New Microsoft phones aim at young consumers

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Microsoft on Monday unveiled two new mobile phones dubbed "Kin One" and "Kin Two," aiming at young consumers who emphasize social networking.

A new smart phone called "Kin One" is introduced  at a Microsoft news conference in San Francisco,  California April 12, 2010. Microsoft Corp  launched two new phones aimed at young people on  Monday, marking a fresh assault on the low end  of the growing smartphone market, where BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd and Apple Inc now  dominate. (Xinhua/Reuters)

Both the new Kin phones have touch screens, slide-out QWERTY keyboards and cameras, and are powered by Windows Phone 7 Series software which Microsoft launched in February.

Kin One is smaller, designed to be used with only one hand, while Kin Two has a larger screen and keyboard and more memory.

Touting the Kin as a new kind of "social phone," Microsoft said its new handset will have a fun and simple interface that can automatically bring together feeds from Facebook and other leading social networking services all in one place, making it easier for users to stay connected.

"Social's part of the DNA of this phone," said Derek Snyder, a product manager at Windows Mobile, at an unveiling event for the new phones in San Francisco, "social networks are the cornerstone of this experience."

"Kin is an interesting attempt to target the 15 to 25 market," said Ross Rubin, consumer electronics and wireless industry analyst at market research firm NPD Group.

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