Microsoft’s KIN: What we think

Check out the product demo videos of the KIN and the KIN Studio app after the jump!

From what we’re seeing, the device UI is pretty slick with built-in editing features that lets you edit and uploads pictures and videos fairly quickly.

Having all the content of the phone backed up automatically to Microsoft’s cloud is awesome too. Being able to access photos, videos, contacts and more on any computer at any time is something very compelling for us. The KIN Studio web app is quite feature packed and having unlimited storage up in the cloud is great for snap happy Tweeples and Facebookers as well.

The keyboard on both KINs looks good too but we can only imagine how it’s going to feel like and we will only find out how good the camera is once the reviews come in but that’s not our biggest worry.

The biggest problem that we have with the KIN is the lack of an app store and the flexibility for developers to create apps for the device. This seriously limits the device’s adaptability and usability. Essentially, without additional apps to transform it into a do-it-all, the KIN is just a social media device. We don’t even see gaming in the device.

Apps are the next big thing for mobile phones and Microsoft’s move to not allow apps to be developed for KIN could very well be what’s stopping the device from becoming a real must have.

But, it is still be very early days for the KIN. We’ll keep a close eye to see if this no-app approach by Microsoft can work.

(Update 1103hrs 13042010) So much for KIN being a social media device for the social media crowd. Drilling down the features list on the official website, instant messaging is not supported by the device. Not even Window’s own Live Messenger!

The makers of KIN says that the device is more focus on text messaging and making sending text to multiple contacts easy. KIN also makes texy threads look like IM thread, Microsoft says, there is a demand for such a feature. Apparently, the KIN target users “are very focused, on the phone, on text versus IM”

KIN Camera

KIN Studio, Spot and Loop