets for contender of the year and last year the iPhone, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, N95, Garmin StreetPilot, Nintendo DS, and Sony eBook Reader competed for top honours. But what about those gadgets on the other end of the spectrum; the useless ones?

Well, I sure know where my nomination will be going. The USB vacuum cleaner (pictured below on my desk) sounds like something no self-respecting Dilbert should live without, but believe it or not it didn’t suck the crumbs off my desk as advertised. Although I love the retro-brown paint job, it unfortunately makes for a frustrating, power-draining experience and I am trying to figure out a way of making it someone else’s problem. I challenge anyone to come up with a bigger let-down!