Worst Gadgets Ever 002: Microsoft Kin | Pocketnow

The Microsoft Kin. The very name conjures a sense of loss. The whole fiasco still bears that special flavor of disappointment that only the spectacular collapse of an ambitious concept can deliver.
The Kin device family was born of the ashes of the Sidekick and the Hiptop, in the wake of Microsoft's acquisition of Danger. It promised an early peek into what would eventually become the new Windows Phone, and ushered in some of the UI concepts we see in the platform today.
Unfortunately, according to reports from sites covering the saga at the time, the Kin was also the victim of corporate infighting and a steadfast refusal to commit the necessary resources to its development. As a result, it arrived on the market in a decidedly half-baked state, was paired with a truly horrible data plan offering from Verizon Wireless, and accordingly, failed in spectacular fashion. Sales were halted barely three months after they began, with some rumors quoting global sell-through figures in the hundreds.
What made the Kin so repugnant? Was there anything worthwhile at all in this strange pair of devices, with their peculiar packaging, strange interface, cheap plastics, and mushy buttons? What was it like to hold a Kin Two during the short time it was offered on the shelves of America's largest carrier? How much of the old Kin interface remains in today's Windows Phones? We'll try to answer some of those questions in Episode 002 of Worst Gadgets Ever. Check the video above.
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Worst Gadgets Ever 002: Microsoft Kin | Pocketnow
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[@winstonpurnomo9932]

Michael Fisher, 2012: "They're not to be mocked" Also Michael, 2020: "Microsoft Kin, a product for which the word failure is too generous"

[@StevenEveral]

Who else is here from his Sidekick video?

[@idhamnasir7810]

Steven Manning me

[@victorkyaw532]

Same.

[@pandaengine]

I came here thinking it was a Mr Mobile video, but I noticed the different speech tone, THEN SAW IT WAS A 7 Y.O VIDEO! 😂

[@thatchanguy]

Before there was Mr. Mobile, there was PocketNow.

[@mrchrisknight315]

Same here.

[@PrecisionThrows]

"Don't have kids if you're not ready to care for them" -Michael Fisher 2k12

That's one quality PSA !

[@michaelmcelwain8971]

A quality PSA that I wish more people would push.

[@venky3867]

Fisher bhadva

[@torrace12]

smart joke lol

[@fahmidaltahsin9310]

This surprising aged well. Came from When Phones were fun episode 3 on Micheal's own channel Date: 31-05-2020

[@miiiikku]

This changes things. I love the dry Microsoft humour.

[@GerbilNoises]

miiiikku I hate Microsoft because they basically ended the Lumia phone line.

[@sebastiandewolfe7849]

@@GerbilNoises but they also started it

[@GerbilNoises]

@@sebastiandewolfe7849 ok?

[@GerbilNoises]

@@sebastiandewolfe7849 nice 2 year late reply

[@josephsaafan7838]

@@GerbilNoises but windows phone did suck

[@StevenSmyth]

Insightful as usual Michael. My daughter had a Samsung Intensity II (I got it for her about the time the KINs came out) which had just given up the ghost after a year of heavy texting. I got her a KIN TWOm, which did not have the KIN Spot or a data plan. She could only Facebook and Twitter from IE but she could text and email and it served her well until I got her an Samsung Stratosphere. With the 8MP/720p shooter it might have been the last, great feature phone.

[@medes5597]

I loved my sidekick. I really wanted this to be a sequel but it wasnt really. It was a odd mix between a sidekick and a cheap throwaway phone

[@Neoknightshade]

WE NEED MORE OF THIS SHOW

[@RyanGill86]

Agreed!

[@matthewferraro8020]

Neo Zanzuken search ashens for more

[@jack-yn1wt]

Please tell me you know of his channel 4 years later

[@StevenReviews]

This phone reminds me of Snapchat running on an iPhone 4

[@mackrelburgess9087]

The kin is like finding spinach inside ice-cream

[@alphazar]

Mackrel Burgess lol

[@richards1708]

Microsoft :"This changes things" Apple:"This changes nothing." Microsoft:"This changes nothing."

[@KJAYG]

The Sidekick video brought me back here! Who else has been watching MrMobile since he was called Captain2Phones at Pocketnow?!

[@The_A_Cast]

I remember I was so stoked to get my Kin 2 with its WIFI availability and it’s camera with flash. But within a month, I was so tired of it. And if I remember correctly you couldn’t take a pic then send it later. The phone I had, if you wanted to send a pic via mms, you had to open up the text message app then take a pic in the message in order to send it

[@carlgrimeseyepatch27]

I was so confused thinking that was a Bluetooth speaker 😂

[@morgenstern4.669]

That was fucking deep.

[@matthewferraro8020]

Nicholas D'alterio agreed

[@pacboy24]

i really enjoyed that phone, i used it to its fullest potential.. but one day it has a weird black and white strip theme saying upgrading, please wait... and stayed stuck on that screen making it unusable =/

[@mustangrt8866]

You didn't find Pringles in the package

[@fitfogey]

Would have been better if he did.

[@frostycreeper1055]

The great great great great great grandfather of the Microsoft Lumia 950....

[@frostycreeper1055]

Microsoft should have called Kin OS, Windows Phone Vista....

[@drepixstudios6848]

+FrostyCreeper10 YES

[@acaaew]

I think Windows Mobile ME would have been more fitting.

[@frostycreeper1055]

Andrew It's not really ME tho...

[@bloozism]

I saw a KIN once, i was like "wtf am i seeing this in real life" ?

[@MykeBatez]

Still a great series, this and after the Buzz are two of my favorite series on KZbin. Keep them up! :D

[@luyangche8278]

It bores a close resemblance to a soap dish... Lol

[@choonblaze]

Lol

[@portalplayer]

the UI is actually very nice looking judging by this video.. i like that it can be used in landscape mode, while Windows phone is always stuck in portrait.

[@fitfogey]

Microsoft is notorious for having in fighting and inner competition struggles. SQL Server MSDE vs Access (Jet) since basically the year 2000 is another example. MSDE sort of won morphing into SQL Server Express and becoming more prominent than Access for centralized data storage but the Access group is still hanging in there. The war is still ongoing.

[@HarmonicVector]

Personally I like that dot feature that served as a clipboard for a ton of things.

[@archechme]

Ah... I thought sliding it too fast was a fault with my HTC G1. Glad to know it's a common problem.

[@po.russki]

I loved my Kin when I had it. It was a feature phone that had the hardware of a smartphone and didn't have to pay for a data plan!

[@stanleyguzman694]

Michael fisher made this sound tragic.

[@cynrez]

SHAME they could have brought back the sidekick SHAME

[@marleyanddalton]

I love how they showed HTC when talking about reiteration, but showed Apple when speaking of innovation.

[@Kyrop87]

The kin is what initially had me worried about Windows Phone's success because of the resemblance. However, I think they got it right this time.

[@lukewind30]

Outside of its gaming division, MS really has no one working for them with any creative talent.

[@mazzamunchkin465]

LOL! You open up the case and all you see is "THS CHANGES THINGS." lol

[@GeoNeilUK]

This looks like something 3's INQ brand would have brought out back in the day. Honestly, the similarities between this and the likes of the INQ1 and INQ Chat are there to see, from the ALL CAPS fonts bold colour scheme of the interface to the memorable packaging of the INQ1 with its artsy graphic design. INQ was aimed at pretty much the same market as Kin. If only this got a UK release or if the Kin division was sold of by Microsoft instead of closed down, or if Hutchison Whampoa (parent company of 3 and INQ) got their hands on Danger instead of MS.

[@EpicOmair]

THANKS POCKETNOW FOR MAKING THE MOST UNIQUE WAY OF TECH REVIEW VIDEOS.., UNDOUBTEDLY THE BEST TECH REVIEW SOLUTION !

[@slightlyusedpsx]

Please bring this show back!

[@SolidIncMedia]

Indeed he did. And it's possible. If a phone is too light, it feels too flimsy and you feel like you're going to break it by looking at it. If it's too heavy, you feel like it's a brick and therefore has the processing power of a brick. Basically, it's all in your head, and phone companies try and make phones that are light, but still feel nice in your hand.

[@StephanWahlen]

I like this shows form factor :) Im shure you will do an episode about the Microsoft Zune

[@freddoublestuff7403]

BRING BACK THIS PLEASE ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

[@candywrapp]

I had a Kin Twom, it was a feature phone but it was probably the best feature phone you could get with wifi and zune music player and the camera was the best out of all the feature phone lineup.

[@PyroSeeker]

I wanted the palm pre to be a landscape slider exactly like this, I hated that tiny portrait keyboard..

[@ilcool90]

How could they release such a leggy device. I am already irritated by just watching the lag

[@SuprMEGA]

This guys voice is so good! You should be a radio announcer or something lol

[@ennis_w]

Miss the time that every OS want to embedded social platform into their native system experience. All of those attempts are failed.

[@eval_is_evil]

"Anyway,let's crack this open and start the autopsy" LMAO this always cracks me up...hehe get it??

[@mihalis1010]

I actually thought these phones were quite nice, the main issue in my eyes being the fact that it was only released on Verizon, and required a data subscription. Both of those kept this phone out of my hands due to the fact that my family was on at&t, and was not about to pay all that money for a 5 year old to have a phone like that. In retrospect, I don't really feel like I missed anything, now paying my own phone bill for an international SGS4 (i9505 variant). It definitely seems like a waste for a phone like that. I honestly think it would have succeeded overseas as an unlocked GSM phone.

[@Computd]

Finally! Another "Worst Gadgets Ever" video! :D

[@DevanshuMevada]

this intro is better than the current

[@Yeragayfatty]

My sister saw this on the Verizon website, and thought it was the perfect phone. She got a new one, and it was absolutely awful. Half of the keyboard didn't work, and when it did, all of the keys were one off, making a "w" an "e" and making the q, a , and z keys unusable. Like anyone would guess, we didnt even keep it for an hour before getting a new one After about 6 phones, we finally got a working one, but a model older, the one m, and this was the worst disaster with a phone ever. Avoid this

[@ArtStamos]

it's clear windows 8.1 design.

[@FDS-nucklehead]

Great concept for a video series. Looking forward to the next episode.

[@LethargicSounds]

Best advice from Micheal Fisher.. Don't have kids, if you're not ready for them...good one hahah

[@picabu5]

Excellent episode - as ever! I must say that both your projects - after the buzz and worst gadgets ever - are two my most favorite items of pocket now. for the next episode, I second markillion831 (and who else offers it) - Nokia's N-Gage - the gaming-phone which simply came too late (or did it?)

[@VinceMiniscalco]

Now that's an intro!

[@jseden]

I never minded thicker phones and don't really get the obsession with thin. They're harder to hold and Imagine the battery life a 14mm iPhone could get.. would also take up less space than a phone+small power bank

[@BlitzzGames]

Looks like an S3 :P

[@user-pq3do4wt6c]

ShowtymDH yeah, but thicc

[@righthandofdoom77]

The same thing happened at Nokia. They had two teams working on the OS, obsidian and Android. Both teams wanted equal budgets and Nokia needed the whole company to agree to it. So they flee everyone in and rented out an entire hotel to discuss it.🙄

[@Legend-of-Lonk]

I had a Kin 2. it wasn't a horrible phone. just not great.

[@ThungStudios]

The Kin TwoM was waayy better. After the horrible social networking gimmicks and data plan were removed, the 8mp camera and wifi was great for a feature phone.

[@fr8cture]

Hmm the Kin 2 looks interesting. It probably could have been successful if they waited a year or so to make it thinner and more optimized.

[@MichaelGoatJordan]

at the very beginning sounds like fall out boy this aint a scene its an arm race was about to play lol

[@SquirrelGott]

"Innovating once and then iterating over and over again" What you mean like Apple?

[@mafiasys]

I think that comparing it's cost with the specs , it would have been a great phone.

[@silentglitcherzz]

"this changes things" - Microsoft. #been changing thing since 1991

[@ThungStudios]

Kin TWO is by far the best non-smart phone on Verizon EVER

[@SwetPotato]

Really love this series !!

[@nathandaven]

"Stealing all the time and then suing the creators over and over again" You mean like apple?

[@venky3867]

That last msg was lit

[@wallonthefloor]

I broke 2 of these, good phone for a highschooler

[@ball_soup]

Man, I loved my Kin Two, right up until the iPhone 5S came out. It was my college phone and was perfect.

[@RACaptialRegion]

Looking forward to episode 3!

[@Kryo_GTS]

I've never even heard of this thing...

[@TristanIsham]

Just seeing it in a circular container turns me off.

[@ThePeckAtTech]

The keyboard looks fantastic...

[@Gastrosity]

i thought he was gonna push it over the edge at the end.

[@kenyanewman5888]

the kin twom is a better option because you dont have to pay a data plan for it but they do get rid of the social features but you can still share photos and whatever on the internet through data or wifi..... i have one and i love it the flaws that were in the kin two they fixed in the kin twom

[@shahirbear]

man..this made me giggle quite a bit. cheers.

[@jim1621]

doesnt matter who made it but who actually implemented the idea... Steve and his partner are the ones who decided that the world needs this...Xerox created the gui but never implemented it

[@PotatoPirate123]

The HTC Advantage X7500 has to be on here surely! And the HTC Shift....

[@SquirrelGott]

A herd of sheep only need one dog.

[@balls2balls]

You know that episode of friends where chandler gets a new roommate? Eddie? You sound exactly like him. See ya pals. (I liked the video but couldn't resist)

[@vb7200]

I remember when a few kids in my school got stuck with these things.. A friend of mine actually went back to his old Alias

[@VVoltz]

Really, really good content. Good job.

[@devilkid292]

I had the horizontal kin, stil have the box and put stuff in it. I use to put my weed in the box lmao. Loved that phone for the time.

[@mnguyea]

Nice segment! Where is 001?

[@vapidthot]

Yes I've been waiting for another episode.

[@Mobile_Dom]

dude dont diss my N-Gage, i loved that thing, who didnt want to look like they were talking to a taco?

[@spencerbruce]

I had that phone and verizon sent me 4 replacements, not counting the one without a camera

[@zeighy]

Not so shabby, could have been a good dumb/feature phone lineup for MSFT if they actually took good care for it....

[@velvetthunder96]

The menu looks pretty good in my opinion.

[@leoimmunitas]

i remember this phone was killed off in 28 days after lauch.

[@Pilpup]

why did you stop doing these :((

[@FirdausF3]

he has a new channel, mr mobile

[@andrive]

0:30 i still have that phone

[@TheRedPrometheus]

On a high way to the rubbish bin !!!

[@calvinskim]

At 2:21, did he just complained that 'the phone felt too light'?

[@TheMonkeyFarted]

This has better specs then my old tmobile comet

[@knightsurda]

Dalton: apple is what set the market geared towards smartphones and actually started the whole smartphone war between companies. If the iPhone had never been released would the s3 be as innovative as it was?

[@joshpls]

I got both the kin one and kin two loved them both except for the fact that all the features got cut.

[@nolainnogain]

I like how they showed the lg vu.

[@anshul_rajput]

one day i would like to see an iphone in this episode

[@FermentedFish7]

Sharp? That tells everything why the kin failed!