First Impressions Of Microsoft Kin 1 & Kin 2First Impressions Of Microsoft Kin 1 & Kin 2

Beyond the new mobile platform, Microsoft also introduced the two first devices that will run Kin. The Kin 1 and Kin 2 are already polarizing the Internet with their consumer-esque design. Can these two phones help launch Kin, or will people shy away?The Kin 1 and Kin 2 are interesting devices...and I don't mean interesting in a good way. Shared features of these two devices include sliding form factors with physical QWERTY keyboard, solid cameras, on-board storage and of course the identical Kin software. As Microsoft explained to me, the Kin 1 is for feeding and the Kin 2 is for feasting. Both are, well, somewhat goofy looking.

Kin 1

The Kin 1 is the device nick-named "Turtle" by the blogosphere, and was first seen as long as a year ago in spy shots. It is a round, hockey-puck style device that is very small and will easily slip into a pocket. It feels pretty good in the hands, and has a snug keyboard for pecking out messages.

The display is capacitive and features pinch-to-zoom in the browser, but no where else in the UI. It has 4GB of on-board storage, and a 5 megapixel camera with flash. That's a powerful camera. It also captures standard definition video. The button controlling the camera works well, and is easy enough to find.

This teensie phone is aimed at those with smaller hands (and probably a willingness to be made fun of).

Kin 2

Kin 2 is definitely the more capable of the two handsets. The screen is nearly twice as big as the 1's, and the wider QWERTY is better for those with larger hands. Speaking of the keyboard, I thought the buttons felt great. The Danger heritage was obvious. Anyone who used a SideKick messaging device from Danger will know what I am talking about.

The screen looked great. The UI was responsive, and I noticed no stuttering or other weirdness when using it. The Kin 2 has a Droid-smashing 8-megapixel camera, captures video in HD, and has a flash that is 8x as powerful as any other camera phone (according to Microsoft). In the couple of test shots I took, I can tell you, it is bright as hell.

It has a much bigger overall footprint compared to the Kin 1, but the bigger screen makes it worth it. It is about as thick as the Motorola Droid is.

Both phones have a similar feel thanks to the user interface, which is identical. They will be available in May, though neither Microsoft nor launch partner Verizon Wireless has said how much the devices will cost.

This subject was ripe for debate among a number of bloggers attending the event. Many believe they'll bow at the $50 and $100 price points in order to gain favor with consumers, but I don't think so. Danger's line of SideKick/HipTop devices always sold in the $200 - $300 range. I'd be surprised if they come to market for anything less than $100 for the Kin 1 and $200 for the Kin 2. We'll see.

As for data plans, that's also a big question. I think both phones go far and above what Verizon expects to deliver to the "messaging phones" that get away with paying a mandatory $10 monthly data fee. You see, one of the core facets of Kin is that the devices are constantly uploading data to a user's Kin Studio. This includes the full 8-megapixel files that users capture as they go. That takes bandwidth.

I also don't think Verizon will charge the full $30 unlimited (but really 5GB) monthly data plan that smartphones are saddled with. Is there room for a $15 or $20 fee for these in-betweeners? We'll have to see.

Verizon hasn't said when pricing for the devices and plans will be announced.