Microsoft's KIN: A Eulogy
by Brian Klug on July 13, 2010 3:42 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Microsoft
- KIN
- Mobile
There were two faces of the KIN. The ONE, a rounded yet squarish device with a 2.6" (66.04 mm) screen, and the TWO, which was a landscape slider with a 3.4" (86.36 mm) screen.
Forget the TWO, if the KIN were on your must have list, the device to have was the ONE.
Having carried both for over a month, there's no doubt in my mind that that if the KIN was a couple, the ONE was the much much better half. Form factor wise, it was different enough to be cool, and that at-first awkward square shape turned out to be what set it apart from every other device I've encountered. It was small, compact, and fresh. If you've played with a Palm Pre, the ONE is like a miniature, more square version with matte plastic. It's curvy but squarish, and there's a nice filleted edge on the back, so it rests in your palm naturally. My girlfriend took to calling it a tamagotchi - honestly, I don't think it's far from the mark. In a good way.
The 3.x" screen form factor slate is everywhere these days. In fact, it seems to be an Android and iOS mainstay to keep that form factor of devices in our pockets on into the future. It works, it's tried and true, but you know what? It's getting boring, fast. The Palm Pre was exciting because it was different and new - I just got that same vibe with the KIN ONE.
The KIN TWO was soulless, unfortunately. It looked and feelt like a bland attempt at making a landscape slider, just for the sake of having one in the lineup. It's a form factor that's been done better so many times by so many other manufacturers, that anything but perfect execution stands out - which is why the TWO felt so generic.
I originally suspected the TWO would be my favorite because of its spacious landscape keyboard, which would make it the better device for SMS. To my surprise, I found the ONE just as easy if not easier to type on. In fact, even though the TWO had a larger screen, 8 megapixel camera, and recorded 720p video, I'd gladly sacrifice any of those features for a smaller device that feels different like the ONE. The ONE actually felt occasionally faster too, no doubt thanks in part to the smaller display resolution bring rendered.
Until we get foldable displays or roll out screens, the 3.x" slate form factor smartphone will rule. The Sidekicks had some of the most radical form factors in the smartphone business, so it was depressing to see something as generic as the TWO being the result of so much of that talent. That said, the ONE was a unique form factor that felt just right for the KIN platform.
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Belard - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - link
MS Mobile was always... garbage. It did some NEAT things, badly. Nothing more.Everyone I know who used WindowsMobile or Blackberrys quickly went to iPhone when the iPhone came out and haven't looked back.
Of course, Apple is screwed up with their attitude issues with the lated iPhone4. Bad design flaw.
aebiv - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - link
What did it do badly?And I've found the opposite, a lot who went to the iPhone and BB were annoyed at the lack of applications and flexibility in the platforms,so they went back to WinMo
strikeback03 - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - link
I think it says something when the best feature of an OS is that it allows other stuff to be installed over it.Really, most people don't want to spend the extra money on a bunch of software just to get the OS to a functional state. And it still feels like what it is - a hacked together assembly of programs that have an uneasy truce amongst each other. Unless you need some of the enterprise integration available, there is no way I could recommend a WM 6.x phone to anyone.
aebiv - Thursday, July 15, 2010 - link
And in the same line of thinking as that, calling the iPhone a smartphone is a joke. It is a glorified, and admittedly very well done top end feature phone.kmmatney - Friday, July 16, 2010 - link
Fist of all, saying the iPhone is not a smartphone is assinine. Second - Look at the scoreboard - WinMo 6 phones are losing ground for a very good reason - they just aren't as nice to use as the iPhone or Android. The battle has already been lostaebiv - Saturday, July 17, 2010 - link
Really? Was the first gen a smartphone? It couldn't even send MMS messages or multitask at all. My old dumb phones did more than it did.What have we added? Apps? Great... what does that do for me again? Can I do network packet sniffing? Can I use it as an IR remote for TV's and devices?
I can't plug anything into the iPhone through USB host either on an iPhone.
It is NOT a smartphone, it is a glorified, overpriced feature phone. The sad thing is, WP7 and Android 3.0 are heading down the same path.
Commodus - Saturday, July 17, 2010 - link
Actually, you can use it as a remote. You need an adapter with a custom app, but it can be done.The iPhone is very much a smartphone. Just ask the enterprises using sales apps and juggling Exchange data. Ask the people using it as part of home automation systems.
Yes, Apple could stand to loosen its app guidelines, but the very definition of a smartphone is one that focuses heavily on functions beyond making calls and receiving text messages, especially if it has robust apps. If anything, Windows Mobile is feeling less and less like a smartphone OS every day, as there are far fewer apps for it now than iOS (and likely Android too) and a narrower range.
It's no longer 2002. We'd like you to join us in an era where you don't need a stylus to make up for bad UIs and bad touchscreens, where you're allowed to have fun on your phone, and where the web is an important part of life, not an afterthought (as it clearly is with Internet Explorer Mobile).
aebiv - Sunday, July 18, 2010 - link
Yes, we're improving the UI, that is for certain.However, there are somethings such as RDP and signatures that will never be "finger friendly" so why are we in such a rush to be complete rid of the stylus?
The iPhone has had exchange issues both in synchronization with the latest phone, and with the first couple generations in "faking" the security policy enforcement for exchange.
Can I push out apps and security policies to an iPhone from a central location? No. Can I use it as a messaging device? By all means.
Yes, Apple has a lot of apps out there, but so many of them are worthless IMHO, Android is doing a bit better with that I'll admit, but they still don't have a great GPS application.
I don't understand how you mean there are far fewer apps for WinMo, as virtually all the old ones still work and are still around, and new ones are still being made. One only has to look at Omarket or the XDA application to see all the new apps out for it.
Question though, the iPhone still doesn't allow for network diag tools like packet capture and such right?
nangryo - Sunday, July 18, 2010 - link
That's why you need to wake up and get out of your distorted reality dream ok.aebiv - Sunday, July 18, 2010 - link
Why do you hate someone who has different needs for a mobile phone OS so much?Are you really that insecure that everyone has to use what you use?