ProjectPink
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Verizon halting Kin sales, supply getting returned to sender?
Not that Verizon really cared much for it anyway, but according to WMExperts, the carrier is preparing to cease sales of the Microsoft's Kin altogether. As for the fate of the remaining stock, it's apparently being sent back to, well, somewhere. While a few retail stores we called disavowed any knowledge of such a thing, PhoneArena has a supposed internal screenshot that suggests they may soon change their tone. Either way, Verizon's not selling Kin online anymore, that's for sure -- quoth the raven, 404.
Life and death of Microsoft Kin: the inside story
Since our piece on Wednesday, we've had more trusted sources step forward to fill in some blanks and clarify the story behind the amazingly swift fall from grace that Microsoft's Kin phones have experienced since their launch just a few weeks ago. It's a fascinating tale, and we wanted to share everything we've learned.
Entelligence: Think Pink - First take on Microsoft's Kin
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. It has been a project shrouded in mystery and speculation that sparked imaginations about just what Microsoft was doing. Its codename was Pink, referring to the premium mobile experience group, and yesterday Microsoft finally revealed its Pink story. It's called Kin and it's pretty impressive. At its heart, Kin is centered around two devices called Kin One and Kin Two. Both the hardware and software were designed by Microsoft, and while Kin is a Microsoft brand, Microsoft is still not getting into the phone business. Built in conjunction with carrier partner Verizon, Pink is an extension of the company's mobile strategy, something that complements and co-exists with its larger ambitions with Windows Phone 7. In many ways, Kin is the extension and spiritual descendant of the Sidekick (which was a product of Danger, founded by the father of Android, Andy Rubin, and later acquired by Microsoft). At its core, the Kin philosophy is guided by the proposition that one size device doesn't fit all, and specific demographics have different mobile needs.
Microsoft Kin One and Kin Two announced: Windows Phone roots with a social slant (updated with video)
It's finally official: Microsoft Pink -- the product of Redmond's acquisition of Danger -- has just been unveiled as a pair of handsets sourced from Sharp (which made most of Danger's Sidekicks) known as the Kin One and Kin Two. The devices are being marketed as Windows Phones, and while they're ultimately based on most of the same underpinnings of Windows Phone 7, it's a distinctly and totally different experience -- the entire user interface is custom to Kin with a heavy social media slant, a custom browser (we're told it's based on the Zune's browser), and surprisingly, zero support for third-party apps. The displays are capacitive with support for multitouch (yes, you can pinch and zoom in the browser), but there's no support for in-browser Flash or Silverlight. Kin One -- the phone we'd seen rumored as "Turtle" -- is basically a curved square slider with a QVGA display, 4GB of internal storage, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and a full QWERTY keyboard. Kin Two, meanwhile, is the phone leaked as the "Pure," upping the ante with a HVGA display and a more traditional landscape QWERTY slide form factor. It also moves up to an 8 megapixel cam and 8GB of internal storage, but otherwise, the experience is roughly the same as what you get on the One; both phones have WiFi and Bluetooth in addition to their 3G cellular radios. For what it's worth, Microsoft is emphasizing that internal storage really isn't a big deal with the Kin phones, because your entire photo and video collection that you capture using the onboard camera is synced seamlessly with your bottomless online storage; you can access the entire collection from your phone at any time by browsing thumbnails, and if you want the full content, you can download it. Kin comes bundled with a desktop web experience that's entirely based on Silverlight for viewing and sorting just about all of the major stuff that you can see on your phone -- contacts, social network status updates, images, and so on -- and we've got to admit, it looks pretty slick. Keep reading after the break for a lot more info and video! %Gallery-90314%
Live from Microsoft's 'It's Time To Share' event!
We've been ushered out to lovely San Francisco today (well, actually, not so lovely -- the weather is uncharacteristically yucky) to learn all about this mysterious "It's Time To Share" thing that Microsoft has been cooking up. The popular rumor is that a new line of handsets (Pink? Kin?) are en route. Stay tuned!
Microsoft One and Two Project Pink phones appear in Verizon database? (updated)
What's this? Two devices apparently of Microsoft origin in Verizon's database prefixed by MSONE and MSTWO on the eve of Microsoft's big presser -- an event widely thought (and even announced) to be the unveiling of Project Pink. We're also seeing Sharp, the Sidekick manufacturer named on the Turtle and Pure looking handsets that passed through the FCC. Really though, "One" and "Two?" Surely those words are just placeholders awaiting today's event before getting properly named, right? Who knows... when you're believed to be launching a competing platform against your own Windows Phone 7 OS while simultaneously keeping the WinMo 6.x dreams alive for businesses, hell, anything goes. Update: 9 to 5 Mac is suggesting that the actual retail names of the devices will be Kin. As in next of, as in family. Since the company has an event in just a few hours, we'll obviously know for certain very soon, but it does look likely given the use of Kin in the listing above.
Microsoft Pink livestream page offers glimpse of Turtle, Pink name changing at launch
Man, Microsoft is not even trying to be coy with its Pink launch tomorrow -- these happy and attractive young people pictured on the livestream page are clearly being delighted by the "Turtle" portrait slider that keeps leaking all over the place. Or maybe they're just stoked they can use SanDisk microSD cards with it -- that's how the kids react to removable storage nowadays, right? In other news, Reuters says the phones won't actually be called Pink, and that they're likely scheduled to ship this summer, so that's something, we suppose. Honestly, we just don't know what Microsoft is going to offer here that'll be more attractive to teens than Windows Phone 7 -- we're still hoping to be wowed tomorrow, but we've got a suspicion we'll just be confused and sad. Which isn't a bad way to market something to teens, we suppose. Microsoft Pink: it's like having bad feelings. P.S.- If you squint just right, that dude totally looks like a young Bill Gates. He also loves cuddles.
Microsoft Pink device spotted in the wild, likely 'Turtle'
There's not much too this -- and we'd like to apologize on behalf of the uploader for the choice of music and transitions -- but it looks like someone has managed to score a shot of a Pink device tethered up to a lappie in a coffee shop. From what we've seen leaked in the past, we're figuring this is the smaller model known as "Turtle" internally with a portrait QWERTY slide; it's a funny-looking little beast, isn't it? We don't have much to go on other than this single shot, sadly -- so unless we get some more juicy leakage ahead of Monday, we'll need to wait it out through the weekend to figure out what this is all about. Follow the break for the brief video (and we might recommend a quick press of your mute button before playing). [Thanks, greenrolaids]
SanDisk calls it: Microsoft Pink being announced on Monday
Good secrets are hard to keep, and it looks like at least one of Microsoft's trusted partners has spilled the beans on the company's big announce for Monday. SanDisk used the occasion -- the unannounced occasion, that is -- to let some members of the press know today that Microsoft's Pink devices will be compatible with its line of microSD cards. That seems like a pretty lame way to ride on the coattails of a big hardware launch, but then again, when your most exciting products are nondescript pieces of plastic half the size of a postage stamp, how else are you going to make the news?
Verizon teasing a Microsoft Pink announcement for Monday?
So Phandroid has scored some internal Verizon rah-rah type material teasing a device announcement on Monday, and they're thinking it's the upcoming HTC Incredible -- but we're not so sure. This lines up all too well with Microsoft's mysterious event in San Francisco, an event that we've heard repeatedly from a multitude of respected sources (Paul Thurrott and Ina Fried, to name a couple) would be for Microsoft's long-rumored Pink handsets, likely for launch on Verizon. Couple that with Verizon's verbiage here -- "it's new, it's unique, living exclusively on... Verizon Wireless" -- and we kinda think that a device as similar to phones already in the marketplace as the Incredible is doesn't warrant the hype. Fortunately, we'll have this all sorted out in less than 72 hours' time. [Thanks, Tom]
Microsoft invites us to mystery event, April 12th! (update: for Pink phones?)
Well... we don't know what to make of this one. Microsoft just snail-mailed us a circular package with an invitation to an event on April 12th in San Francisco. They also tell us that it's "time to share," and apparently intend that sharing to go on between young, attractive Urban Outfitters models (according to the images on the notice). Okay. So what is this? Pink? Courier (gasp!)? Windows Phone 7 Series Phone Series 7? Only Microsoft knows for sure. We're searching for more info, so stay tuned! One more pic after the break. Update: Windows expert Paul Thurrott says definitively that this will not be a Courier event, rather it will be entirely focused on Pink phones, as does CNET's Ina Fried, who adds that they'll be released on Verizon as rumored. We can't say we're surprised, but we're seriously hoping Microsoft makes that tablet a reality. [Thanks, Kevin]
Leak: Microsoft Pink phones coming to Verizon, on shelves April 20th?
Details on Microsoft's Pink phones seem to be leaking all over the place this week, and we just got a huge piece of the puzzle: an extremely reliable source just told us the two Sharp-made devices will launch exclusively on Verizon, with a possible street date of April 20th. We've also got two more photos of the Pure and Turtle -- which are legit, as far as we can tell -- and some info on the Pink ad campaign, which will indeed be targeted at teens and twentysomethings and centered around that "truly madly deeply" line Microsoft employees have been tossing around lately. (Sort of explains that 4/20 launch date, right?) Whether any of this is good enough to overcome the fact that Pink seems to be a limited featurephone platform launching into a world of cheap smartphones remains to be seen, but this thing is definitely happening. New pic of the Turtle after the break. Update: We've just heard that Pink will be coming to Vodafone internationally as well -- which explains why we've heard of both CDMA and GSM variants of the two devices.
Project Pink QWERTY slider 'Pure' found in the wild, headed for Verizon?
There's a lot of rumbling in Project Pink land today, as Microsoft is seemingly nearing that magical time where its much-leaked Sidekick followup can finally see the light of day. First off, we're hearing from a tipster that the phones (we've seen 'Turtle' and 'Pure' so far) will be exclusive to Verizon, at least at the outset -- makes sense, given the CDMA radios we saw at the FCC. He calls the UI "hectic and colorful," and also says that there's still some serious cloud backup reliance, along with some desktop software to sync up with the cloud as well, and data plans that including a certain quantity of app downloads a month. This is all fine and exciting, but it's helped along by a couple of image leaks. Conflipper, well known among the xda-dev crowd, is teasing the Twitter world with some screenshots of the emergency dialer (which also mention Verizon Wireless), and a Facebook upload from the device, which can be found in the gallery below. The dialer is about as barebones as it gets right now, but there's a bit of a hint of Windows Phone 7 Series in there to be sure. Finally, Gizmodo hit upon the hardware jackpot with a Mr. Blurrycam capture of the bigscreen 'Pure' QWERTY slider (pictured up above). If you really squint your eyes you can make out some of that "hectic and colorful" UI we're hearing about. %Gallery-87393%
Sharp PB20ZU gets FCC approval -- is this 'Pure' from Microsoft's Project Pink?
The puzzle pieces are all fitting together now, aren't they? Just a few days after regulatory passage of the PB10ZU from Sharp -- a device that could very well be the pebble-shaped Turtle -- we're now seeing a separate filing for the PB20ZU. The label document isn't terribly detailed here, but if you squint your eyes, you can definitely see how this lines up perfectly with the concept of a landscape QWERTY slider which is exactly what Project Pink's rumored second phone, the Pure, is expected to be. Despite Microsoft's blowout announcement at MWC earlier this month, there was nary a mention of Pink or the Danger-influenced hardware and software said to surround it, so we're expecting to see this stuff soon -- especially now that we've got FCC certification under our belts. CTIA, perhaps? Notably, this phone rocks CDMA with Bluetooth and WiFi, so if it sees duty on an American carrier -- which it almost certainly will -- it's gotta be either Verizon or Sprint. Stay tuned.
Microsoft's 'Turtle' and 'Pure' phones linked to Tegra chipset, expected in both GSM and CDMA varieties
They might not have been revealed at MWC, but that doesn't mean the news flow on Microsoft's long-rumored Pink phones needs to stop. Following the FCC entries that hinted at the future character of these devices, we now have word of an industrious hacker getting hold of the firmware for both the Turtle and Pure handsets. According to his data, the Turtle (believed to look like the square-ish creature on the left) will sport a 320 x 240 screen, while the Pure will have a more generous 480 x 320. Neither would encourage much hope for seeing these as the vanguard handsets of the Windows Phone 7 movement, but a litany of references to Premium Mobile Experiences would both confirm our earlier information and suggest that Microsoft is still going to hit us with something more than a simple feature phone. This is backed up by "a strong connection" to NVIDIA's Tegra chipset, which would be powerful enough to service the rumored video and media management capabilities. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, separate codenames of Lion and Pride have been uncovered, indicating CDMA versions of the Pure and Turtle, whose names are attached to the GSM variants of the two phones. Now if we can just get a release date, we'll be all set.
Microsoft's PB10ZU (turtle) and PB20ZU Project Pink phones outed by FCC?
Oops. Those two pics looks similar, eh? And if we're not mistaken, Microsoft's Pink phone is rumored to be made by Sharp. This wireframe for model PB10ZU just hit the FCC looking every bit the "Turtle" device that was leaked last year. Of course, seeing Sharp behind Pink is only natural since it was one of Danger's manufacturers of choice for the Sidekick -- a team wholly ingested by Microsoft a few years ago. Looking through the FCC docs we see that it's a slider with dual-band CDMA, EVDO Rev. A, Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g WiFi. We also see reference to a second model, the PB20ZU (aka, "pure"?), although that model is lacking any detail whatsoever. The tastiest of FCC docs are being withheld by request until March 29th -- right in line with a rumored spring launch. Hopefully Microsoft will have more to say about Project Pink and Windows 7 devices here in Barcelona so stay tuned. [Thanks, Jeremy F.]
Zune software references rumored Project Pink devices, a video upload service?
We weren't sure things could get any more interesting with Microsoft's mobile rumor mill, but along comes Zune Boards with some tantalizing findings in the latest Zune software update. First up is the eEndpointFamily files, which lists all the compatible hardware -- ZuneHD, for example. Also found, however, were entries for "PmxPure" and "PmxTurtle." PMX, if you recall, seems to be a reference to Microsoft's Premium Mobile eXperiences group, the remnants of the Danger acquisition who have been whispered to be working on Project Pink. As for Pure and Turtle, let's go back all the way to September 2009, when we first heard those names as the initial Pink duo -- there were some supposed renders, too. If that's not enough, two PMX table entries pointed to a snippet of text stating that "Studio members" can "View and manage pictures and videos taken with your phone at the Studio," followed by a link that for now redirects to Zune.net. Could the mysterious Project Pink and the oft-rumored "Zune phone" be one in the same, with some "Studio" service for uploading media to the cloud? Is this all some red herring perpetuated by some amused Microsoft staffers? We don't know, but it's mean to tug at our heart strings like that, Microsoft, and worse that it makes Mobile World Congress even more painful to wait for. #tmdp
Zune 'Phone' devices listed in latest software update
Whoa, what's this? The so-called Zune software maintenance release has a trio of Phone device drivers tucked away inside the Zune.inf file according to Long Zheng over at istartedsomething. And similar to the three devices listed representing the three types of Zunes, we have three Phone.DeviceDesc placeholders for three unannounced (Pink and WinMo 6.x/7?) phones presumably running premium Zune media services. We expect Microsoft will come clean at Mobile World Congress starting February 15th. We'll be there live which means that you will be too.
Microsoft Pink targeting teens and twenty-somethings, devices launching in Spring?
Few reporting on Microsoft are as plugged in to the day-to-day happenings in Redmond as Mary Jo Foley. So much so that she's apt to write an entire column (or two) about internal Microsoft reorganizations -- moves that can be telling from a company attempting to seamlessly integrate its Zune, Xbox, Media Center, and Windows Mobile products, services, and experiences. While you might find it interesting that Enrique Rodriguez has left the company in the latest shakeup to hit MS' Entertainment and Devices unit, the following sentence presented as fact is what caught our attention: "Pink is the codename for both the set of premium mobile services and one or more Windows Mobile phones aimed at the teen/twenty-something market." Of course, what she's referring to is the infamous Project Pink, the mystery whatsit said to be emanating from the Microsoft Premium Mobile eXperiences (PMX) group built around the people and technologies nabbed after the Danger acquisition. We're also intrigued by the discussion of Pink in a separate breath from the consumer build of Windows Mobile 7. This makes us wonder if Microsoft is working on a three-pronged strategy that will result in targeted Windows Mobile 7 business and consumer devices as well as Pink phones specifically aimed at teens and twenty-somethings. Mary Jo Foley speculates that the Pink devices might be the first to run Microsoft's new premium Pink services but still be WinMo 6.x based -- if true then we could see a launch this quarter, no need to wait for Windows Mobile 7 which isn't expected until the end of the year. How many days until Mobile World Congress again? [Thanks, Pratik]
Microsoft's Twitter chatter suggests Danger is up to something -- Pink drawing near?
The other day, we happened to catch a tag on a tweet reading "from Danger." No biggie, really -- Sidekicks have had Twitter integration for a while now. Here's the thing, though: tweeting from a Sidekick plugs a "from Sidekick" on the end, not Danger -- and what's more, the Danger text links to Microsoft's home page rather than Sidekick's. It's starting to get juicy, right? Anyhow, these "from Danger" tweets have really picked up across dozens of accounts since December or so, to the point where we've got a constant cacophony of 'em today -- possibly a sign that these guys have a product in the works that's nearing completion. Danger... new product... Microsoft... ah, that's right, Pink! We haven't had any fresh intel on the alleged lovechild of Redmond's acquisition in some time -- it could be dead, for all we know -- but there's definitely something going on inside Microsoft's labs that involves Danger's legacy tech and headcount. Whatever it is, they've got a predisposition for the hashtag "#tmdp" (it used to be #tmd and changed at some point) -- we've no idea what it stands for, but we're curious to get your opinions. Anyhow, is this what we're going to see next month at MWC? Is WinMo 7 going to take a back seat yet again? Will it be a one-two punch where they reveal a whole slew of Danger and WinMo stuff at once? Heck, are they the same frigging product? Who knows, but hopefully we'll have it all sorted out within a few weeks' time.
