7 epic gadget flops

Here's a playbook for would-be tablet makers: don't follow BlackBerry's example. The Canadian device maker unveiled the 7-inch PlayBook in 2010, attempting to break into a new market as its smartphones fell out of favor.

But the PlayBook's problems were obvious from the start: it didn't include access to email, BlackBerry Messenger, calendars or address books. It also lacked built-in 3G Internet access, and critics tagged the software as rough and unfinished. The company ended up booking a loss of nearly $500 million for the third quarter of 2011 following the tablet's disastrous sales performance.

BlackBerry eventually addressed the PlayBook's issues, but it was too little, too late in a product segment dominated by the iPad.