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Flashback — Technology
Flashback

Not all tech products succeed once on the market, and some are killed off with little warning. Flashback looked back at failed tech products to see what we can learn by studying their demises. Hosted by Quinn Nelson and Stephen Hackett.

Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Relay FM

Latest Episodes:

15: The Motorola RAZR Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

This week, Quinn and Stephen talk about one of the world's first cool phones, and how its parent company was bent on destroying its good name.

This episode of Flashback is sponsored by:

Fortnite, from Epic Games: Embrace your wild side in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6: Primal.

Links and Show Notes:

FORTUNE: RAZR'S edge - Jun. 1, 2006

Motorola embraces the ethos of cool

Motorola Razr V3: the greatest phone of all time | TechRadar

Motorola RAZR V3 - Full phone specifications

Motorola RAZR V3 - Phone Reviews by Mobile Tech Review

Flashback #8: The Microsoft Kin - Relay FM

iSync - Wikipedia

T9 (predictive text) - Wikipedia

The ROKR E1 – 512 Pixels

Motorola RAZR V3x Review: - Mobile Phones - 3G Mobile Phones - Good Gear Guide Australia

Telstra rolls deep with Motorola RAZR MAXX | Engadget

Apple's first iPhone game in over a decade stars Warren Buffett | Engadget

The Motorola RAZR 2 | Engadget

Motorola Razr2 - Wikipedia

Motorola Razr3 - Wikipedia

Motorola Droid RAZR review - The Verge

Motorola Razr review: folding flip phone flops - The Verge

Motorola Razr (2020) review: 5G, a better hinge, and a very high price - The Verge

Every Razr Commercial - YouTube

14: OS/2 Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

In an effort to keep Microsoft from controlling the PC software industry, in the 1980s, IBM created OS/2, an operating system meant to give its computers a competitive advantage.

Links and Show Notes:

Half an operating system: The triumph and tragedy of OS/2 | Ars Technica

Workplace OS History: IBM’s $2 Billion Microkernel of Failure

WinCustomize: Articles : A History of IBM OS/2: 1991 to 1996

OS/2 Timeline | OS/2 Museum

86-DOS - Wikipedia

IBM Personal System/2 - Wikipedia

The Forgotten Operating System That Keeps the NYC Subway System Alive

Home - Arca Noae

OS/2 Warp News and Rumors

Flashback #2: The Microsoft Zune - Relay FM

Microsoft's $1 Billion Failure - Snazzy Labs - YouTube

13: The CrunchPad Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

In 2008, a vision for a simple, browser-based tablet as born. Just a few years later, after failed lawsuits and rip-off products, no one had anything to show for their work.

Links and Show Notes:

We Want A Dead Simple Web Tablet For $200. Help Us Build It. | TechCrunch

The Techcrunch Web Tablet Project

Update On The TechCrunch Tablet: Prototype A | TechCrunch

TechCrunch Tablet Update: Prototype B | TechCrunch

CrunchPad Prototype B 2 - YouTube

Leaked pics of the CrunchPad make it look dangerously close to availability

About Those New CrunchPad Pictures | TechCrunch

TechCrunch Tablet makes an early debut

CrunchPad: The Launch Prototype | TechCrunch

CrunchPad Demo - YouTube

Tech blog titan Michael Arrington’s next big thing: Hardware - San Francisco Business Times

Apple, Acer and...Arrington? - The New York Times

Techcrunch Crunchpad Tablet Computer - Breakthrough Awards Products 2009 - Popular Mechanics

The End Of The CrunchPad | TechCrunch

TechCrunch sues Fusion Garage over the Joojoo -- we break it down | Engadget

Fusion Garage files to dismiss CrunchPad lawsuit | Engadget

Joojoo lawsuit shocker! Court rules Fusion Garage and TechCrunch were business partners, tosses most everything else | Engadget

Joojoo tablet hands-on (video) | Engadget

Fusion Garage JooJoo review | Engadget

Review: Fusion Garage JooJoo Tablet | WIRED

First Look: JooJoo (CrunchPad) - YouTube

JooJoo tablet review - YouTube

Fusion Garage says Joojoo pre-orders went up after iPad announcement, new funding on the way | Engadget

JooJoo is no more, Fusion Garage to keep on trucking | Engadget

Is TabCo releasing the JooJoo 2? | Engadget

Fusion Garage Grid 10 tablet and Grid 4 smartphone hands-on | Engadget

Fusion Garage Grid10 review - The Verge

Fusion Garage Grid10 - YouTube

Fusion Garage's Grid 4 smartphone revealed - The Verge

The Rarest MacBook Ever Made - YouTube

12: The Amazon Fire Phone Jan 19, 2021

Show notes

This time, Quinn and Stephen look back — in 3D! — at the Amazon Fire Phone. Between its operating system, unusual gesture system and a price that was way too high, it was dead on arrival. After that, the guys go shopping for each other on Amazon.

Links and Show Notes:

A look back at the triumphs and stumbles of the original Kindle | Engadget

Amazon Fire Phone: Explained! - MKBHD on YouTube

Amazon Fire Phone review - The Verge

Amazon Fire Phone review - The Verge on YouTube

Fire Phone against the world: can Amazon take on iOS and Android? - The Verge

Amazon's Fire Phone uses multiple front-facing cameras to offer dynamic 3D perspective - The Verge

Amazon’s Fire Phone Introduces Firefly, A Feature That Lets You Identify (And Buy!) Things You See In The Real World | TechCrunch

Amazon’s Mayday Service On Fire Phone Means It Might Be Able To Sell Its Unique New Features | TechCrunch

Amazon has discontinued the Mayday button on its Fire tablets

Amazon cuts Fire Phone price to 99 cents just two months after launch - The Verge

Following Fire Phone Flop, Big Changes At Amazon’s Lab126

Amazon finally stops selling the Fire Phone, as company adjusts its hardware strategy - GeekWire

The Fire Phone started its spectacular flameout one year ago today - The Verge

Five Years Out, Amazon Fire Phone Is Even Worse Than I Remember - Gizmodo

Amazon.com: Introducing Amazon Halo – Measure activity, sleep, body composition, and tone of voice - Black + Onyx - Medium: Amazon Devices

Amazon Halo: a fitness band and app that scans your body, listens to your voice - The Verge

WHOOP - The World's Most Powerful Fitness Membership.

Amazon.com: AmazonBasics Full Synthetic Motor Oil - Euro Formula 5W-40 - 1 Quart - 6 Pack: Automotive

Amazon’s Echo Look does more for Amazon than it does for your style - The Verge

Echo Frames - Eyeglasses with Alexa

Bluetooth Audio Sunglasses | Bose

AmazonBasics Microwave

We Need To Stop Wasting Money on Amazon... - Austin Evans YouTube

Feature's the AmazonBasics Microwave with Alexa.

Amazon Basic Care Minoxidil Topical Aerosol, 5% (Foam) Hair Regrowth Treatment for Men, 12.66 Ounces: Health & Personal Care

Amazon Basics 300 Pack AA Industrial Alkaline Batteries, 5-Year Shelf Life, Easy to Open Value Pack: Health & Personal Care

Amazon.com: UNO Attack! Game: Toys & Games

Amazon.com: Amazon Essentials Men's Classic-fit Stretch Golf Pant: Clothing

11: The Nexus Q Jan 05, 2021

Show notes

In 2012, Google announced a sphere-shaped media player that was meant to be used with a TV or sound system. It was a disaster.

Links and Show Notes:

Amazon.com: Echo (4th Gen)

Running Mac OS X on Apple TV

The Google Nexus Q Is Baffling - David Pogue

Google Nexus Q review - The Verge

Google Nexus Q review - The Verge on YouTube

Google delays Nexus Q launch, will send free dev devices to pre-order customers - The Verge

Google Chromecast review - The Verge

Is Google's future in television in Chromecast, or is it in Android TVs? - The Verge

Roku

Amazon Fire TV Devices

Apple TV 4K - Apple

10: Pebble Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

The smartwatch movement didn't start with Apple or Google, but a little company named Pebble. Through a series of hugely successful Kickstarters, the company put out several well-reviewed products before being steamrolled by the platform-makers.

Links and Show Notes:

Flashback #5: Three Failed Game Consoles - Relay FM

Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android by Pebble Technology — Kickstarter

inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry Smartphones Gets Official; Now Available for Pre-Order! | CrackBerry

InPulse Blackberry Wristwatch Makes Crackberry Even More Addictive | WIRED

Casio Men's DBC30-1 Databank Digital Watch — Tools and Toys

Pebble smartwatch review - The Verge

The Pebble: Is the Time Right for a Smartwatch? – 512 Pixels

Pebble Steel review: business class - The Verge

Pebble 2 review: An affordable smartwatch with a fitness bent | Engadget

Pebble Core isn't your average wearable

Fitbit formally announces that it is buying smartwatch maker Pebble - The Verge

Google buys Fitbit for $2.1 billion - The Verge

The Inside Story Behind Pebble’s Demise | WIRED

Pebble went from Kickstarter to being worth $740 million to being bought by Fitbit (FIT) for $40 million — Quartz

How Pebble smartwatches are getting a second life - The Verge

Rebble with a Cause: How Pebble Watches Were Granted an Amazing Afterlife - iFixit

Snazzy Labs - YouTube

9: The Apple III Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

The Apple II was a big hit, but before the Macintosh took over, Cupertino shipped a couple of duds, the worst of which was the ill-fated (and kinda melty) Apple III.

This episode of Flashback is sponsored by:

TextExpander, from Smile: Unlock your productivity with TextExpander. Get 20% off with your first year.

Links and Show Notes:

Ways To Help

Apple III Chaos: Apple’s First Failure | Low End Mac

The Apple III: mini review and repair - YouTube

VAW: The Ill-Fated Apple III

Refurbished Museum Quality Apple III 256K Computer Monitor /// 5.25 Disk Drive | eBay

Jerry Manock - Wikipedia

Photos of the Apple III

Apple III Backward Compatibility - Wikipedia

What killed the Apple III?

DigiBarn Systems: Interview with Wendell Sander, father of Apple III, by David Ottalini

InfoWorld on III FCC Issues - Google Books

8: The Microsoft Kin May 21, 2020

Show notes

Microsoft was late to the smartphone party, and its first entrance, the Kin, was designed for teens and young adults who didn't want or need an iPhone, Android phone or Blackberry. The only problem? That audience didn't really exist.

Links and Show Notes:

Microsoft's "Pink" smartphone to be Microsoft-branded? | Engadget

The Pink Phone Pictures Microsoft Doesn't Want You To See Yet - Gizmodo

Microsoft Kin One and Two review | Engadget

Flashback #2: The Microsoft Zune - Relay FM

MobileMe’s Legacy – 512 Pixels

Microsoft KIN ONE and TWO Review - PhoneArena on YouTube

Microsoft Ushers in the Next Generation of the Social Phone With KIN, a New Windows Phone - Stories

Microsoft launches Kin phones (live blog) - CNET

Review: Microsoft Kin One and Kin Two | WIRED

Microsoft Kin Advertisement | Consumer Reports - YouTube

4 Reasons Why Microsoft's Kin Phones Failed | WIRED

7: AOL Instant Messenger May 07, 2020

Show notes

It is time to add Stephen and Quinn to your Buddy List.

This episode of Flashback is sponsored by:

TextExpander, from Smile: Unlock your productivity with TextExpander. Get 20% off with your first year.

Links and Show Notes:

The Rise and Fall of AIM, the Breakthrough AOL Never Wanted

The Sharp Rise and Steep Descent of AOL Instant Messenger | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine

LGR - AIM Retrospective: RIP 1997-2017 - YouTube

US6750881B1 - User definable on-line co-user lists - Google Patents

Old AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) Sound Effects by AIM sounds | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Stephen's Buddy Picture

Apple Previews iChat Instant Messaging for Mac OS X - Apple

Microsoft Launches MSN Messenger Service

Screenshot of iChat in Mac OS X Jaguar

Adium

Adium - Xtras: Tokyo Train Station

6: The Be Computer Company Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Started by former members of Apple's leadership team, Be was formed to take on the Mac and other computers of the mid-90s. The company wrote its own operating system and shipped dual-CPU towers before failing to be bought by Apple and slowly fading away.

Links and Show Notes:

Connected - Relay FM

Jean-Louis Gassée – Monday Note

OLD-COMPUTERS.COM Museum ~ Be BeBox

DigiBarn Systems: Be Box

Quinn's RGB Mac Pro

Overview | Build your own BeBox and run BeOS using Virtualbox | Adafruit Learning System

GeekPort pinout and wiring

BeOS: The Alternate Universe’s Mac OS X | Hackaday

BeOS Operating System

The BeOS file system, an OS geek retrospective | Ars Technica

BeOS: The 10,000-Foot View

BeOS User Guide

BeOS The incredible OS that disappeared (part 1) Be Operating System - YouTube

BeOS The incredible OS that disappeared (part 2) Be Operating System - YouTube

Dashboard – 512 Pixels

BeOS and BFS, the BeOS Filing System | Low End Mac

Using BeOS on a Power Mac | Low End Mac

Sony eVilla

BeBits - BeIA Supported Hardware

Apple acquires Next, Jobs - CNET

Gassée: Thank God Apple chose Steve Jobs's NeXT over my BeOS - 9to5Mac

Palm buys old Apple rival, Be - Macworld UK

BeOS will live on as Microsoft settles legal action

Haiku Project

Ars spends too much time trying to work in Haiku, the BeOS successor | Ars Technica

Overview | Build your own BeBox and run BeOS using Virtualbox | Adafruit Learning System

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