Vaporware is any software or hardware which is announced by a vendor well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge. Goods are promised, but not delivered.

Any program that's in a never-ending, pre-release, beta-testing stage is considered vaporware, even if it's widely available.

Here are some of the most interesting recipients of the Wired.com Vaporware Awards 2005.

• Blu-ray or HD-DVD discs
- Other than a constant stream of hyped press releases from Sony, there has been little indication of any progress.
• Microsoft Vista and Internet Explorer 7
- The ever-delayed debut of Microsoft's next version of Windows, Vista, is a long-running vaporware joke. It's been put off so many times, it's been called "Hasta la Vista."
• Google - betas galore
- Google never seems to release a final version of anything. Google Gmail, Groups, Froogle, Alerts, Blog Search, Book Search and Scholar are all in beta.

Other reader nominess for Vaporware Awards include Microsoft XBOX 360 and Apple PowerBook G5. Read complete list - Vaporware: Better Late Than Never