Neowin News Feed for: Kin

Microsoft job listing hints at new ‘digital memories' platform for photos and video

John Devon — Sat, 14 May 2016 22:50:01 +0000

Microsoft plans to create client applications under its new ‘Evoke Studio' banner, according to a recent job posting. Microsoft Research and OneDrive are listed as implementation partners. Read more...

Original Xbox chief discusses Kin, Windows Phone and Xboy handheld

John Devon — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 03:08:01 +0000

In a new interview, Robbie Bach describes the difficult history of Xbox launches, Microsoft's mobile efforts and Apple TV's potential place in the console battle. Read more...

Even more leaked videos show Microsoft's Kin disaster

John Callaham — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Some more leaked videos show the Kin smartphone, developed by Microsoft, had some serious issues well before the products were launched, and then quickly pulled, in 2010. Read more...

Leaked vids show Microsoft Kin's performance issues ahead of launch

Andy Weir — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:06:20 +0000

Microsoft's Kin - a pair of devices designed for younger users - was an unmitigated commercial failure. But leaked focus group videos show how flawed the devices were even before their release. Read more...

Trivia Tuesday: 4 Microsoft products you've probably forgotten

Tyler Holman — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Delve into the shadowy corridors of Redmond as Trivia Tuesday takes a look at some of Microsoft's forgotten products, from an obscure 1979 adventure game to the ill-fated Kin mobile phone line. Read more...

Microsoft pulls the plug on Kin Studio

Brad Sams — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:02:16 +0000

The KIN series of devices have been nothing short of a colossal blunder for Microsoft. After being pulled from store shelves after dismal sales, and then reemerging several months later, KIN Studio is now officially... Read more...

More Kin Studio-like features on roadmap for WP7

Brenton Currie — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 02:27:58 +0000

At the world's biggest consumer technology show CES this week, Microsoft revealed more web app integration on par with Kin Studio is on the roadmap for their recently released mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7. While... Read more...

Microsoft to close KIN Studio

Brad Sams — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:12:12 +0000

Microsoft KIN ONEm and TWOm back in stock at Verizon

Brad Sams — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:11:46 +0000

The Microsoft KIN line of phones was nothing short of a disaster for Microsoft the first time around as it failed to meet sales expectations. For a phone targeted to tweens and teens but required... Read more...

KIN ONE and TWO resurrected and returning to Verizon

Benjamin Rubenstein — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 04:28:03 +0000

It seems like yesterday when Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, said that the KIN ONE and TWO were taking away attention from Windows Phone 7 and, therefore, had to be discontinued. It also seems like yesterday... Read more...

Gartner research predicts Windows Phone 7 will fail like Kin

Brandon Boyce — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:21:34 +0000

A well known market research company, Gartner, has made the prediction that Windows Phone 7 will ultimately be a flop -- much like the Kin -- and won't gather the popularity Microsoft hopes it will.... Read more...

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer had his bonus dumbed down for Kin failure

Tom Warren — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:54:19 +0000

Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer, did not receive his maximum bonus for the last fiscal year, despite a record year with the company's highest ever sales. 54 year old Ballmer took a bonus hit due to the... Read more...

Microsoft employees embarrassed over Kin failure

Brad Sams — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:09:32 +0000

Microsoft’s latest catastrophe, the Kin, has quickly become a huge embarrassment for Microsoft employees of all levels. They only sold 10,000 units before killing the project, and internal embarrassment is quickly tuning into public... Read more...

Microsoft sold around 10,000 KIN devices

Tom Warren — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:04:30 +0000

Rumours continue concerning Microsoft's KIN sales numbers. Early estimates suggested the software giant had only sold 500 of the devices. John Gruber, a blogger notorious for his inside information on Apple, claimed Microsoft sold 503 devices.... Read more...

Ding dong, the Microsoft Kin is dead

Owen Williams — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:23:54 +0000

Engadget is reporting that the Kin is dead, even though the device was only released a few short months ago, and is still receiving updates. Sources close to Microsoft have told Engadget that Andy Lees, Senior... Read more...

Verizon Wireless dropping the price of the Kin

Brandon Boyce — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:15:02 +0000

The Kin, Microsoft's attempt at a social phone, didn't catch on quite like the software giant had hoped. There were a lot of complaints from reviewers when the phone was first released. In an attempt... Read more...

Best Buy slashes Kin pricing

Tzvi Friedman — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:50:22 +0000

Microsoft's Kin series of phones has had a rough infancy. Its initial reviews were anything but praiseworthy, and the only feature that everyone could agree was nice was the Studio cloud-based content backup service, which... Read more...

Microsoft and Verizon defend Kin

Tzvi Friedman — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:56:02 +0000

Reviews for Microsoft's Kin phones may have been mixed, but one thing almost everyone agreed on was that paying for smartphone level data plans was too much for the reletively feature deficient devices targeted at... Read more...

Kin: Does Microsoft's Socialphone live up to the hype?

Tzvi Friedman — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:40:02 +0000

"It's the phone I'd beg my mom for if I was 15 again. And didn't want an iPhone." While reviews around the Internet have been decidedly mixed, Gizmodo's summarization of Microsoft's... Read more...

Microsoft's Kin might be available for multiple carriers

Andrew Lyle — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 01:40:01 +0000

Microsoft's Kin phones might not be so exclusive to Verizon and Vodafone, after a hacker, known on the Internet as Conflipper, managed to pull up a list of carriers in an early edition of the... Read more...

Kin promo video edited after 'sexting' complaints

Matt Blowes — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:16:04 +0000

Microsoft has apologised via tweet after it was suspected one of the promotional videos for the recently announced Kin mobile phone series contained material encouraging 'sexting'. The tweet read, "Microsoft has deleted the inappropriate portion... Read more...

Microsoft Kin updates will have up to a 15 minute delay

Brad Sams — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:44:01 +0000

Microsoft has stated that the Kin will only be able to update itself on 15 minute intervals. The Kin devices will not have true push technology so don’t expect Twitter feeds to be updated... Read more...

Microsoft's Kin phones unveiled, coming May

Andrew Fairbairn — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:28:01 +0000

As we await Microsoft and Verizon's "mystery event" scheduled in just thirty minutes time, the first Project Pink handsets, currently only known as Turtle and Pure, have appeared in Verizon's inventory system and are confirmed... Read more...