Going social with Microsoft's Kin
Microsoft boss Robbie Bach described the company's new Kin phones, aimed at the younger, chattier, socially switched-on user, as "couture software with hardware that is custom fit".
The codename for the project was "Pink" and Mr Bach gave a nod to that by sporting a pink shirt at the press event in downtown San Francisco.
There were plenty of rumours that the new phones were going to be called Dove or Turtle, but the software giant opted for Kin - we don't know why but my guess is it's short for kinship and is a play on the whole friends thing.
A lot of the bloggers, gadget sites and analysts seemed to like the Kin straight out of the box, though the time spent with it was limited and with a Microsoft whizz on hand to do demos.
The smaller Kin One has a 2.6 inch display and a five-megapixel camera and is shaped like a compact mirror while the Kin Two has a 3.6 inch screen and an eight-megapixel camera. Both phones have a slide-out Qwerty keyboard.
Microsoft's senior product manager, Derek Snyder, told me the Kin is aimed at leveraging the world of social networking and keeping the 15-30-year-old user connected to their friends viaFacebook, Twitter and MySpace.
"We wanted to chase an opportunity we thought existed with young socially connected people - for folks that are obsessed with social networking, being able to share what's going on instantly, taking pictures of themselves in the mirror and getting comments on their outfits and posting them on Facebook or sending to friends."
Blogger Elian Fiolet of the gadget blog Ubergizmo said she was impressed by the Kin in large part.
"The best feature is the fact it is connected to the cloud and automatically people can upload their pictures without knowing on their websites.
"Most people don't know how to download a picture from their phone to their computer and a lot go to the store to find out how to do it. I think this is the best feature ever to have the phone in synch with your computer."
Ms Fiolet also added that leveraging the power of the cloud to keep the software updated was a big bonus but she was disappointed that the choice of social networks is limited.
"One downside is not having a Flickr connection. Also even though they have a Twitter integration, you cannot upload a picture on Twitter. However Microsoft has said they can add more features over the air and that is a great feature, having your phone update automatically through the cloud."
For fellow blogger and Ubergizmo co-founder, Hubert Nguyen, price will be key.
"Even though the experience is limited to a few things, the few things it does, it does very well. The downside is that people will compare it to smart phones like Android and the iPhone and price will be a big deal here."
He also said that some users might be disappointed by the Kin and its limitations.
"The education will have to go into teaching users what they are going to get with the Kin and managing those expectations because when people see a phone like this that reacts and looks like a smartphone they expect a smartphone and that is not what it is."
Ina Fried, senior writer at CNET.com pointed out that while Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and Research in Motion's Blackberry might seem like the obvious target for the Kin, it isn't.
"This isn't going to take on the iPhone and it's not trying to," she said.
However she pointed out that this play in the feature phone market does carry some risk.
Feature phones are generally thought of as devices between so-called dumb phones which just use voice and text and the more powerful smartphones where you can surf the web, take photos, video, listen to music, store contacts, calendar, download apps, check maps and so on.
"Traditionally a lot of people didn't buy smartphones they bought feature phones but more and more people are buying these smartphones, their first Blackberry, their first iPhone. I definitely think this is a big market today but the question is does it stay a big market."
Microsoft's Derek Snyder thinks the Kin user of today will become the mobileWindows Phone 7 user of tomorrow.
"We saw this as a big opportunity not just in terms of the size of this audience, but also in terms of its influence. And with the Kin, I would argue specifically that we are going off in a new vector.
"We wanted to go head over heels for the socially connected market. I think with the Kin we have an opportunity to help users graduate up to a Windows 7 phone when their needs change."
From a business standpoint, the Kin is being seen as the company's effort to claw back some market share in the ever increasingly lucrative mobile market.
Gartner research said the company ended 2009 holding just 8.7% of the smartphone market, down from 11.8% in 2008.
Van Baker, a vice president of research at Gartner said while he thinks the hardware could be improved upon, the Kin might well have a future.
"The keyboard feels really small to me and the square device of the Kin One is the kind of device people will either love it or hate it.
"If Microsoft can get this into the market and get some traction and some excitement around the user experience, then I think we can see it move to other devices over time."
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Comments
"The software giant opted for Kin - we don't know why but my guess is it's short for kinship and is a play on the whole friends thing."
Well ... "kin" is a dictionary word, which isn't short for kinship, although they're related words (apologies for the pun). So it's almost certain they named the phone "Kin" because of it's meaning. Among other things it means family, or people who share a common philosophy.
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I don't think the Kin would have been successful even if it was released 10 years ago.
Do Micro$oft even have a design department? Doesn't look like it - more like it was designed by committee over a video chat.
I don't think I'll be trading in my iPhone anytime soon...
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Good one for the emerging markets depending on the price. Western countries already have this functionality through iPhone and other well connected devices
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Given it's a Microsoft product, I can guess where the name came from; "My 'kin phone's crashed again ..."
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Great name Kin - all it needs is an apostrophe at the start to denote the missing letters ('kin). A triumph!
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I can see this being popular with teenagers or pre-teens who don't require a phone with full functionality such as GPS. They say it's aimed at 15-30 but I can see that market as maybe a little old.
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I hate to seem pedantic, but since when has our vocabulary been enriched with the verb "To Debut"? It would appear to be similar to the use of "To Grow" to mean "To Increase" "To Make Larger" or "To Expand". As in: "Your job will be to grow the market in the territory assigned to you. Although I have nothing against the introduction of new words or meanings, these and similar neologies do rather clash on my ears.
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I think it's a good idea and will open a lot of doors for Microsoft. It's good to see them back in the mix after a period of stagnation because, frankly, competition is good.
Oh, and M$... what is this? 1995?
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Looks interesting. It's clearly designed and marketed at the Teen market and will probably be a great asset for them. Apple have directed their iPhone at the 20's and 30's demographic and I would imagine that most teens and parents would be squeemish of the iPhone price tag. I wouldn't buy my kids an iPhone even though I own one but this Kin would be much more suitable. I think this offers an alternative solution.
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You just know this will be ripe for puns along the lines of the 'near kin' and his distant cousin.
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I guess the lack of interest in this 'kin sums up the product really.
Why are MS so bad at this? I just don't get it.
iPhone Nano - Surely that's what the kids REALLY want...
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4. At 10:46am on 13 Apr 2010, JimmyJammy:
You wrote:
I don't think the Kin would have been successful even if it was released 10 years ago.
My reply:
Well that's true because myspace and facebook didn't exist back then so this phone would have been pretty pointless. :P
You wrote:
I don't think I'll be trading in my iPhone anytime soon...
My reply:
This phone isn't aimed at you nor the rest of the iPhone's target audience. That's what Windows Phone 7 is for.
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Hahaha kin! Terrible name. It's lame but the whole design is based in the palm pre. After loseing the mobile market they come back with this! Please stop wasting human resources and try to help the plantent instead of wasting money bing and this.
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What would be more strategic is to come out with unlocked phones at an affordable price, there would a large unmet demand for this.
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A Facebook phone? (This is what Kin is really.) Interesting idea, but of course many other smart phones can also offer access to FB.
But this might be seen as a young teen’s phone, before they can afford to save up for a full smart-phone.
I think different companies are trying out lots of different ideas so as to try and get an idea of what market sectors are emerging (age, interests and usage) and what each sector wants to use a phone for.
iPhones and Blackberry’s are all-singing, all-dancing style statements; yet one major mobile success story last year was a cheap, slim and unlocked phone from Tesco, that hit the spot with youngsters wanting a 2nd phone that would fit in a pocket of skintight jeans.
http://www.zonzoo.co.uk/news/2010/01/tesco-vx1i-party-phone-a-skinny-success/
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surely all phones have at least got WAP these days? so they can access mobile facebook... i dont see what this does, that a 5 yr old Nokia doesn't
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Here we have the most powerful software company in the world with huge resources of cash and manpower - the best programmers. Why have they failed to take on the Iphone and win. As as developer myself, I would rather develop software for a microsoft platform than apple. What I would like to see is a mobile that beats the Iphone in every way in hardware and believe me thats not hard. Microsoft are failing to get a grip on this market and I really cannot see why they keep getting it wrong
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I usually dont get involed with the MS and Apple debates but this time I feel I have too. Why are the Apple fanboys even bothered about this phone, it's not an IPhone, it's not trying to compete with the Iphone! it's a social media phone which gives easy access to FB, Myspace and Twitter, brilliant, if it works. If Microsoft get the price right and I mean under £20 a month on contract and more importantly it works, it should fly off the shelves.
To finish I would just like to say to all you IPhone users, you didnt write the app or invent the phone, why do you need to show me what it does? I am quite happy and safe in the knowledge that im paying £20 a month less than you for my contract and I could buy 2 laptops for the price of your phone. It's a case of people who think they are cool but aren't and people who dont care but are.
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Whatever the spec or the name of the phone, just make sure you give Microsoft lots of coverage. If one of their execs breaks wind, I'm sure the Beeb will be there to report it.
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I hate to seem pedantic, but since when has our vocabulary been enriched with the verb "To Debut"? It would appear to be similar to the use of "To Grow" to mean "To Increase" "To Make Larger" or "To Expand".......... As in: "Your job will be to grow the market in the territory assigned to you. Although I have nothing against the introduction of new words or meanings, these and similar neologies do rather clash on my ears.
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