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  #1  
Old 05-05-2010, 08:00 PM
Jason Dunn
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Default Microsoft's Kin: Dead On Arrival (in North America at Least)

http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/...ticle.php?a=365

"Quite frankly, I haven't been this disappointed in a phone in a long time. The list of complaints and missteps far outweighs the positives this time around. The basic concept of a phone focused on social networking is not new, and has been done better by others (Motorola, Palm, HTC). The Kin Loop and Kin Spot are neat concepts, no doubt, but the execution falls far, far short of what others have been able to accomplish." - Eric M. Zeman, phonescoop

"The execution (or lack thereof) on these products makes us legitimately concerned about what the company will do with Windows Phone 7. We can only hope that the similarities between those devices and the Kin handsets don't stretch much further than the "Windows Phone" label, because in our estimation, Kin is one side of the family that needs to be disowned... quickly." - Joshua Topolsky, Engadget

I had the opportunity to hear from the Kin team (back then they were the Pink team) back in November at the Mobius 2009 event - in fact, that's one of the reasons I titled my post "Fascinating, But Little That Can Be Shared". We spent several hours with the Kin team, really diving into what they were doing, but couldn't say anything about it. I knew that the Kin wasn't for me - it lacked too many features I'd want, but I knew exactly who the Kin was for: someone like my younger sister. She's 25 years old (I'm 35), uses a Motorola KRZR and a paper dayplanner, works for a non-profit agency, and is cost-conscious. She's careful about what she spends money on and is heavily into Facebook and texting (like most people her age). A phone like the Kin - a phone focused on social networking and sharing with friends, is exactly the kind of thing she'd love.

"Real" smartphones - of any brand - are still too costly for many people. Data plans in North America are still quite expensive - I was overjoyed when my GSM carrier (Rogers) gave me the opportunity to grab a 6 GB data plan for $30/month - so I knew that the key to the Kin being adopted by the target market its aimed at would be the pricing. Microsoft went for an exclusive carrier partnership - we knew that at Mobius - so I thought "OK, they've obviously gone exclusive to ensure a killer voice + data plan". The reality? The pricing plan from Verizon has killed the Kin.

Verizon's pricing plan for the Kin 1 is $49.99 and $99.99 for the Kin 2 - after a $100 rebate mind you - isn't bad. It's not great, but it's not bad. The initial cost of a phone is rarely the issue; it's the cost of using that phone every month, and here's where Verizon put a gun to the head of Microsoft's Kin and pulled the trigger. In addition to a minimum voice plan at $39.99 per month, the Kin requires a smartphone data plan at $29.99 per month. That's $70 per month, MINIMUM, to use the Kin. For a product that's less functional than any smartphone on the market today, Verizon and Microsoft seem to be relying on consumer ignorance to sell the Kin, because only someone ignorant of their other options would get a Kin.

For me, the pricing is where the Kin lives and dies - Microsoft had a golden opportunity to capture a slice of the market above feature phones, but below smartphones, and sadly they've completely blown it - all thanks to their "partner" Verizon. The Kin is going to be released internationally through Vodaphone, so there's a possibility the Kin will see some success in other parts of the world if Vodaphone understands what they need to do, but in North America? The Kin is dead on arrival - and it's a real shame.

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Old 05-05-2010, 08:33 PM
Ed Hansberry
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Don't you just love the carriers? Verizon doesn't care about the Kin, or any other phone. If you don't buy a Kin, you'll buy an Android, or ProductX. Why would they want to give the Kin a break? That just eats into their margins.

$70 is just for the voice and data. Being Zune enabled, many would want the $15/mo Zune Pass, so now the phone is $95. Now, here is where MS could show their dedication to the platform - give users a free zunepass for 1 year, thereby effectively cutting voice/data rates to $55. Think they will? I srsly doubt it.
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Old 05-05-2010, 08:39 PM
efjay
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You cant blame it all on Verizon, if that is what really happened. Doesnt MS have any guts or intelligence of their own? If they felt the pricing was not attractive why not go to another carrier? After all, if the pricing is too high what is the advantage of going with the supposed largest US carrier when you dont sell any devices? Why not go with T-Mobile, where the Sidekick originally lived and was popular and present it as the successor to the Sidekick, with cheaper plans that T-Mo is known for? Or any other carrier who would work WITH MS rather than just go for the green.

No, the fact is, Verizon did not hold a gun to MS's head, there were other alternative carriers available, but as usual Microsoft's small thinking prevailed and they went along with it. No one else to blame but themselves.

And sadly, thats not the only issue, poor browser (a WM staple), laggy (with a Tegra?), and other complaints about the software itself doesnt say much about Microsoft's ability to build a compelling experience with iWindows Phone 7.....

At some point, we have to start calling MS on these asinine decisions, if apple and google can get favourable carrier agreements for their phones, why cant Microsoft?
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Last edited by efjay; 05-05-2010 at 08:43 PM..
 
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Old 05-05-2010, 08:56 PM
Ed Hansberry
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efjay, you dn't know if other carriers were interested, or of those that may have been, were their pricing plans just as bad. We are all speculating here. I'm just saying, as a consumer if you don't like the price or selection at Wal*Mart you can go to Target, but as a company selling product, you can't shop around for a different customer for different terms quite as easily, if at all, and in the US, there are only 4 customers for MS to shop.
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Old 05-05-2010, 09:16 PM
efjay
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If MS couldnt get any other carrier interested they should have done what was necessary to get them interested. If the alternative was to put out a product that will be passed over due to its limitations and high cost, why bother? Why not put some of that oft-mentioned clout behind the Kin, either with profit-sharing, or something that would bring the phone pricing in line with what practically everyone expected? Why cripple the phone right at the start with a price that begs a comparison with more capable devices?
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Old 05-05-2010, 09:42 PM
Jason Dunn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay View Post
You cant blame it all on Verizon, if that is what really happened. Doesnt MS have any guts or intelligence of their own? If they felt the pricing was not attractive why not go to another carrier?
I do indeed blame Microsoft for getting into bed with Verizon with such unfavourable terms; it makes me wonder if there wasn't a last-minute change, because I find it really hard to believe that Microsoft thought that pricing would allow their product to succeed in the market...but what if Verizon was the only carrier that wanted the Kin? Yikes. That would put Microsoft in a position to either not launch Kin at all, killing it, or putting it out there with the one and only carrier who wanted it, hoping for the best. Both scenarios reek of suck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay View Post
No, the fact is, Verizon did not hold a gun to MS's head, there were other alternative carriers available, but as usual Microsoft's small thinking prevailed and they went along with it. No one else to blame but themselves.
How on earth do you know that for a fact? Given that T-Mobile has all of ONE Windows phone right now (HD2), do you really think that T-Mobile was jumping up and down to be Microsoft's partner? Windows Mobile has a lot of stink on it in the phone industry; I really doubt the carriers were falling all over themselves trying to be the exclusive Kin provider.

Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay View Post
And sadly, thats not the only issue, poor browser (a WM staple), laggy (with a Tegra?), and other complaints about the software itself doesnt say much about Microsoft's ability to build a compelling experience with iWindows Phone 7.....
Indeed, those are all real issues - although I do have to wonder about the perception factor...as in, compared to a "real" smartphone, the software doesn't measure up. But what about compared to a feature phone? The software tends to be ultra-sucktastic on feature phones, so the Kin in comparison might seem like a great upgrade...but at the pricing that Verizon has put on it, people willing to spend $70+ per month will just go get a real smartphone. Either way, Kin loses.
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  #7  
Old 05-05-2010, 09:58 PM
doogald
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Verizon has a $10 data plan for 250 mB of data per month that they offer for touchscreen feature phones, like the enV Touch. There is absolutely no reason in the world why they could not offer that plan for the Kin phones. You can still get an unlimited, $30 a month plan if that's what you wish - but if you are planning on using minimal data, why not the cheaper plan as an alternative?
 
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  #8  
Old 05-05-2010, 10:12 PM
Jason Dunn
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A surprisingly positive review:

http://solution.allthingsd.com/20100...-phone-review/

No mention of the Verizon plan pricing though, so I'm sure she wrote it before that info became public. She doesn't seem to have the same complaints about the software and services that Engadget and Phonescoop do; and Mossberg's crew can hardly be said to be pro-Microsoft...
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  #9  
Old 05-05-2010, 10:33 PM
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Another review, this one by a junior in school (how old would that make him anyway? We don't use that term in Canada):

http://www.slashgear.com/kin-a-view-...pload-0484305/

"The big point though, is data: $30 a month, in addition to regular costs. On the one hand, it�s a little high for teens, but considering that it includes unlimited data per month, as well as unlimited storage on Studio makes it much easier to accept. A flat fee that teens won�t have to worry about paying extra for going over a limit, and unlimited space on Studio to store everything is exactly what needed to be offered to make this appealing enough for teens at the price."

Question is, does he pay his cell phone will? Would his parents want to pay for this?
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Old 05-05-2010, 10:57 PM
Ed Hansberry
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn View Post
Another review, this one by a junior in school (how old would that make him anyway?
16-17yrs old
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