Microsoft KIN smartphones launched in US today

Kin

Microsoft has made its KIN ONE and KIN TWO smartphones available in the US today on the Verizon Wireless website.

They will go on sale in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores from 13 May and will hit UK shores on Vodafone in the autumn.

Vodafone could not confirm to IT PRO a more specific release date, but said that pricing for the smartphones will most likely be announced in late summer.

Both devices come with a touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, along with a range of features that will appeal to business users and consumers alike.

They offer support for all popular email services in addition to Exchange for business email and contact sync. Each email account is given its own screen for easier navigation.

When browsing the web, users can pan, scan and zoom in and out with touch gestures. The Kin Studio feature provides users with a private, password-protected website where they can store data, from messages and contacts to photos and videos.

As for differences between the two smartphones, the KIN ONE comes with a five megapixel camera, in comparison to the eight megapixel camera that comes with the KIN TWO. The latter can also shoot video in HD.

Memory on the KIN TWO is 8GB - twice as much as its companion - and while the KIN ONE has a mono speaker, the higher-level device features stereo speakers.

Tom Brewster

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.