There's no denying that Microsoft's new
Kin phones are a next-gen riff on the Sidekick, and just like the Sidekick, everything that happens on the phone will be backed up to a Microsoft service, called Kin Studio. Text messages, photos, videos, music, other content -- it's all instantly synced to the Studio, which is obviously accessible from any browser. Of course, it's sort of funny for Microsoft to be saying that it'll back up all your data for you, since it just had a
major Sidekick data loss incident, but hey -- the kids don't know that, right? They're off skateboarding, or hanging out watching fat people eat burritos*, or whatever they do.
Update: Video for the "upload generation" now available to stream after the break. Think you can handle that?
*Actual line from teen testimonial video shown during Microsoft event. We are not kidding.
posted April 12th 2010 1:40PM
I think those phones were made from recycled burritos
There are a lot of naysayers about this Kin phone. I'm afraid this phone will be successful on its target market.
@(Unverified)
It's one of the best focus group + graphic (packaging) design + marketing attempts (on rather-average hardware/featurephone OS) pulled off since the iPhone.
If it does catch on, it's rather deservedly. Kudos MS.
@robott
Agree. I would never have gotten a Sidekick but there is no denying that the device was a hot ticket item. For the audience this device could be a real killer.
I do think for it to be successful 3 things have to occur:
1. Reduced cost of a data plan - maybe something like $10/month (no apps to download)
2. Lower entry cost - under $99
3. Introduction of games for purchase - doesn't have to be anything real fancy
Do those 3 things and this phone will do well. It will compete head to head with other dumbphones - and crush them. Better browser, better features (camera, etc), and is perfect for the Twitter/Facebook crowd.
I think phones like his don't give kids enough credit. Nerdy or not, kids don't want something dumbed down for them based on what a bunch of adults in a marketing department think the kids are doing these days. I'm not an Apple fanboy but really, if you gave a kid a choice between this and an iPhone would any of them REALLY take a Kin? Seems more like something parents who want to stick on their Verizon family plans buy for their kids and say "the guy at the Verizon store said all the kids are using this here Kin phone to get on their faceyspaces and internets with!"
@msatlas first, 32GB iPhone costs quite a lot of money - I paid shitload just on taxed (of course you pay taxes based on original price $600), second $30/month plan can get dam pricy.
Of course everybody would take smartphone, but most of the parents cannot afford to buy their kinds new phone every year. This is sidekick replacement.
btw I like iPhone but it fails as social device, static icons on the screen are just frickin boring as well, no flash, try to download 50 photos from iPhone to your computer - good luck with that.
@msatlas
What makes you think its 'dumbed down' . It does everything its purported to do. If 'dumbed down' did not work iPhone would not have been as successful as it is.
Its a very specific device for a certain group of people and like it or not that group is larger in number than nerd/geeks/most people who care about 'tech'.
"Dumbed down" means no apps. I've personally witnessed family friends' tween aged daughters totally engrossed in their iPod touches, rocking out like 6 pages of apps. Yeah great, this aggregates your social stuff like Motoblur, HTC Sense, and webOS all do, but that in itself isn't a killer app by any means. So again, this strikes me as being sold to parents as "for the kids," and not something that's gonna be on little Billy's wish list.
@msatlas I don't agree, like MySpace wasn't marketed at kids? It did pretty well (and still does even if the older users have moved to Facebook). This looks like it has way more social functionality than the iPhone, much better camera with Flash, Zune vs iTunes, and it'll be a lot cheaper. Not everyone can afford an iPhone. It'll be interesting to see what if any games you can get on it; aiming at kids they need that entertainment factor. I think they've got a good chance with this, I'm even tempted myself, it's very handy to have everything backed up and available online. Privacy, well call me naive (shhh) but I think MS are as secure as the next company and I'd trust them over Facebook, MySpace, et al.
Underaged porn will see a 500% increase due to this
@Goaliegeek I don't think so. This sends all photos and videos to central site, it's pretty dam easy to monitor it.
Well they certainly defined their target audience.. I can foresee lots of teens checking their facebook statuses on their "Kins" as I'm trying to watch a movie.
Any body notice it's the same girl whom narrate the Courior?
@adp79 plus the browser looks like it belongs in the courier. handwritten URL?
If this worked with Foursquare we'd have Fourskin.
@SteveWiilliams
*rimshot*
@poblano: if it can play a flute song I'll use it to play the sKin flute.
In my opinion this will probably be a good phone. I like the features it has and the things they wanna do. But with past microsoft operating systems they get bad after a while so I will wait a little while after it is released to see how people like them after they have had them a while.
so uhm...it does exactly what OVI for Nokia has been doing lately? Still, great to know MS is aiming high with these systems, hopefully they'll come down here to Mex (along with Windows Phone 7 series wink wink)
hmm...I like wp7 more :P
What a total fucking mess!
LOL at the hate for this product. Microsoft never claimed this to be the phone of the future or anything like that and people are tearing them up like a pack of wolves. This product seems nice for its target audience and what it aims to do.
Relax folks, your treating this worse than when Jobs introduced his magical device that would redefine the internet a couple months ago.
@Toshi and there will be people sitting on the sidewalk for days to get it ... and Apple will say that they sold 300,000 the first day although 250,000 still sits in BestBuy. Oh wait, it's not iClam
@supraped69
I agree, its not for everyone, its clearly directed at a specific market. I think its gonna do fine, not the phone for me, but i can see it being successful.
Breaking News!!
Paris Hilton gets one and it gets hacked to complete the NEW Sidekick experience.
cool feature.
Very nice feature, I'd love to be able to backup my G1 like that.
There's room for everybody guys, play nice.
1. 8MP Camera
2. LED flash that is superior to most
3. All you can eat music subscription.
4. HD Video recording
5. That nifty timeline and online experience.
I don't use facebook but I store a ton of stuff on Windows Live. The Kin 2 could be worthwhile if the price is right. Great as a bridge to Windows Phone 7 this winter.
They should give these away to technically inept celebrities. No more hacking or theft necessary. Just make their lives public immediately.
>: D
Reminds me of their Zune software & device, web synchronizing to access music and play music from the web - what Apple's trying to do with LaLa (It's just an observation fans, not a flame).
hm. this is actually something useful, if not kind of creepy, from microsoft. i doubt how much i would actually use it though.
I love the interface of whatever the browser it's running on in the video.
This device is quite interesting. It shows us how cloud could be use in non work related uses since google has show us how we can use cloud to do work with google doc and google wave.
The Kin is like a mobile device+phone with a cloud to store all the information and can be access anywhere and it is also hyper-connect to social networks.
I quite interested in getting one to replace my now outdate iphone 3g(thanks Apple)
i feel its a mess
why microsoft trying too too hard
I like how the website works. it looks really nice. nicely done Microsoft, nicely done
Ah, if only I had friends.
I'll stick to my Android.
Do the good looking friends come with the phone?
Even just the pics would be nice...