The 20 worst phones of the century, and how they got that way

March 14, 2019 Good morning! Celebrating the greatest tech products in history is all very well. But we can learn at least as much by looking back at the failures. We rounded up [the century’s 20 worst phones](—plus five dishonorable mentions—and took a look at what went wrong. Whether you owned any of them or not, you’ll discover strange new facts about ill-fated smartphones and dumbphones from HTC, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and other companies. —[Harry McCracken]( [The 20 worst phones of the century, and how they got that way]( [The 20 worst phones of the century, and how they got that way]( Some of these you remember—and might even have owned. Others are justly forgotten. But they all earn a richly deserved spot in the Bad Phone Hall of Fame. [The manufacturing job of the future: clean, urban, and better paid]( [The manufacturing job of the future: clean, urban, and better paid]( Brooklyn’s Navy Yard is serving as a testing ground for a resurgence–and remaking–of manufacturing. [Your childhood nostalgia is big business–just ask Reebok]( [Your childhood nostalgia is big business–just ask Reebok]( The demand for “dad” sneakers is driving Reebok to rerelease (and remix) more of its designs from the ’90s. [What every VPN provider is missing]( [What every VPN provider is missing]( Each provider is virtually indistinguishable from the next. The industry is ripe for design disruption. [These fake flowers are an emergency food source for city-dwelling insects]( [These fake flowers are an emergency food source for city-dwelling insects]( To make sure urban insects have enough food, Dutch designer Matilde Boelhouwer is making them a buffet of artificial plants. [How to “Marie Kondo” your personal relationships]( [How to “Marie Kondo” your personal relationships]( You’ve already cleaned house and now you want to clean up your personal life. Here’s how you can apply the KonMari method to your relationships. [This is how the college cheating scandal could hurt kids with learning differences]( [This is how the college cheating scandal could hurt kids with learning differences]( An education professional weighs in on what special accommodations on standardized tests are meant to achieve, and her fear that the recent college cheating scandal could make it even harder for the students who truly need help to get it. [How to stop comparing yourself to other people]( [How to stop comparing yourself to other people]( It’s totally normal to use happy, successful people as a benchmark, but here’s how to keep it from eating you up. [These 10 stunning homes will convince you to go off-grid]( [These 10 stunning homes will convince you to go off-grid]( As if I needed any convincing. Share This Newsletter Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe [here!]( Like this email? Consider signing up for our other newsletters [here](. Too many emails? Update your subscription preferences [here](. No longer want to receive this newsletter? Unsubscribe [here](. Mansueto Ventures, 7 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007-2195