Microsoft KIN “Cloud Phones” Launch May 6

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By Amy Gilroy
Microsoft announced a May 6 debut for its KIN “Cloud phones” through Verizon Wireless online and revealed pricing on the phones, dubbed KIN ONE and KIN TWO, which met with some early kudos in the press.
The phones will reach Verizon stores on Thursday, May 13 after the May 6 debut online at $50 and $100 after rebate.
Billed as “social phones” the KIN ONE and KIN TWO are slider-style phones that merge feeds from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc. in one place with a fluid user interface. They also automatically store your photos and videos in the cloud (on secure servers) and date-stamp them so your photos are always handy in the format of a “journal of your life,” says Microsoft. They are also the first phones to use the new Windows Phone OS and the first Windows phones to ship with Zune music and video.
They have touch screens and high end cameras with the KIN TWO offering an 8MP camera and hi-def video record capability—not bad at $99, according to our resident consultant Larry Reich at Digital Age Communications.
The smaller, more pocketable KIN ONE is a one-handed slider and the KIN TWO, with a wider keyboard, is designed for two-handed use.
Both require a two-year Verizon contract and customers get a $100 rebate in the form of a debut card usable as cash. Data plans start at $30 for unlimited access
Source: Microsoft

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