<s>
Kin	B-Device
was	O
a	O
short-lived	O
mobile	O
phone	O
line	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
designed	O
for	O
users	O
of	O
social	O
networking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
phones	O
,	O
aimed	O
at	O
people	O
between	O
ages	O
15	O
and	O
30	O
,	O
were	O
manufactured	O
by	O
Sharp	O
Corporation	O
and	O
sold	O
through	O
Verizon	B-Application
Wireless	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
invested	O
two	O
years	O
and	O
about	O
US$1	O
billion	O
developing	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
platform	O
,	O
beginning	O
with	O
its	O
acquisition	O
of	O
Danger	O
Incorporated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kin	B-Device
was	O
based	O
on	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
CE	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kin	B-Device
ONE	I-Device
and	O
TWO	O
went	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
on	O
May	O
14	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
two	O
months	O
,	O
Verizon	B-Application
stopped	O
selling	O
the	O
phones	O
because	O
of	O
poor	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
scrapped	O
its	O
planned	O
European	O
release	O
,	O
stopped	O
promoting	O
the	O
devices	O
,	O
ceased	O
production	O
,	O
and	O
reassigned	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
development	O
team	O
to	O
other	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
updated	O
its	O
unsold	O
Kin	B-Device
inventory	O
with	O
firmware	O
that	O
removed	O
social	O
and	O
web-based	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
December	O
2010	O
offered	O
these	O
re-purposed	O
units	O
through	O
Verizon	B-Application
stores	O
as	O
limited	O
feature	B-Device
phones	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
ONEm	O
and	O
the	O
TWOm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2011	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
shut	O
down	O
the	O
kin.com	O
website	O
,	O
which	O
controlled	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
earlier	O
phones	O
 '	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kin	B-Device
TWOm	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
August	O
2011	O
;	O
unsold	O
inventory	O
could	O
still	O
be	O
found	O
for	O
sale	O
on	O
deals	O
sites	O
as	O
late	O
as	O
June	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kin	B-Device
project	O
was	O
first	O
known	O
by	O
the	O
codename	O
Project	B-Device
Pink	I-Device
,	O
and	O
began	O
under	O
direction	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
executive	O
J	O
Allard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
gain	O
a	O
head	O
start	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
acquired	O
Danger	O
Incorporated	O
,	O
which	O
built	O
the	O
Danger	B-Application
Hiptop/T	I-Application
-Mobile	I-Application
Sidekick	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2008	O
for	O
a	O
purchase	O
price	O
rumored	O
to	O
be	O
around	O
US$500	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2009	O
,	O
a	O
ZDNet	O
source	O
reported	O
that	O
Project	B-Device
Pink	I-Device
would	O
bring	O
an	O
entirely	O
new	O
software	O
stack	O
and	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
reports	O
predicted	O
that	O
the	O
new	O
mobile	O
phone	O
platform	O
would	O
be	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Zune	B-Library
media	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
was	O
developed	O
inside	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Premium	O
Mobile	O
Experiences	O
(	O
PMX	O
)	O
division	O
by	O
a	O
group	O
that	O
included	O
staff	O
from	O
Danger	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Handset	O
manufacturers	O
and	O
network	O
carriers	O
were	O
said	O
to	O
be	O
initially	O
enthusiastic	O
about	O
Kin	B-Device
,	O
and	O
vying	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
to	O
be	O
involved	O
with	O
the	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Engadget	B-Application
,	O
there	O
was	O
jealousy	O
and	O
rivalry	O
in	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
executive	O
ranks	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
senior	O
vice	O
president	O
Andy	O
Lees	O
managed	O
to	O
wrest	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
project	O
away	O
from	O
Allard	O
,	O
and	O
move	O
it	O
under	O
his	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
division	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Danger	O
's	O
Sidekick	B-Application
,	O
the	O
predecessor	O
to	O
Kin	B-Device
,	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Java	B-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
,	O
but	O
Engadget	B-Application
says	O
that	O
Lees	O
wanted	O
Kin	B-Device
to	O
run	O
an	O
in-house	O
Microsoft	O
operating	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
planned	O
to	O
base	O
Kin	B-Device
on	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
delays	O
with	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
software	O
instead	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
based	O
directly	O
upon	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
CE	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Engadget	B-Application
claims	O
that	O
Lees	O
lacked	O
enthusiasm	O
for	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nonetheless	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
spent	O
a	O
further	O
two	O
years	O
developing	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
until	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unveiling	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Kin	I-Device
began	O
when	O
the	O
company	O
sent	O
out	O
invitations	O
to	O
select	O
reporters	O
for	O
a	O
mystery	O
event	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
on	O
April	O
12	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
just	O
hours	O
later	O
a	O
source	O
confirmed	O
that	O
the	O
event	O
was	O
about	O
Project	B-Device
Pink	I-Device
(	O
the	O
official	O
name	O
not	O
having	O
been	O
announced	O
yet	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
an	O
online	O
video	O
advertisement	O
for	O
the	O
phone	O
that	O
depicted	O
a	O
male	O
teenager	O
putting	O
a	O
Kin	B-Device
under	O
his	O
shirt	O
to	O
photograph	O
his	O
naked	O
chest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
had	O
poor	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
executives	O
told	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
dismayed	O
that	O
Verizon	B-Application
Wireless	I-Application
staff	O
were	O
not	O
promoting	O
the	O
phones	O
actively	O
enough	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
only	O
48	O
days	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
discontinued	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
line	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2010	O
and	O
by	O
mid-July	O
2010	O
Verizon	B-Application
had	O
returned	O
all	O
their	O
unsold	O
phones	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
's	O
planned	O
European	O
release	O
on	O
UK	O
carrier	O
Vodafone	O
was	O
canceled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
“	O
The	O
Kin	B-Device
was	O
a	O
mistake	O
from	O
Day	O
One	O
,	O
”	O
Rob	O
Enderle	O
,	O
principal	O
analyst	O
of	O
Enderle	O
Group	O
,	O
told	O
eWeek	O
magazine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
“	O
The	O
extra	O
time	O
they	O
took	O
to	O
convert	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
from	O
the	O
Sidekick	B-Application
platform	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
CE	I-Operating_System
made	O
it	O
about	O
a	O
year	O
and	O
a	O
half	O
late	O
to	O
market	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
merger	O
likely	O
added	O
another	O
year	O
and	O
a	O
half	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
18	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Verizon	B-Application
Wireless	I-Application
's	O
website	O
confirmed	O
that	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
ONE	I-Device
and	O
Kin	B-Device
TWO	I-Device
were	O
back	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
with	O
a	O
reworked	O
feature	B-Device
phone	I-Device
operating	O
system	O
,	O
re-badged	O
as	O
Kin	B-Device
ONEm	O
and	O
Kin	B-Device
TWOm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
new	O
phone	O
did	O
not	O
use	O
the	O
kin.com	O
website	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
require	O
a	O
data	O
plan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
phone	O
arrived	O
at	O
Verizon	B-Application
stores	O
in	O
December	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
the	O
name	O
change	O
and	O
re-classification	O
as	O
feature	B-Device
phones	I-Device
rather	O
than	O
smartphones	O
,	O
the	O
prices	O
of	O
the	O
devices	O
were	O
slashed	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
ONEm	O
reduced	O
from	O
$50	O
to	O
free	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
TWOm	O
reduced	O
from	O
$100	O
to	O
$50	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
two-year	O
contract	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
feature	B-Device
phone	I-Device
OS	O
removed	O
the	O
web-based	O
and	O
social	O
networking	O
integration	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
Kin	B-Device
Loop	O
,	O
Kin	B-Device
Spot	O
,	O
and	O
Kin	B-Device
Studio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
kin.com	O
website	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
January	O
2011	O
,	O
and	O
all	O
user	O
pictures	O
and	O
other	O
information	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
website	O
were	O
deleted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Verizon	B-Application
offered	O
a	O
free	O
trade-in	O
to	O
a	O
3G	B-Architecture
smartphone	O
to	O
all	O
affected	O
phone	O
owners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
website	O
shut	O
down	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
Kin	B-Device
ONE	I-Device
and	O
TWO	O
lost	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
social	O
features	O
that	O
were	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
ONEm	O
and	O
TWOm	O
,	O
making	O
them	O
also	O
essentially	O
feature	B-Device
phones	I-Device
that	O
did	O
not	O
require	O
a	O
data	O
plan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
described	O
Kin	B-Device
devices	O
as	O
"	O
social	O
phones	O
"	O
,	O
straddling	O
the	O
feature	B-Device
phone	I-Device
and	O
smartphone	O
markets	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
social	O
networking	O
and	O
sharing	O
of	O
content	O
,	O
but	O
without	O
downloadable	O
apps	B-Application
or	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
home	O
screen	O
on	O
Kin	B-Device
was	O
called	O
Loop	O
,	O
and	O
served	O
as	O
an	O
aggregator	O
for	O
social	O
networking	O
connections	O
from	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
Windows	O
Live	O
,	O
and	O
MySpace	B-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
web	O
content	O
from	O
web	B-General_Concept
feeds	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
cited	O
battery	O
life	O
and	O
immature	O
social	O
networking	O
APIs	B-Application
as	O
reasons	O
for	O
the	O
delay	O
;	O
Engadget	B-Application
speculated	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
may	O
have	O
been	O
using	O
the	O
delayed	O
messaging	B-Protocol
to	O
encourage	O
Verizon	B-Application
to	O
offer	O
lower-priced	O
data	O
plans	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
attractive	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
teenage	O
target	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
did	O
not	O
support	O
uploading	O
photos	O
or	O
videos	O
to	O
Twitter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retweets	O
,	O
direct	O
messages	O
,	O
viewing	O
single	O
person	O
updates	O
,	O
and	O
opening	O
Twitter	B-Application
links	O
from	O
the	O
Loop	O
were	O
also	O
not	O
supported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spot	O
was	O
a	O
feature	O
that	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
add	O
an	O
e-mail	O
address	O
or	O
telephone	O
number	O
to	O
an	O
SMS	B-Device
or	O
MMS	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
attach	O
content	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
text	O
,	O
URLs	O
or	O
photos	O
)	O
to	O
emails	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
add	O
an	O
address	O
field	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
dragged	O
a	O
recipient	O
's	O
photo	O
to	O
the	O
Spot	O
,	O
then	O
clicked	O
on	O
the	O
Spot	O
,	O
opening	O
a	O
page	O
that	O
allowed	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
new	O
email	O
,	O
SMS	B-Device
or	O
MMS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Kin	B-Device
did	O
not	O
support	O
attachments	O
to	O
non-e-mail	O
media	O
such	O
as	O
MMS	O
and	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
send	O
content	O
to	O
social	O
media	O
sites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Content	O
from	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
phone	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
photos	O
,	O
videos	O
and	O
messages	O
,	O
was	O
automatically	O
synchronized	O
to	O
a	O
cloud	B-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
called	O
Kin	B-Device
Studio	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
then	O
be	O
accessible	O
via	O
a	O
browser	O
on	O
other	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kin	B-Device
Studio	O
website	O
was	O
written	O
in	O
Silverlight	B-Application
and	O
its	O
appearance	O
was	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
UI	O
,	O
even	O
including	O
a	O
Spot	O
for	O
sharing	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
Studio	O
was	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
January	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kin	B-Device
ONE	I-Device
had	O
a	O
five-megapixel	O
camera	O
with	O
standard-definition	B-Device
video	I-Device
recording	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kin	B-Device
TWO	I-Device
included	O
an	O
eight-megapixel	O
camera	O
with	O
720p	O
video	O
recording	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photos	O
were	O
automatically	O
geocoded	B-Algorithm
on	O
the	O
original	O
phones	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
disabled	O
on	O
the	O
"	O
m	O
"	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
no	O
photo	O
editing	O
software	O
for	O
Kin	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
media	O
,	O
Kin	B-Device
devices	O
synced	O
with	O
Zune	B-Library
desktop	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
phones	O
were	O
compatible	O
with	O
Zune	B-Library
Pass	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
like	O
contemporaneous	O
Zune	B-Library
devices	O
,	O
Kin	B-Device
phones	O
could	O
also	O
stream	O
music	O
over	O
a	O
WiFi	O
connection	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
3G	B-Architecture
on	O
the	O
carrier	O
's	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Mac	O
users	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
in	O
collaboration	O
with	O
Mark/Space	O
,	O
provided	O
a	O
media	O
syncing	O
tool	O
that	O
pulled	O
audio	O
and	O
video	O
files	O
from	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
and	O
photos	O
from	O
iPhoto	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
did	O
not	O
support	O
playing	O
video	O
from	O
sites	O
such	O
as	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
or	O
Hulu	B-Application
,	O
although	O
the	O
devices	O
could	O
watch	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
videos	I-General_Concept
from	O
the	O
browser	O
through	O
WiFi	O
or	O
3G	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
had	O
no	O
app	B-Application
store	I-Application
and	O
no	O
third-party	O
apps	B-Application
could	O
be	O
installed	O
on	O
the	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
the	O
web	O
browser	O
did	O
not	O
support	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
web	O
applications	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
were	O
no	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
had	O
stated	O
their	O
intention	O
to	O
eventually	O
merge	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
platforms	O
,	O
with	O
downloadable	O
apps	B-Application
then	O
being	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
combined	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
highlighted	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
notable	O
omissions	O
from	O
Kin	B-Device
's	O
initial	O
feature	O
set	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Contact	B-Protocol
lists	I-Protocol
could	O
only	O
be	O
copied	O
from	O
another	O
phone	O
by	O
Verizon	B-Application
store	O
employees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
no	O
way	O
for	O
the	O
consumer	O
to	O
do	O
this	O
by	O
any	O
known	O
means	O
(	O
over	O
the	O
air	O
,	O
via	O
a	O
memory	O
or	O
SIM	O
card	O
,	O
wirelessly	O
via	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
and	O
vCard	O
,	O
or	O
via	O
direct	O
USB	O
cable	O
connection	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
had	O
no	O
calendar	O
or	O
appointment	O
application	O
,	O
nor	O
any	O
ability	O
to	O
sync	O
with	O
Outlook	B-Application
calendar	O
or	O
Google	B-Application
Calendar	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kin	B-Device
was	O
unable	O
to	O
Instant	B-Application
Message	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
use	O
any	O
IM	O
client	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
considered	O
odd	O
for	O
a	O
phone	O
built	O
for	O
messaging	B-Protocol
and	O
aimed	O
at	O
the	O
youth	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
discovered	O
that	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
inside	O
the	O
phones	O
contained	O
the	O
foundation	O
for	O
an	O
IM	O
system	O
supporting	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
speculated	O
that	O
future	O
revisions	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
would	O
have	O
enabled	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
no	O
spelling	B-Application
correction	I-Application
or	O
predictive	B-General_Concept
text	I-General_Concept
input	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
cellular	O
telephone	O
provider	O
Verizon	B-Application
Wireless	I-Application
sold	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
phones	O
with	O
a	O
voice	O
plan	O
starting	O
at	O
$39.99	O
per	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
optional	O
Zune	B-Library
Pass	O
cost	O
$14.99	O
per	O
month	O
for	O
music	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
kin.com	O
website	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
January	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
Kin	B-Device
ONE	I-Device
and	O
Kin	B-Device
TWO	I-Device
did	O
not	O
require	O
a	O
data	O
plan	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
optional	O
Zune	B-Library
Pass	O
was	O
still	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Kin	I-Device
has	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
close	O
cousin	O
"	O
to	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
,	O
with	O
shared	O
user	O
interface	O
characteristics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
"	O
Both	O
KIN	B-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
share	O
common	O
OS	O
components	O
,	O
software	O
and	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
underlying	O
fundamentals	O
of	O
Kin	B-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
were	O
held	O
together	O
by	O
similar	O
core	O
technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
operating	O
systems	O
ran	O
the	O
same	O
Silverlight	B-Application
platform	O
,	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
stated	O
intention	O
being	O
to	O
eventually	O
merge	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
with	O
Kin	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Verizon	B-Application
re-launched	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
phones	O
,	O
re-labeling	O
them	O
as	O
feature	B-Device
phones	I-Device
with	O
no	O
required	O
data	O
plan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Where	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
TWO	I-Device
was	O
formerly	O
$100	O
on	O
a	O
two-year	O
contract	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
Kin	B-Device
TWOm	O
was	O
offered	O
at	O
$20	O
on	O
contract	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
ONE	I-Device
,	O
formerly	O
$50	O
on	O
a	O
contract	O
,	O
was	O
now	O
$0	O
on	O
contract	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
firmware	O
on	O
the	O
repurposed	O
"	O
m	O
"	O
phones	O
removed	O
several	O
data-centric	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
,	O
including	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
devices	O
 '	O
social	O
elements	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Loop	O
home	O
screen	O
,	O
the	O
Spot	O
,	O
and	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
Kin	B-Device
Studio	O
cloud	O
storage	O
site	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
January	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
a	O
data	O
plan	O
requirement	O
and	O
lower	O
prices	O
up	O
front	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Verizon	B-Application
hoped	O
to	O
do	O
what	O
they	O
originally	O
planned	O
:	O
capture	O
the	O
teenage	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
seemingly	O
data-laden	O
feature	O
of	O
the	O
old	O
Kin	B-Device
devices	O
which	O
remained	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
repurposed	O
phones	O
was	O
Zune	B-Library
Pass	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
was	O
now	O
able	O
to	O
stream	O
music	O
only	O
over	O
Wi-Fi	O
,	O
even	O
when	O
customers	O
had	O
3G	B-Architecture
data	O
enabled	O
,	O
to	O
conserve	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
done	O
to	O
accommodate	O
Verizon	B-Application
's	O
new	O
tiered	O
data	O
plans	O
,	O
which	O
marked	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
unlimited	O
data	O
for	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
were	O
also	O
able	O
to	O
sync	O
music	O
,	O
podcasts	O
,	O
TV	O
shows	O
,	O
and	O
movies	O
to	O
their	O
Kin	B-Device
phones	O
through	O
the	O
Zune	B-Library
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Podcasts	O
,	O
TV	O
shows	O
,	O
and	O
movies	O
could	O
only	O
be	O
synced	O
to	O
the	O
phone	O
via	O
the	O
Zune	B-Library
Software	O
on	O
a	O
Windows	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
m	O
"	O
series	O
added	O
a	O
calendar	O
and	O
a	O
calculator	O
application	O
,	O
to	O
address	O
complaints	O
that	O
these	O
were	O
missing	O
functions	O
that	O
even	O
the	O
most	O
basic	O
feature	B-Device
phone	I-Device
typically	O
has	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
calendar	O
application	O
had	O
basic	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
timed	O
alerts	O
and	O
reminders	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
day	O
,	O
month	O
,	O
and	O
year	O
views	O
,	O
it	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
synchronized	O
with	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Outlook	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Exchange	I-Operating_System
,	O
or	O
even	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
Live	I-Operating_System
Hotmail	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
the	O
discontinued	O
social	O
networking	O
features	O
,	O
the	O
phones	O
no	O
longer	O
geocoded	B-Algorithm
pictures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
features	O
missing	O
on	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
absent	O
,	O
including	O
disallowing	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
access	O
for	O
file	B-Protocol
transfer	I-Protocol
and	O
wireless	O
printing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kin	B-Device
TWOm	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
forward	O
previously	O
sent	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
The	O
KIN	B-Device
uses	O
a	O
proprietary	O
browser	O
made	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	O
KIN	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Silverlight	B-Application
was	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
KIN	B-Device
studio	O
,	O
not	O
the	O
browser.	O
"	O
</s>
