Worst MP3 players of 2007

Explaining why a product sucks is the toughest part of my job. You'd think it'd be easy to tear a bad product to smithereens, but some of the hardest reviews I've had to write are for the bunk gadgets that don't deserve your time.

For example, it took us nearly 800 words to describe exactly why the Coby MP-C7092 received the lowest rating CNET has ever awarded to an MP3 player. Ultimately, an absurd interface and a nonstandard headphone jack gave Coby the edge it needed to earn the distinction of CNET's second-worst product of 2007.

While we're constantly being surprised with new ways to be disappointed, the constant that runs through all of these abysmal products is their lowest-bidder build quality. Generally, if a product feels like a Cracker Jack toy, it's probably a dud. Which is not to say that a product can't be both cheap and good, or an insanely expensive brick.

To be fair, these really aren't the worst MP3 players of 2007. The actual worst MP3 players are the ones we didn't even dignify with a review--and there are hundreds of them. At least the following manufacturers had the nerve to step into the ring and take one on the chin. Better luck in '08, fellas.