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Microsoft release a 'Kin phone
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Doc HM
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:10 PM
 
I mean seriously are these people mad or just stupid?
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turtle777
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:16 PM
 
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.
Winnar

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.
Well now, if even M$ doesn't think Flash is needed...

-t
     
The Final Dakar
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:21 PM
 
Dumb name.
     
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:21 PM
 
Our phone's in jeopardy.. Baby... Oooooooooooooooooooh

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SpaceMonkey
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:35 PM
 


It looks like their target audience is the people who are already extremely annoying with their cell phone usage in public. Kill me now.

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imitchellg5
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:42 PM
 
There are some pretty cool features built in. As far as social networking goes, this is pretty advance for a feature phone. Unfortunately it's butt-ugly (both the UI and the devices). Also, it's gonna have to be dirt cheap, with full feature smartphones like the Droid Eris running for $79. I have the feeling that the price will be jacked up though because of the high mp camera and internal storage though I'm not really sure why Microsoft felt the need to do this, especially after they announced Windows Phone 7.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:45 PM
 
So Microsoft, as predicted, just killed their own market and any incentive anybody might have had to partner with them on Windows Phone 7, by bringing out their own phone, the Kin, which will pre-empt Windows 7 and NOT RUN WINDOWS 7.

And we all thought it wouldn't get any dumber than rallying the industry behind PlaysForSure and then ****ing them all over by having their own Zune player not support it.

What the HOLY **** are those guys thinking? Oh yeah, it's all internal department politics.

Background, from last year and the year before:
AppleInsider | Exclusive: Pink Danger leaks from Microsoft's Windows Phone
Why Microsoft Will Slaughter Its Windows Mobile and PC Partners, and What it Means for Apple and Google — RoughlyDrafted Magazine
Microsoft’s Zune, Vista, and Windows Mobile 7 Strategy vs the iPhone — RoughlyDrafted Magazine

After the good reception Windows Phone 7 got, I'm AMAZED that they're dumb enough to have followed through on this.
     
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:49 PM
 
"Pink Danger" sounds like some sort of deadly nanovirus.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Apr 12, 2010, 03:51 PM
 
Yeah, it's an iPhone Killer.
     
ajprice
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Apr 12, 2010, 04:03 PM
 
Yesss! MS do keep finding new levels of stupid. The Windows Phone 7 OS or whatever its called was redesigned to look all cool with the kids with the square tile icons and big words, and then they bring out a completely separate OS and phone aimed at being all cool with the kids.

I would do the Picard facepalm pic, but Ballmers coming

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OreoCookie
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Apr 12, 2010, 04:32 PM
 
When I read your post, Doc HM, I thought it was a know. Now I know it's a joke
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ort888
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Apr 12, 2010, 04:35 PM
 
I wonder how Mr. Sprinkes is going to feel about this phone.

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imitchellg5
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Apr 12, 2010, 04:54 PM
 
He'll love it as much as a root canal.
     
turtle777
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Apr 12, 2010, 04:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by OreoCookie View Post
When I read your post, Doc HM, I thought it was a know. Now I know it's a joke
@ your sentence.

-t
     
OreoCookie
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Apr 12, 2010, 05:34 PM
 
Ay, caramba!
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Big Mac
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Apr 13, 2010, 05:46 AM
 
The Kin? What kind of name is that for a phone?

"Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire. Kin folk said Jed move away from there. Said California is the place you oughta be. . ."

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Apr 13, 2010, 06:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
And we all thought it wouldn't get any dumber
Now there's a chap who hasn't really been paying attention to how the world works.
Been inclined to wander... off the beaten track.
That's where there's thunder... and the wind shouts back.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Apr 13, 2010, 08:24 AM
 
Originally Posted by Big Mac View Post
The Kin? What kind of name is that for a phone?

"Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire. Kin folk said Jed move away from there. Said California is the place you oughta be. . ."
When Roz Ho left the Mac BU to head the recently acquired Danger/Hiptop unit, she christened that "Project Pink".

PINK --> KIN Phone
     
Big Mac
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Apr 13, 2010, 08:29 AM
 
Ah, I see. Heck of a marketing name.

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Doc HM  (op)
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Apr 13, 2010, 10:54 AM
 
Originally Posted by Big Mac View Post
The Kin? What kind of name is that for a phone?

"Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire. Kin folk said Jed move away from there. Said California is the place you oughta be. . ."
Here in the UK we frequently abbreviate f**king to 'kin hence (when searching for lost phone) "Where the hell is my 'kin phone"?

I guess MS are just helping with the name.
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Doofy
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Apr 13, 2010, 10:59 AM
 
..in the same way that we abbreviate "shit" to "it". As in "IT Department".

Been inclined to wander... off the beaten track.
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mduell
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Apr 13, 2010, 09:11 PM
 
Kin is a dumbphone/featurephone. Heavy on social, clearly aiming for the Sidekick crowd.

Windows Phone 7 is for smartphones.
     
imitchellg5
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Apr 13, 2010, 09:50 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell View Post
Kin is a dumbphone/featurephone. Heavy on social, clearly aiming for the Sidekick crowd.
According to T-Mobile, this is not a result of Microsoft's purchase of Danger and isn't a Sidekick replacement.
     
mduell
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Apr 13, 2010, 10:03 PM
 
Of course not, they still want to sell Sidekicks until this turd ships.
     
imitchellg5
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Apr 13, 2010, 10:04 PM
 
T-Mobile won't carry this phone so I don't think it's affecting them.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Apr 13, 2010, 10:21 PM
 
Project Pink is what Roz Ho turned Danger into after MS bought it.

Read the links I posted above.

That wasn't WinMo-based, though; I'm curious what politics happened since then.
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 6, 2010, 03:17 AM
 
So, um, the device marketed at teens comes with a $70 data plan that DOES NOT INCLUDE the primary means of communication among teens - SMS.

Teens' texting habits kill Microsoft's Kin before birth | Electronista

     
OreoCookie
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May 6, 2010, 05:20 AM
 
You guys should read engadget's review of the Kin phones. If you don't want to bother reading the whole thing, just read the conclusion:
Originally Posted by engadget
In the end, we're left with two orphan devices -- phones that feel like they should have been killed before they made it to market, but somehow slipped through. It's clear to us from conversations we've had with Microsoft that there are people at the company with good ideas about what phones should and shouldn't do, but we don't feel the Kin is representative of those ideas. The execution (or lack thereof) on these products makes us legitimately concerned about what the company will do with Windows Phone 7. We can only hope that the similarities between those devices and the Kin handsets don't stretch much further than the "Windows Phone" label, because in our estimation, Kin is one side of the family that needs to be disowned... quickly.
The main criticism beyond stupid UI and half-arsed implementation of basic functionality such as taking and making calls is that you have to get a full-blown smartphone data and voice plan, i. e. you have to shell out the same money for a Kin One or Kin Two than for a Palm Pre or so. This is failblog material
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Phileas
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May 6, 2010, 06:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
So, um, the device marketed at teens comes with a $70 data plan that DOES NOT INCLUDE the primary means of communication among teens - SMS.

Teens' texting habits kill Microsoft's Kin before birth | Electronista

Add to this that most teens are added on to family plans and the data plan requirement makes even less sense. This sounds like some idiot in marketing was running wild.

     
analogue SPRINKLES
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May 6, 2010, 01:34 PM
 
This idea would have made sense in 2006.

Long story short they are trying to make a smartphone but sell it as a dumbphone to teens no social network all day.

All MS did to make it "dumb" is to take out a calendar app and any other useful smartphone apps by crippling it by software to cater to a very small niche.

This normally would be all good and fine if we are talking cheap phones, cheap plans unfortunately when all high end smartphones can be had for $99-200 why would someone want to pay the same for the Kin but get less? The monthly plans are also no cheaper than typical plans.

If the market was still dealing with $500-1000 smartphones they would clean up at $200. Reality is everything is cheap now and hardware all relatively the same. You have to set yourself apart with a total package of services like Apple has done to make your product appealing and make money.

These phones will be canceled in no time or just features merged into future windows 7 phones.
     
imitchellg5
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May 6, 2010, 02:35 PM
 
These phones would be acceptable for free for the Kin 1 and $50 for the Kin 2. But $99, and then a $29 a month data plan? No parent is going to do that! And I'm sorry, but for $99, there is a HUGE elephant in the room, and that's the iPhone 3G. If you don't want AT&T, then they Droid Eris or Motorola Droid would be a much better alternative. A lot more phone for about the same money (or cheaper in the case of the Eris).
     
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May 6, 2010, 03:16 PM
 
This phone's introduction and crappy data plan really reinforces the fact that Microsoft doesn't understand the mobile market at all, even when they target a specific segment.

Makes me think the new WinCE/Windows Phone, whatever its called, will not be half as impressive as the Android and iPhone OSes are today.
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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May 6, 2010, 03:18 PM
 
The interface is typical MS disaster. If you are in the twitter app and want to post something clicking POST launches the terrible web browser and takes you to twitter.com.
     
Eriamjh
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May 8, 2010, 05:40 PM
 
Is it me or does putting the apostrophe in front of KIN ('Kin) mean that the OP implied there is a word-segment missing.

Like f-u-c maybe?

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andi*pandi
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May 8, 2010, 05:47 PM
 
according to the OP, yes.
     
imitchellg5
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May 8, 2010, 06:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES View Post
The interface is typical MS disaster. If you are in the twitter app and want to post something clicking POST launches the terrible web browser and takes you to twitter.com.
That's what happens when you won't allow apps
     
Salty
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May 8, 2010, 09:13 PM
 
These phones are quite the joke, though I have to wonder what Apple would do if they tried to make an iPhone express... I have to think it would still be a hell of a lot better than this thing.
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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May 8, 2010, 11:28 PM
 
Originally Posted by Salty View Post
T I have to wonder what Apple would do if they tried to make an iPhone express...
Ya it's called the iPhone 3G at $99. Can do almost everything all the other damn iphones can do.

Or do they need to make the screen 1 inch smaller and price it at $49 if they want to get every last tiny market out there.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jun 18, 2010, 08:35 PM
 
     
Oisín
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Jun 18, 2010, 09:00 PM
 
This entire thread (specifically the very last post) has sustained a hearty chortle on my part for a good five minutes.

Brilliant.
     
Salty
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Jun 18, 2010, 10:12 PM
 
I can't believe they've sold so few... then again... I kinda can. That's insane though... sorry Roz...
     
imitchellg5
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Jun 18, 2010, 11:07 PM
 
I spoke to the manager of my Verizon store a few days ago and said that since the KIN came out, they've not even sold one, and as a result, Pre Plus sales have gone up (same price, true smartphone [compared to the KIN]).
     
Doc HM  (op)
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Jun 19, 2010, 04:12 AM
 
Should be a collectors item in a few years then. Mint example of biggest phone failure ever. Still boxed. Got to be worth something.
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Jun 19, 2010, 09:04 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Worst link ever. Glad my speakers were turned down.
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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Jun 20, 2010, 11:49 AM
 
What does this ad even mean? I don't get it.

     
Oisín
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Jun 20, 2010, 11:56 AM
 
^ It means, “Welcome to the social”, obviously.

(Am I the only one who keeps reading the “KIN” logo as “KILL”?)
     
turtle777
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Jun 20, 2010, 12:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
I'm sure Roz is gonna be promoted over that.

-t
     
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Jun 20, 2010, 12:18 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Holy a:hover {}
are you lightfooted?
     
analogue SPRINKLES
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Jun 20, 2010, 05:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by Oisín View Post
(Am I the only one who keeps reading the “KIN” logo as “KILL”?)
I see the Nine Inch Nails logo. No worries, product will be canned in a couple months with some PR "A valuable lesson and successful product with its innovative key features being integrated into windows 7 series phones" or some crap.

     
Big Mac
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Jun 20, 2010, 05:48 PM
 
It's funny how Microsoft product groups usually go through several laughably unsuccessful iterations before they get any place with consumers. Microsoft first releases crap, then slightly less crappy crap, and so on. Apple, in contrast, releases an initially high priced, limited but very polished and appealing device that then gains more features and sheds cost.

And on that subject, I wonder how the Zune is doing.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
 
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