It seems we've not escaped the 'silly season' for news yet. A survey of 3,000 people by UK gadget insurer Protectyourbubble.com has named electric candles as the most useless gadget of all time. Electric nail files took second place, followed by laser-guided scissors, bread makers and egg slicers.
The mobile phone was chosen as the best gadget of all time, followed by the iPhone [surely also a 'mobile phone'?], then digital cameras, laptops and GPS sat nav.
Stephen Ebbett from Protectyourbubble.com said "Some gadgets might seem like a great idea when you first see them, but often, once you get them home, you soon realise you have no use for them. We seem to be drawn in when we see a gadget which looks like it could make our lives easier, but in reality, they are more likely to spend their lives sitting at the back of a cupboard. Some are even left in the wrapper. Sometimes, as is the case with the electric candle, it can be just as quick and easy to go for the normal version instead of a fancy gadget."
Three quarters of people said they'd bought a gadget they rarely or never used, more than half had regretted buying a gadget once they got it home because they realised they had no use for it – and over a quarter of people admitted they'd taken something back to the shop because they thought it was useless.