7 epic gadget flops

Microsoft gets a lot of criticism for playing catch-up in the device world, but when it comes to smartwatches, the company was actually ahead of the game.

Back in 2004, Microsoft introduced devices made in partnership with watchmakers Fossil (FOSL), Suunto and Citizen that ran on a technology platform it termed "SPOT," short for Smart Personal Objects Technology.

The watches used FM radio receivers to display content including news, stock closings and sports scores. Then as now, however, marketers struggled to demonstrate why the watches were any more than a novelty, and Microsoft eventually killed the project in 2008.