Microsoft unveils Kin mobile phones

SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft Corp.
on Monday unveiled its anticipated Kin mobile phones, a pair of devices
designed to highlight messaging and social-networking features closely
tied to the company’s software and services.

Microsoft’s phones, unveiled at a news conference in San Francisco, are slated to be available on the Verizon Wireless and Vodafone Group PLC networks in the U.S. and Europe.

The phones, with their rounded edges, slide-out
keyboards and expansive touch screens, resemble the Sidekick devices
developed by Danger Inc., a company Microsoft acquired in 2008.

The Microsoft phones — called the Kin 1 and the Kin 2 — are linked into the company’s Bing search engine and to its Zune media software. Microsoft’s Zune device was introduced in 2006 as a rival to Apple Inc.’s iPod.

A representative from Verizon
who appeared at the event Monday declined to discuss specifics about
the cost of the Kin devices or related service plans but said they
should be available in Verizon stores in the U.S. next month.

Microsoft said the phones will be available on Vodafone in Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. “this autumn.”

The Kin phones automatically combine feeds from
social-networking services such as Facebook and MySpace, and feature
software that compresses the time required to post comments and share
photos.

Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s
entertainment and devices division, said during the press event that
the phones are designed for a younger generation for which social lives
are “Priority No. 1.”

The phones are based on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 mobile software but “customized” for this target audience, Bach said.

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