Expand

Microsoft's new Sharp-built handsets - the Kin 2 (L) and the Kin 1
(R). Photo / Supplied

Shrink

Microsoft's new Sharp-built handsets - the Kin 2 (L) and the Kin 1
(R). Photo / Supplied

SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft unveiled two phones overnight that are
meant for social networking-savvy teens and twenty-somethings, in an
attempt to revitalise its mobile business and regain ground on iPhones
and BlackBerrys.

Microsoft said its new touch-screen phones - a short, square-shaped
handset called Kin 1 and a longer, more rectangular one called Kin 2 -
will be sold exclusively in the US by Verizon Wireless.

They are being made by Sharp, which has produced Sidekick cell phones,
whose software comes from Microsoft-owned Danger.

In the past, Microsoft has mostly sold its mobile software to other
companies to put it on phones they make.

This will be the case with its recently announced Windows Phone 7 Series
software, which is expected to be on handsets by the US holidays. The
Kin phones mark a departure, as Microsoft has sway over the creation of
their software and hardware.

Verizon said it will start selling
the Kin phones online in early May and in stores shortly thereafter. In
the fall, carrier Vodafone Group - which owns Verizon Wireless in
partnership with Verizon Communications - will start selling the Kin
phones in Italy, Spain, Germany and the U.K.

Microsoft has not yet announced prices.

Microsoft needs help in the cell phone market. Its software has been
losing share while Apple and Google, which makes the Android operating
software, have gained.

Microsoft software ran on 13.1 per cent of smart phones sold in the US
last year, according to research firm In-Stat. That put Microsoft in
third place after BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. and Apple.

Roz Ho, leader of the Microsoft team behind the Kin, said the company
has been working on the Kin devices for several years, trying to create a
handset for people who especially want to connect with others over
social websites such as Facebook.

The phones are also meant for people who want a handset that works
simply, without forcing them to hunt through menus and icons, she said.

That setup could also present a risk. Unlike most popular smart phones,
the Kins won't have access to application stores that let customers
download add-on software programs. Ho said her team studied consumer
habits and then built the activities they used most often into the Kin
phones.

For instance, in a demo, the Kin's home screen showed a live stream of
updates to social networks and websites that can be clicked on and
responded to.

Users can send photos and other material to people dragging it onto a
little circle at the bottom of the screen. A finger swipe across the
screen can then bring up a page with applications such as photos and
music.

The music player will be based on Microsoft's Zune software, which until
now has been only a standalone media player.

The Zune software also will be incorporated into the Windows Phone 7
handsets that multiple manufacturers will be able to use.

That software was announced first, at the Mobile World Congress trade
show in Barcelona, Spain, in February, but will hit the market later.
Microsoft and Verizon said they don't think consumers will get confused.

John Starkweather, who runs the digital marketing team behind the Kin,
said the handsets will not be obviously branded as Microsoft products.

They will sport a sizeable "Kin" logo on the back and, in smaller type,
an indication that they are Windows phones from Verizon and Sharp, he
said.

Both Kin phones are black with screens that respond to multiple finger
gestures, similar to the "multitouch" technology on the iPhone.

The shorter Kin 1 has a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the
bottom, while the Kin 2 has a full QWERTY keyboard that comes out from
its side.

Both include Wi-Fi access and cameras capable of taking
higher-resolution photos than most handsets: The Kin 1 will include a
5-megapixel camera, while the Kin 2 will have a 8-megapixel camera.

The Kin 2 will also be capable of shooting HD-quality video.

Neither has a memory card slot; instead, the phones will upload content
such as photos and videos to a Kin online storage service to free up
memory.

Microsoft already does something similar with the Sidekick phones - it
stores phone numbers, photos and other personal data on servers it runs.

This resulted in an embarrassing incident late last year, when a server
meltdown caused data to disappear from some users' phones. T-Mobile
temporarily stopped selling the phones, and some customers even sued.

Microsoft managed to restore most of the missing data, and gave US$100
gift cards to affected customers.

Expand

Microsoft's new Sharp-built handsets - the Kin 2 (L) and the Kin 1
(R). Photo / Supplied

Shrink

Microsoft's new Sharp-built handsets - the Kin 2 (L) and the Kin 1
(R). Photo / Supplied

SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft unveiled two phones overnight that are
meant for social networking-savvy teens and twenty-somethings, in an
attempt to revitalise its mobile business and regain ground on iPhones
and BlackBerrys.

Microsoft said its new touch-screen phones - a short, square-shaped
handset called Kin 1 and a longer, more rectangular one called Kin 2 -
will be sold exclusively in the US by Verizon Wireless.

They are being made by Sharp, which has produced Sidekick cell phones,
whose software comes from Microsoft-owned Danger.

In the past, Microsoft has mostly sold its mobile software to other
companies to put it on phones they make.

This will be the case with its recently announced Windows Phone 7 Series
software, which is expected to be on handsets by the US holidays. The
Kin phones mark a departure, as Microsoft has sway over the creation of
their software and hardware.

Verizon said it will start selling
the Kin phones online in early May and in stores shortly thereafter. In
the fall, carrier Vodafone Group - which owns Verizon Wireless in
partnership with Verizon Communications - will start selling the Kin
phones in Italy, Spain, Germany and the U.K.

Microsoft has not yet announced prices.

Microsoft needs help in the cell phone market. Its software has been
losing share while Apple and Google, which makes the Android operating
software, have gained.

Microsoft software ran on 13.1 per cent of smart phones sold in the US
last year, according to research firm In-Stat. That put Microsoft in
third place after BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. and Apple.

Roz Ho, leader of the Microsoft team behind the Kin, said the company
has been working on the Kin devices for several years, trying to create a
handset for people who especially want to connect with others over
social websites such as Facebook.

The phones are also meant for people who want a handset that works
simply, without forcing them to hunt through menus and icons, she said.

That setup could also present a risk. Unlike most popular smart phones,
the Kins won't have access to application stores that let customers
download add-on software programs. Ho said her team studied consumer
habits and then built the activities they used most often into the Kin
phones.

For instance, in a demo, the Kin's home screen showed a live stream of
updates to social networks and websites that can be clicked on and
responded to.

Users can send photos and other material to people dragging it onto a
little circle at the bottom of the screen. A finger swipe across the
screen can then bring up a page with applications such as photos and
music.

The music player will be based on Microsoft's Zune software, which until
now has been only a standalone media player.

The Zune software also will be incorporated into the Windows Phone 7
handsets that multiple manufacturers will be able to use.

That software was announced first, at the Mobile World Congress trade
show in Barcelona, Spain, in February, but will hit the market later.
Microsoft and Verizon said they don't think consumers will get confused.

John Starkweather, who runs the digital marketing team behind the Kin,
said the handsets will not be obviously branded as Microsoft products.

They will sport a sizeable "Kin" logo on the back and, in smaller type,
an indication that they are Windows phones from Verizon and Sharp, he
said.

Both Kin phones are black with screens that respond to multiple finger
gestures, similar to the "multitouch" technology on the iPhone.

The shorter Kin 1 has a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the
bottom, while the Kin 2 has a full QWERTY keyboard that comes out from
its side.

Both include Wi-Fi access and cameras capable of taking
higher-resolution photos than most handsets: The Kin 1 will include a
5-megapixel camera, while the Kin 2 will have a 8-megapixel camera.

The Kin 2 will also be capable of shooting HD-quality video.

Neither has a memory card slot; instead, the phones will upload content
such as photos and videos to a Kin online storage service to free up
memory.

Microsoft already does something similar with the Sidekick phones - it
stores phone numbers, photos and other personal data on servers it runs.

This resulted in an embarrassing incident late last year, when a server
meltdown caused data to disappear from some users' phones. T-Mobile
temporarily stopped selling the phones, and some customers even sued.

Microsoft managed to restore most of the missing data, and gave US$100
gift cards to affected customers.