Microsoft Kin UI walkthrough
By Paul Miller 
posted April 12th 2010 2:32PM
posted April 12th 2010 2:32PM
Kin Spot is a little hot spot at the bottom of the screen almost akin the virtual "binding" in Courier. You can drag pictures, addresses, web pages, and other media into it, and then drag the faces of friends who you want to send the stack of stuff to. Once you tap the spot you can preview your message, add some text, and choose from MMS or email to send it out.
Haven't had enough? Check out our hands-on and the official announce post! Videos and the rest of the features are after the break.
Kin Loop
Kin Loop is the home screen, which shares much in common with the Windows Phone 7 home, except for its primary focus on people. You can see updates from news sites, people, and photo sites, and update your own Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter from a little widget up top.
Kin Camera
It's a camera, but of course it's also social. You can upload to social sites right from the app, and it mixes between video and stills pretty freely. There's also a pinch-to-zoom gesture for cropping photos while you're taking them.
Kin Studio
Perhaps the biggest surprise or outside-the-box feature is Kin Studio. Basically, it lets you do everything you can do on your phone, like share your photos, update your status, etc. (even using a Kin Spot UI to do it), but it also acts as cloud storage for all your media -- including a scrubbable timeline for checking out your own archives. You can also do contact management from here, another nice perk.
Make no mistake Windows Phone 7 UI lovers, this UI, is a sliding grid just like the iPhone. The difference being that the iPhone grid layout is far easier and simpler to read, browse and organize.
Look at the Loop screen for example - light text on a slightly transparent black grid on top of a photo grid. If used according to the demo, the photos change to whatever your friends' profile photo is. Which means the photo isn't hand-selected by a Microsoft presentation team, so the look of you screen will follow however good or bad your friends' photos are - not a good idea for a UI experience.
Look at the name badges - first name followed by initial letter of the last name. This may look "cool and personal" for a demo, but how will it look when your multiple friends named John or Kate are right next to each other, or when you realize all your friends don't have glamorous easily identifiable headshots for profile photos, or when their recent status covers up their profile photo like poor Tamara.
And this is just one aspect of the Loop screen - don't get me started on the rest of the UI problems
I guess hipsters still play the original Xbox. It's still "in the loop" as seen in the 2nd video.
I think there is potential in some of this, especially the native cloud storage is nice. I could imagine this phone actually being picked up by the demographic they are shooting for.
The voice over sounds oddly familiar in those videos... wait it's the same lady in the Courier videos?!? Come on MS announce it already!
hahaha, what a load of toilet, microsoft are having a joke if they think they are gonna sell this convoluted junk. No apps? Really? They may as well just buy everyone an iphone instead and save themselves a lot of time and money.
Lets not get it twisted this a MONUMENTAL FAIL!! Who comes up with this crap? Why would anyone buy some social media orientated restricted junk when I can choose from any number of high end smartphones all with good social media integration and thousands of apps to choose from? Even If I was 16 I wouldn't even look at this crap. Only decent idea is the pc application and integration which is quite a good idea...the rest is a joke..
I'm no expert on teens but if all they do is nourish ...errrr.. update their facebook/myspace status then I'm really glad there was non of this crap back then.
Are people really that hip?
The browser for KIN.com resembles the browser in the courier videos...
Extremely beautiful concept. Really innovative. I like it, MS, I like it this time.
@Snv
Beautiful? It's a mess. Puke Green? Get your eyes checked.
@Wesscoast I did NOT say beautiful looking. I said beautiful concept. And for you kind information, the green colour can be changed. Check the kin website. Infact the blue colour looks quite good. You people have a tendency to give unbiased statements. You hate some company just for the sake of hating the company.
Hey engadget I'm using the engadget app on the 3GS and was wondering if you'd be kind to post the videos in an iPhone friendly friendly format or at least convert them into YouTube vids, thx!
-No third-party apps or games
-No instant messaging
-No calendar app
-No GPS Navigation
-You can’t share pictures via Twitter
MICROSOFT u suck.
@jagox5
fail
go read more
@simplemind FAIL. Go say one liners that make the person feel stupid, but really don't communicate how you feel at all.
seems like the microsoft version of motorola-blur
LOL what now microsoft fans? thats seriously the worst thing in the world. Buy a droid, a pre, a hero, and unless youre 13, consider this. So much for Project Pink... I get the name now... Pink... children... I really thought microsoft could do better. So unforgiving :(
"The only problem with Microsoft is that they just have no taste." "They don't think of original Ideas, and they don't bring any culture into their products." "They really make third rate products" - Steve Jobs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOgOP_aqqtg
@MacArtStyle
yeah... sure, same old story. check this out:
http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future
@gyros LOL!!! 1960's Braun Inspires almost all industrial designers, Jonathan Ive included. Apple executes it with elegance, and makes the idea original. as to quote the article "there's always a common root that provides the new Apple objects not only with a beautiful simplicity but also with a close familiarity." That makes the difference between THIRD RATE PRODUCTS!
How many people here are really blind!
Do you prefer grid icon interface just because you never tried anything better? Maybe developing zilions of useless apps and align them in a nice table is a better way to go? Or playing games on my phone.. lol.. i have a nice desktop for that and im using it alot!!
So you see Teens, but i see different things here....let me show you:
Its all about you and how you interact with the people around you..this is MY phone after all, and being MY phone mance i have family and work too..not only friends!... don't let MS to fool you :))
work...
How about we change the slogan from SHARE to COLLABORATE ?
- Change this device funny looking turtle with stylish and elegant device.
- Change Facebook and Twitter with Google Waves and Docs or MyCompany network
- Change Friends with Clients
- Change Photos and Videos with Documents and Files
- Change maybe the camera with scanner or projector? .. don't know..
it looks completely different device now..isn't it.... but it works the same way!
I can just grab the business card of this new guy i had meeting with, and drag it to kin-spot together with the presentation he sent me by mail + the location of his office and my notes about him + maybe some sites related to the subject.
Then send it to my colleagues to review it and store it in the DB. Now imagine all people in the office has one of those.
I think this is one of the coolest things iv seen recently.. if i buy the KIN i will completely ignore the FB and "social" coolness of this toy and most likely i'll make notes to my self and group different kinds information together or simply keep it accessible to me from any computer... i think thats enough for me...
I feel like they are just testing the market and are preparing for something with different target audience... so stay sharp.
@simplemind
too bad I can't actually edit or view most of the documents. i can't edit photos or watch a YouTube video posted in a status update. I can't play a stupid yet entertaining game (teens love games, just look at the App Store). I can't check the news, weather (?), listen to pandora, or do anything productive. Ok, so I can consume facebook and other social networking sites. The concept is flawed from the start. The UI is extremely cool, yet it looks like it's a lot of guessing and pressing/scrolling.
Could they at least use someone for the voiceover who sounds a bit enthusiastic about the device and doesn't sound like she is about to doze off.
wow. strangley reminds me of the alledged "courier" videos.
@mr9872
Yeah, that was meant for Flaming Interior Designers and Skateboarders too! Wow... Microsoft is so cool!!!!
Wow wow wow... There's so much here...
Dear Microsoft, there aren't that many hipsters in all of New York City as you showed in that one ad. Calm down. Just let the Danger guys build a cool phone but targetting 'hipsters and all the zany quirky things they do' in your marketing is overbearing.
Remember the Infinite Playlist? Yea. Don't do that.
Next, good to see Ellen Feiss is getting some work. I'd recognize that burnout voice anywhere.
By the way, yes, the name is ridiculous, but hey, 9 year olds are idiots, they probably don't care (when I was 9, I thought Ninja Turtles were the shit). Call me in a month and see if the name still sounds annoying.
I keep hearing... Kin(dle) ...
Bottom line, the only reason companies pick dumb names like this is because alot of names they wanted to go with have already been taken. Kin means your relatives, your family, so I guess its ok... its just hard to say and not think of Amazon's book reader.
Lastly, ... wow is that interface a nightmare... scroll up down sideways, double tap.... we get it MS, you're trying to raise a generation of WP7 fanboys... but that looks atrocious.
Notice the overuse of Lime Green.Never before has limegreen been so (looks at Xbox)...oh........*facepalm
I really like the UI, but I don't like the no apps. Honestly, there isn't even IM on that thing. I don't see why Microsoft would think that their hipster target audience would not want games, a calendar, IM, or any other thing that any other phone has. Even my Voyager has IM and a calender. It is just stupid.
I dont like it. It needs a better Home Screen. A Better UI. More Beauty to your screens. Its also TOO cluttered. Also The Kin 1 is way too small.
Microsoft buy Palm ... cause honestly their os and smartphone is ALOT better.
Proud iPhone Owner :)
I actually kind of like it. I could imagine myself using one definitely
I actually think Microsoft is starting to hit it right.
Marketing and how they packaged the phone is really good and would do well with their target market - which IMO is not the majority of the engadget crowd. Teens, college people are definitely going to be interested in this.
One can see that packaging success with the website. I mean, shit's pretty cool. The studio thing i could see to be realllyyy useful and damn that camera. It may not be your iPhone killer or some smart phone that does everything, but for what it was meant to do and marketed for it definitely does a fine job.
i want the loop for my droid, i dont mean to sound like a tween but the whole back dating everything is pretty cool.
I know I shouldn't say this, but the Kin looks like it will be a winner.
Ugh. When will this "social networking" craze pass? I hate when people update every second of their life. "I just woke up" "I just brushed my teeth" "I'm going to shower" "shower was nice" "What should I eat for Breakfast?" "I think I'll have some Fruit loops" "I'm going to go with Fruit Loops" "I'm having Fruit Loops" "wow that was deslish" ....so on
Products like this geared towards the kids (teens) Makes this crap even worse. It's worse then EMO. Why of Why M$oft.
I forgot to add that you also need a life in order to use this product to it's full potential. Which most of us probably don't have (sadly, including me)
Honestly guys, this is in no way appealing to me. I could well be categorized as living in the "young-and-hip life" right now: I'm young, go to art school, and do all this social networking crap. This, this is not what I need or want.
I actually think these phone's are great ideas for the high school and college aged kids who don't want a smartphone, but need more than a flip phone. This isn't a Droid or an iPhone, but it just may be simple enough to find a good niche market.
makes me feel claustrophobic.
Personally I'd prefer something more "advanced", but somehow it feels like this could be very popular among teenagers and prehaps even older (not high end) users. Its a nice concept for ppl who just wants to abuse social networks. The fact that its supposed to be cheap will probably contribute alot to its success. When teens ask their parents for a new phone, they will most likely look at the price tag and persuade their kiddo into choosing the cheaper one :)
@Himcor
I'm inclined to agree with you, except you can get an iPhone for like 99 bucks. It's not like MS can pitch a dumbphone for 30 bucks and score this sweet niche market. Price is no longer a factor.
iPhone FTW
I believe Kin will be a breakthrough for social networks. It will not compete with iPhone, Htc or Nexus One, but at least will be something new on the market. Our preview, http://www.itsagadget.com/2010/04/the-next-step-into-social-is-microsoft-kin.html
Is it just me who finds the videos' narrator's voice incredibly annoying? I know that they're trying to appeal to teens, but do they have to get the rising tone and pauses in too?