Microsoft sank at least a quarter of a billion dollars into the Kin, its recently canceled cellphone. This is on top of its $500m acquisition of Danger, absorbed in order to develop it. Notwithstanding Kin's shortcomings as a product, the most entertaining aspect of the cock-up is that it appears to be the result of ego battles in Redmond: rumor has it that Kin was throttled in its billion-dollar crib by an executive who saw it as a threat to Windows Mobile. According to the Daily Beast, in-fighting among the brass now threatens CEO Steve Ballmer himself.
Microsoft writes down $240m on Kin debacle
- COMMENTS
- Boing Boing Gadgets
- kin
A brief history of drag in the military
Over at Substack, writer Cole Haddon (Psalms for the End of the World) digs into the strange relationship between hypermasculine 'Merican men and dressing up in drag. He touches briefly… READ THE REST
Check out this playable Lego Tetris game
Lego Ideas is a platform where people can submit their Lego set designs. The designs are then put up for a vote and the ones that get enough votes are… READ THE REST
UK court bans convicted sex offender from using generative AI
Anthony Dover, 48, was recently convicted in Britain as a sex offender. His crime: creating more than 1,000 AI-generated images of child pornography, using the software known as Stable Diffusion.… READ THE REST
Save $169 on a lifetime license to Microsoft Windows 11 Pro and never look back
TL;DR: Revamp your digital world with this incredible lifetime license to Microsoft Windows 11 Pro, with its seamless interface and top-notch security, for only $29.97 (Reg. $199) until 11:59 PM on 1/07.… READ THE REST
Upgrade your tech for the new year with this refurbished iPad Pro, less than half price right now
TL;DR: Save over $350 on a refurbished Apple iPad Pro 10.5" 256GB, plus a free accessories bundle, with this sweet deal on sale for just $315.99 right now. Tech fans, it's time… READ THE REST
Make your rockstar dreams a reality for only $15.97 with this Guitar Lessons Training Bundle
TL;DR: The perfect last-minute holiday gift for an aspiring rocker, the 2024 Guitar Lessons Training Bundle is only $15.97 (Reg. $480) until 11:59 PM on 12/25. It's really never too late to make… READ THE REST