They're Cooked: Wireless Turkeys from 2008

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, and everyone's thoughts turning to turkey, FierceWireless decided to look at some other turkeys that made news in 2008--albeit for the wrong reason.  

It's never nice to point out the flaws in plans, products or schemes after they've already failed (or are in the process of going downhill), but it would also be irresponsible to simply forget the foibles and follies of some of the wireless industry's biggest turkeys. Some of the flops are bigger than others, which is why we have ranked them on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 turkeys being a major flop (or a really well-done bird if that's your preferred metaphor).

Some, like the debacle over which wireless carrier would provide WiFi services in Starbucks stores, mostly stemmed from miscommunication and a poorly executed launch strategy. Others were more costly, especially if they involved litigation or if the strategies and decisions involved impacted the long-term prospects for a company (or, alternatively, if that company simply failed).

While this is by no means an exhaustive list of the biggest wireless flops of the year, it does include some major headline grabbers. As always, we welcome your comments and criticisms. -Phil  

Click through the list to get a taste of these 2008 Turkeys:

• Starbucks switches to AT&T hotspots
• Samsung Instinct ad campaign
• BlackBerry Bold delays
• iPhone 3G Glitches
• Pivot joint venture
• Helio
• Ultra Wideband
• Motorola's Handset Strategy
• Free muni-WiFi