Please, Tech Reviewers: No More 'Sexy' Gadgets

While we all love our smartphones, laptops, and other tech gadgets, it's inaccurate to refer to them as "sexy"—unless of course you plan to make love to them, says Gizmodo writer Mat Honan. The characterization has become so standard among tech reviewers, Honan believes it's time readers call out the cliche: "The next time you see a professional writer refer to an inanimate object full of circuitry and cadmium as 'sexy,' please inquire as to whether said writer does in fact find it to be arousing."

It's lazy writing, and "it means you don't give a damn about your audience." Since "sexy" is a descriptor pretty much everyone old enough to buy a gadget can understand, writers don't hesitate to throw it around to easily get their point across. "Maybe you actually do want to get it on with your iPhone. Maybe you really do find vaporware coffeemakers sexually stimulating. That's fine! No judgment from me," Honan writes. "But make it clear. Let your readers know that you plan to make sweet, sweet love to that all-in-one printer." (Click to see a few examples of "sexy"-usage offenders, here, here, and here.)