Microsoft slays Kin phones, already

What a long fall it's been for Microsoft's Kin phones, once believed to be iPhone killers, now destined for obscurity.

Microsoft confirmed that it will focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 from now on. Kin, a series of two phones with social-centric user interfaces aimed at youngsters, won't ship to Europe as originally planned, and the team that worked on them will be fused with the Windows Phone team. The phones launched only six weeks ago.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gizmodo reports that Microsoft will continue to work with Verizon Wireless to sell current Kin phones, but after that, it's looking pretty bleak. At least the people who did buy the phones -- Microsoft never gave sales numbers, but they're probably quite low -- will get technical support, though the status of future software updates is also in doubt.

Once believed to be a more elaborate Microsoft-Verizon collaboration under the codename Pink, Kin eventually launched as a pair of phones targeted at teens and twentysomethings. The user interface focused on sharing photos, web sites and status updates by letting users drag media into a single point on the screen, letting them send out messages by e-mail or MMS. Kin also had a highly-praised feature called Studio, which automatically synced photos, video and other activity to the Web for later viewing on a PC.

ADVERTISEMENT

A number of factors could've contributed to Kin's downfall, including a lack of apps -- games, you'd think, would be crucial for the Kin's target demographic -- and creepy ads that got Microsoft in hot water. But perhaps Verizon shoulders the most blame, with Kin phones commanding the same $30 monthly data rate as more capable smartphones. However much potential Kin possessed, it was a tough sell with better Verizon smartphones on the market.

For now, Verizon and Microsoft have cut the price of Kin phones from $50 to $30 for the square-shaped Kin One, and $100 to $50 for the more traditional Kin Two. But who wants to invest two years in a platform that has no future?

No posts to display