Microsoft Kin is full of fail

[McLarenTopTeam]

Jeez. Why fragment your mobile OS before it has even been released? This device could have easily been done using Windows Phone 7 as a base.

I thought Microsoft learned from Windows Mobile.

There is no reason to suggest it's not based on WP7.

 

[niuniu]

I think this phone is interesting, and I have to applaud Microsoft on taking the initiative on what really should have been an obvious release for any company. Social networking is massive, some teenagers lives their lives on those sites. Marketed properly this phone could be a big winner. Especially now as the iPhone is losing it's must have status. Even the best phone in the world will lose it's shine after a few years, diminishing returns and all that..

 

[NebulaClash]

Especially now as the iPhone is losing it's must have status.

Uh, no: Number of high school students planning to buy an iPhone doubles.

We cannot let emotion cloud our thinking. Even if we want the iPhone to lose its status, that doesn't make it so.

 

[Padraig]

I agree on the iPhone part. The teens/college kids I know that don't have one already either can't afford one, or are on their parents plan and their parents are not on AT&T and aren't interested in switching/running multiple contracts. Sure there are exceptions, but not many among the people I know.

I've never actually seen a SideKick in the wild, nor met anyone that has one.

I'm guessing that MS intends this for tweens to young teens despite them saying it's for an slightly older demographic.

 

[niuniu]

Uh, no: Number of high school students planning to buy an iPhone doubles.

We cannot let emotion cloud our thinking. Even if we want the iPhone to lose its status, that doesn't make it so.

They polled 6000 highschool kids. Kids who're fickle and more likely to buy into a fad that any other consumer group. What they say they're doing in 6 months time and what they will actually do are very different things.

Regardless, the poll leaves out over several billion consumers. You have a short memory if you think that mobile consumers are brand loyal, especially in Europe, things are very much different to the US.

A new product, with new hype and a focus on social networking could really be a hit.

 

[jaw04005]

There is no reason to suggest it's not based on WP7.

Yeah there is.

Just as I suspected, the Kin project was approved and has been in development long before Windows Phone 7. They share the same foundation, Windows CE. Although, I’m not sure which version of Windows CE Kin is based on vs. 7. But, at the moment, it’s not Windows Phone 7.

Looks like they plan on remedying that over time.

Engadget has the interview:

"We chatted with Microsoft GM Matt Bencke today to get a feel for why there isn't more technical synergy between two products that obviously share the overwhelming majority of their DNA, and basically, the Reader's Digest version of the conversation is that they intend to get there eventually.

"We're going to share more and more in terms of code," he said -- though we weren't able to nail him down to a timeline for making that happen -- ultimately agreeing that it was fair to say you'd start to see the platforms converge over time.

If we had to guess, Kin's suffering from the fact that it was approved and set in stone before Windows Phone 7 even existed in its current incarnation, and it's going to take Redmond a little while to get the projects synced. See the critical portion of the talk on video after the break.”

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/12/microsoft-kin-and-windows-phone-7-will-share-more-technology-ov/

Additionally, this article has some interesting insight into “Pink” including the revelation it was originally based on Windows Mobile 7 (vs. Windows CE/Windows Phone 7).

http://www.crn.com/software/220600334;jsessionid=5RHWSW32C5NT3QE1GHOSKH4ATMY32JVN?pgno=1

 

[0dev]

A phone aimed at teenagers with no way to download apps or games? This is going to FAIL.

-a teenager