Remember the Segway? Inventor Dean Kamen's two-wheeled electric scooter was roundly mocked when, amidst heavy hype, it was revealed in late 2001. Segway riders look more than faintly ridiculous standing on the scooter -- and they look downright foolish once you realize they paid $5,000 for a device that doesn't do much more than a $100 bicycle.

But the company has persisted despite the giggles. Now news comes that the company has rolled out two new models, the i2 and the x2. Engadget reports that the i2's price tag still starts at a hefty $5,000, but the battery now lasts for 24 miles, and riders can turn by leaning left or right, rather than using an awkward grip control. The $5,495 x2 model has heavy-duty tires for going offroad, and the Inquirer, a sardonic British tech news website, envisions "wacky" races. Call us Californian, but wouldn't a mountain bike do the trick here, too?

Segway plans to introduce six new models. Here's an idea, guys: Instead of trying to lure scooter shoppers by offering endless variations of the Segway, how about putting some of that innovative energy into figuring out how to drop the price?