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Hall of Shame: The 5 Biggest Smartphone Busts
Some smartphones are game-changers. Others never step up to the plate. A look at the worst in recent memory.
Posted 8/ 4 10 at 6:00 PM | Business Trends, Technology, Business Travel, Online Business, Business Products & Services, Computer Hardware, Consumer Products & Services, Telecommunications
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The best smartphones are, well, really, really smart. They are some of the most powerful business communication devices ever created. We rely on them. In fact, we're addicted to them.Then there are also smartphones we would rather just forget -- the ones that frustrated users, sank in the marketplace and put out to pasture. They're also a lot of fun to make fun of. Let's take a trip down mobile memory lane.
1. Microsoft Kin
Launch: 2010
Fatal flaw: Trying to force coolness.
The idea behind the Kin line of phones wasn't a bad one. They were supposed to be hip, youth-oriented phones with a focus on social-networking features. The biggest problem is that Microsoft wasn''t been able to convince anybody that it was hip or youth-oriented. Two Kin models arrived at the market only to be greeted with a collective yawn and mediocre reviews. Kin launched on April 12, and by June 30, word leaked out that the phone was basically history. That has to be some kind of record.
2. Neonode N2
Launch: 2007
Fatal flaw: Failure to keep it simple.
The pursuit of the iPhone has spawned some less-than-stellar smartphone competitors. That's why you probably don't even remember the Neonode N2. This compact touchscreen smart phone featured an obnoxious learning curve involving a series of finger swipe motions required for navigating the interface. The minuscule size went against the future grain of trying to maximize smartphone screen space. The phone had its fans, but ultimately sunk away into obscurity.
3. Palm Pre
Launch: 2009
Fatal flaw: Biting off more than it could chew.
Palm once ruled the roost when it came to handheld computing devices. The transition into phones didn't pan out quite so well in the long run. Before its launch, the Palm Pre was hailed by some as an "iPhone killer." Are you sensing a theme here? When held up in that light, the Pre was pretty much doomed from the start. It suffered from the disadvantages of having a high price tag, being on the Sprint network, running the little known WebOS and hanging its hat on the underdeveloped Palm App Catalog. In July, HP completed an acquisition of Palm.
4. BlackBerry Storm
Launch: 2008
Fatal flaw: Not quite ready for prime time.
Just because all the other kids are doing it, doesn't mean you should, too. The Storm was BlackBerry's first big volley at the iPhone. The main feature was a touchscreen with the added ability to click down on it like a mouse. It wasn't as refined as it should have been and left many users with an uncomfortable touchscreen experience. The BlackBerry Storm 2 made some improvements, and now there are rumors of a Storm 3. Microsoft could learn a lesson from all this. If at first you don't succeed -- listen to feedback and do it better next time.
5. Garmin Nuvifone G60
Launch: 2009
Fatal flaw: Just about everything.
Very few things went right with the Garmin Nuvifone G60 -- a combination smartphone and navigation device. The touchscreen required poking at it with great pressure to get it to work. It featured a complete lack of physical buttons and a clunky interface that would drive users to drive over it to put themselves out of their misery. It didn't matter that the actual GPS portion was okay -- the Nuvifone G60 was just too difficult to use. On top of that, the whole shebang cost several hundred dollars at launch.
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Storm is a POS. Good for texting and emails, but a coffee can with a string brings in better reception then the storm does as a phone. Also,
who would design a phone where it's mandatory to remove the battery at least onces evey 3 days. Various Verizon service people informed me of this procedure.
what about the iphone 4?? Are we all too afraid to bash the oh so powerful apple?
Well, drtysouthh, here's your chance....fill us in. I personally haven't bought a smart phone yet and would like to know what experiences others, such as yourself, have had. I'd rather learn by someone else's mistake than make the same one they did.
C'mon Amanda, get your facts in order. How can you say the Palm Pre was a bust??? It's now offered by all 3 big cellular providers. The only fault was the long exclusive agreement with Sprint. Look at the new Blackberry Torch - a Palm Pre in Blackberry clothing.
I like the Storm 1. Sure it is not perfect. But for a first try its not bad. The battery pull thing I do with an app called quickpull, so thats less of a problem. The main thing thats bad is the memory on the devise. Download a few apps and its full. Everything else gets stored on my 8 gig mem card so there is plenty of storage for pictures,music,ringtones.
I upgraded to 1Phone 4G from the iPhone 3GS and am quite happy with the iPhone 4G. Have not had the antena problem that the media has blown into a major flaw. It does have lots of cool features and much improved battery life. I am in Real Estate and have apps for Realtor.com, Loopnet, foreclosures, a long list of apps. I also enjoy the iPod features and Pandora as a source of music on the go.
There may be other products that provide improvemets in many of the areas, but there will always be improvements in the electronic world... the Phone 4G will serve my needs just fine, also I don't have to learn all the operating interface of a new manufacturer, just the new features. I am happy that an American company has brought to market such a fine family of products.
How can anyone deny Android at this point. Apple continues to be the Company of "NO"....while the open (YES) Android platform has already passed it by. In one short year IOS phones went from 13 to 14 percent....while Android ZOOMED from less than 2 percent to 17 percent of all users. By the time they launch another Iphone 5....the distance will be too far for Apple to catch up and they will become to Phones what they are to Computers....an Overhyped....albeit Talented...Niche Player. If you haven't tried "Google Gestures" "Google Maps" "Google Voice"....you are probably still stuck in the dark with an iPhone. Get on board or get left behind.
Just being able to use Verizon is worth the price of admission. I am 62 years old and have NEVER been treated as well by any large company. This is the first time I have ever written a letter of praise for a large company. AT&T lied to me for 6 months in 1999. I had been with LA Celluylar and then AT&T when they took over LA Cellular. What a nightmare! I found AT&T to be pure, unadulterated, crap.
The iPAD and the iPhone4 are the BIGGEST SMART PHONE BUSTS.
The Microsoft phone is cool and dirt cheap. and you can make phone calls with it!
And then what's with Steve Job's being angry and defensive? What a turnoff!
Kin is on sale for like $80 bucks. It's has touch screen and traditional keyboard. Try texting on an iPhone...what a joke. I hate when "critics" are in cahootz with corps like Apple and then trash viable competition.
Consumer Reports has FAILED the iPhone 4G as a loser. That is the biggest failure ever.
Does one need to have a uPhone to reach an iPhone user... OMG, "user." Telephones are now in the same class as computers and drugs! Just give me good hardware/software and dial tone. You can take all these marketing majors and ...
The touch screens without a stylus is a big mistake. It is very frustrating making typos by my fingers touching the wrong letters. There has to be a better way to type on a smart phone. I have a htc hd2, the technology is great, the typing is for not.