Microsoft Kin is dead
By Chris Ziegler 
posted June 30th 2010 4:54PM
posted June 30th 2010 4:54PM
Interestingly, CNET is reporting that Roz Ho -- the exec who masterminded Kin under the codename "Pink" following Microsoft's acquisition of Danger -- will "oversee" her team's move over to Windows Phone 7 before taking a to-be-determined role elsewhere in the company. For what it's worth, we didn't think much of the Kin when we reviewed it -- to be fair, we're not the product's target demographic, but it certainly seems as though the phones got no love from the tweens, teens, and twentysomethings it sought to win over, either. It's hard to say how the Kin's untimely (or is it timely?) death ties into Robbie Bach and J Allard's departure, but since Lees has his hands more closely wrapped around this project than he had in the past, it stands to reason that there's a link there. After all, just how bad do sales have to be to kill a project mere weeks into its retail launch? And for NVIDIA, what does it mean that they've yet to release even a single blockbuster, wildly successful Tegra device?"We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship KIN in Europe this fall as planned. Additionally, we are integrating our KIN team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from KIN into future Windows Phone releases. We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current KIN phones."
Update: What killed the Kin?
The single Kin market was the EU and 2nd world countries, the US has no market for the Kin with 8 year olds having iPhones, in the EU it is a way more expansive product and a 200$ Kin would be a steal
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been saving up for months! (yeah right)
I love seeing Microsoft fail so pathetically! I predicted this would be a flop, and I also believe that WinPhone 7, or wahtever it is called, will fail as well. It's too late MS, you are on a severe downward spiral after missing many boats. The next decade in tech will be fantastic without the monopolistic stranglehold you once commanded. You suck, you always have - people are finally seeing it!
But...what will Pretty Little Liars shill for now?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/30/screen-grabs-pretty-little-liars-is-tvs-newest-home-to-egregio/
It's good that the Kin failed! now MS should learn their lesson that an incomplete product rarely succeeds and instead of doing a few very very well (?) things with WP7, they should forget the "phone is not a PC" mantra and instead concentrate on modernizing the already feature complete WM 6.xx OS, keeping all it's capability intact.
there look like crap anyway
Wow, whats to say they won't abandon WP7 if they don't see "strong sales" directly after launch?! If I were looking forward to WP7 that thought would not sit well with me. Buyer beware indeed.
I can't believe people were actually PAID MONEY to market and approve this project. Did they even show the kin concept to anyone under 40? Or did they only pitch the "best parts"? Did someone find a sidekick proposal years later?
"Hi this is social networking phone..please ignore the service cost is the same as a full smartphone, you cant use all the OS features, facebook features, or install anything, but it has a weird organizing system culled from a college students senior project, but we thought you would like it."
well thanks for taking a great company like danger and shitting all over them Microsoft. the kin was, is, and forever will be reviewed as crap. i wish someone loyal to the sidekick platform and smart enough to have the vision to move it to an android or android/danger UI would've acquired danger. they probably would've avoided the month long service interruption too. oh well here's to another acquisition MS has screwed the pooch on.
we only sold one of these phones at my store
they actually LAUNCHED the kin with commercials and everything but shot down the fuckin' courier?
FAIL wrapped in FAIL on a toasted seasame FAIL BUN = FAIL SANDWICH.