#8 – Microsoft Kin

Microsoft released the Kin in May 2010 as a social networking phone, and targeted users between the ages of 15 and 30. Microsoft spent around $1 billion dollars on the Kin platform. The phone was sold exclusively at Verizon stores, and was immediately a dud. After being on the market for only 48 days, Verizon sent all units back to Microsoft, and refused the continue to sell the device.  Consumers were turned off by the toy-ish look of the device, and were disappointed that the phone lacked basic features such as predictive text and no calendar feature. Microsoft didn’t waste any time trying to improve the Kin, and quickly and quietly discontinued it just a year after its release.