15 Apr
Microsoft unveil Kin One and Kin Two Social Networking phones!
Posted on 2010 under Coming Soon Handsets, Kin One, Kin Two, Microsoft, Mobile News, New Mobile Phones, Project Pink | Comments are offMicrosoft have recently announced two new with a real focus on messaging and social networking. Ordinarily when we tell you about a Microsoft phone, you’d expect a phone simply running Microsoft Software but this weeks announcement sees the unveiling of two handsets built from the ground up by the Redmond outfit (though final manufacturing duties are still handled by a third party; Sharp who made the Sidekick which was hugely popular with our friends in the US of A). The two devices will be known as the and the (not the most exciting or imaginative of names we know). Want to find out more? read on for all the details…
First up, the Kin One and Kin Two aren’t actually in the traditional sense, rather they are highly capable feature phones. The pair won’t actually be running on Windows Phone 7, but rather a variation of it. Robbie Bach (Microsoft president of the and Devices Division) was quoted asking “What if we took Windows Phone 7 and customised it for a social networking audience, Windows Phone 7 is about simplifying people’s lives, this is about amplifying their lives” which pretty much sums up the nature of these two handsets.
As far as specs go, with the Kin One, you can expect a 2.6 Inch TFT capacative , 5 megapixel camera, 4GB of storage, a mono speaker and the Zune Media Player. With the Kin Two, a 3.4 Inch TFT capacative touchscreen, 8 megapixel camera with impressive 720p video capture, stereo speakers and the Zune Media Player. Both handsets are said to incorporate GPS, have built in QWERTY keyboards and are designed for use in low light conditions with image stabilisation and a bright Lumi-LED flash.
Hinting at the ‘Kin’ software, the lead project manager stated “It’s a magazine of my life,” referring to the interface which will be known as ‘Kin Loop’ which will synchronise Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Windows Live on a simplistic home screen interface. The phone will also come with Bing search built-in and users will also benefit from something dubbed ‘Kin Studio,’ which is said to back up texts, call history, photos, videos and contacts, and also populates a personalised digital journal.
The Kin series is said to be scheduled for release this Autumn exclusively on Vodafone, keep an eye on the for more information and updates.