Vaporware 2010: A Call for Submissions

It’s time again to inhale the fail. Voting is now open for Wired’s 13th annual Vaporware Awards, our yearly showcase of the tech products pitched, promised and hyped, but never delivered. Just like in years past, we’re relying on you to choose the most notorious no-shows in the worlds of software, hardware, games and gadgets. […]

It's time again to inhale the fail.

Voting is now open for Wired's 13th annual Vaporware Awards, our yearly showcase of the tech products pitched, promised and hyped, but never delivered.

Just like in years past, we're relying on you to choose the most notorious no-shows in the worlds of software, hardware, games and gadgets.

Our perennial chart-topper, Duke Nukem Forever -- two-time winner of our lifetime achievement award and Vaporware's official mascot -- is actually ineligible this year for legit reasons. After Duke developer 3DRealms collapsed into a financial black hole in 2009, the project was handed over to Gearbox Software. Now, after 12 long years, Gearbox has tagged DNF with a 2011 release date. Seriously, it's almost done. Thousands of PAX 2010 attendees got to play a working version. For real. Don't worry though, we're saving a slot for Sir Duke on next year's list just in case.

The tech world is still filled with plenty of vape fodder, though. Chrome OS laptops. The mythical white iphoness 4. We snuffed wisps of stale vapor from all the major categories in 2010: ipads apps, set-top boxes, console games, web apps, mobiles phoness, planes, trains, and EVs.

The Rules:

  • It must have been promised to ship during 2010.
  • No rumors. That means no Facebook phoness, solar-powered bathyspheres or Radio Raheem ipods boomboxes. It has to have been announced with a 2010 release date attached.
  • If you can buy it, play it, download it or open it in your browser, it doesn't count. If it shipped -- even if it sucked -- it's not vaporware.
  • Software stuck in a never-ending, pre-release, beta-testing stage can be considered vaporware.
  • Likewise hardware prototypes. It may exist in some company's lab and trotted out at developer events or trade shows. But it's vaporware until it hits store shelves where consumers can purchase it.

Nominations are now closed, but you can still vote for the contenders, and you can still comment on the nominees by writing to wiredvaporware@gmail.com. To make it easier on us, please put the name of the company and product in the subject line. Of course, you can always just leave a comment on this blog post. In all cases, don't forget to include a couple of acerbic comments we can quote. Links are a big help, too.

We'll round up the nominees and announce the 2010 Vaporware award winners around the dawn of the new year.

Upvote up your favorite Vaporware nominees