Microsoft Kin Two: Highly Specialized Social Networking

Joining the fray of social networking phones out in the market are the Kin duo of devices from computer giant Microsoft. Both mobile phones were unveiled last April 12, 2010 as a brand new device series centered on the things that matter the most hence their range of social networking features.

The Kin (also written as KIN) will be manufactured by Japanese electronics corporation Sharp. Both are targeted towards a 15 to 20 year old market and are based heavily on the Danger Hiptop. The Microsoft Kin One has the nickname Turtle and the Microsoft Kin Two has the nickname Pure. The Kin Two will have an advantage over the Kin One in terms of built-in hardware.

Customized Social Networking Features Keep People in the Loop

Because both the Pure and the Turtle are meant to be social networking tools, almost all of the pre-packed features are centered on online account upkeep. This is true even down to the home screen. The Kins home screen uses an aggregator system referred to as the Kin Loop. It is able to tie together messages, status updates and other details of selected contacts. Connections from Facebook, MySpace, as well as Windows Live may be highlighted straight on the home screen. Web RSS feeds can also be shown on the screen as well.

There have been reports about 15 minute update delays in the Kin Loop. Microsoft has commented that the delays may be caused by social networking APIs or a usage issue related to battery life.

Its Time to Share

Sharing is made easy with the Microsoft Kin Two. The Kin Spot system is used to streamline the process. Users simply have to drag and drop desired posts, videos or images onto the green spot found on the bottom portion of the screen. This then gives them the option to share these items to contacts through either a message (email, SMS or MMS) or on the users social networking accounts in Windows Live, Facebook or on MySpace. For now, Kin still has no support for Twitter media uploads but Microsoft has indicated that there are compatibility updates in store for the Kin devices.

Since the memory of Kin mobile phones are non expandable, a Cloud system called Kin Studio is utilized in order to backup user data. Messages, photos, videos and even call logs may be stored online. This may raise eyebrows of former Danger Sidekick users who experienced a data loss incident which occurred on October 2009.

Missing Ingredients

Even for something that is not a smart phone, the Microsoft Kin Two is an impressive device hardware-wise. It does need a few updates though, if Microsoft wants it to be the social networking tool of choice. As of now, it still lacks support for video and photo sharing on Twitter. Also, there is no pre-packed IM client, which may dissuade people from buying it on launch. Even syncing is also missing, but these features can easily be included in a later update. Pick up the best mobile phones with free gifts such as the new Microsoft Kin Two deals from the latest mobile phone contracts on offer.