If you’re on Verizon or just want an interesting Microsoft off-shoot of their Windows Phone series, then the Kin One (a partnership with Sharp) may be for you. Plus you can have it for the low-low price of $25 (free shipping).
The Kin One, was a device released in April 2010 and can be considered part of the Microsoft-in-transition-what-the-hell-are-we-doing phase of the company. Seriously, Windows Phone 7 was just announced and prepping for release that fall when the Kin One (and Two) came along and confused everyone. What does it run? How is it related to Windows Phone? And most importantly, Why?
Fun fact: the Kin One and Two grew out of the secretive 'Project Pink' at Microsoft...
The Kin One and Two eventually flopped badly on Verizon and rumors have it that Big Red didn’t forgive the quickly cancelled fiasco with Microsoft. It’s often cited as one of the reasons why Windows Phone took time to creep onto the carrier and let’s face it, it wasn’t until the Lumia 822/HTC 8X/Samsung Odyssey and the recent Lumia 928 did Verizon take Windows Phone seriously.
What is interesting about the One (and Two) is you see a lot of precursors to the Windows Phone design, aesthetics, focus on social and perhaps a peek into Microsoft’s future. The Kin Studio was in many ways ahead of its time and while the device was a bomb, it has interesting aspects to it. Speaking of Kin Studio, it was killed off, meaning this phone and some of its cloud-based services have been knee-capped just a tad.
Specifications
- CDMA 800/1900
- 600MHz ARM 11 Nvidia Tegra processor
- 2.6-Inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
- Internal 4 GB storage, 256MB RAM
- 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash
- Built-in Zune player
- Geo-tagging, face and smile detection
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
- Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
- Up to 200 hours of standby time
- 82.6 x 63.5 x 19.1 mm (3.25 x 2.5 x 0.75 in)
- 110.6 (3.88 oz)
So what do you get for your $25? A 2010 era feature phone that focuses heavily on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace (LOL), web and music services. Plus you get a mini-chicklet keyboard.
And yes, we bought one to throw into our pile of reference devices, thank you.
Anyway, pick it up on Daily Steels (link below). Read our three-part review here: one, two and three.
Source: Daily Steals; Thanks, Owen S., for the tip!
Xbox All Access plans go live on Amazon with console, Game Pass, more
Microsoft's Xbox All Access program is back, and now you can sign up for it at Amazon. The package gets you a console, Xbox Game Pass subscription, and an upgrade option to Project Scarlett next year, all for a monthly subscription price.
We lay out whether the XPS 13 2-in-1 or standard XPS 13 is a better buy
Dell's lineup includes both convertible and non-convertible versions of the XPS 13, and while they're both premium options, there are some similarities and differences to note before deciding on which will be your next PC.
How does the new Surface Pro 7 compare to the Surface Go?
The refreshed Surface Pro 7 has some interesting new features, but it's still the powerful 2-in-1 we love. How does it compare to the portable Surface Go? We lay things out to help you decide.
Keep it old school with the best dot matrix printers of 2019
Dot matrix printers are still used the world over because of their reliability and longevity. We found the best around just for you.
