Kin2 Phone Review – When I first met with a Verizon rep for training on this phone (yes, I needed some training), he stressed that the Kin2 phone is not for everyone. It is very heavy into social networking and is more for the person who has a great interest in keeping up with social networking while on the go. All the research and background planning that went into designing and programming this phone was based on meeting social networking needs.
For example, you won’t find a calendar on the Kin2 phone. And, you won’t see the typical home screen setup. When you first look at the home screen, you will see streams from your Twitter, facebook and Myspace accounts. The Kin2 phone home screen of the phone is called the KIN Loop, which is always up to date and always on. KIN automatically brings together feeds from leading Microsoft and third-party services such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter all in one place, making it easier to stay connected. Customers can also select their favorite people, and KIN will automatically prioritize their status updates, messages, feeds and photos. You can customize your favorites screen to access your chosen contacts easily. The third and final screen is your menu page that gives you access to messaging, the phone, email, browser, camera…
There are some different features to the Kin2 phone that make it quite interesting, definitely unique, and extremely functional.
The first and biggest feature that I want to mention is the Studio. In a nutshell, whatever you do on the Kin2 phone, you can see, access and manipulate online in the Studio. Once you’ve set up your account, you can see all the pictures you’ve taken with the phone (and at that point can download and save them to your computer), you can see all the messaging and streaming, contacts, etc. Kin2 phone also has a geo-tracking feature that amazingly can tell you where you were when you took a picture. This is something that can’t be done from the phone itself; it can only done online in the Studio. You can go to a picture and pull up a map that shows where you were when the photo was taken! This location piece has been marketed to parents as a safety feature since parents can log in to the Studio and ask their kids to take pictures while they are out so they can track where they are. Studio is a secure website so it’s safe to access this information and use the system. You can also send email, upload, and do your social networking (facebook and MySpace) from the Studio.
The next unique feature that you will only find on the Kin2 phone is the Spot. The Spot is a quick “spot” (literally) at the bottom of the screen that allows you to share with the rest of the world. If you’ve seen the commercials, you will recall that you can drag to the Spot to upload to facebook, myspace, or send emails.
Yet another unique feature to Kin2 is that you can follow RSS feeds through the phone (and through the Studio). You can set up to get the latest updates streamed to your phone right on your home screen!
The music and more menu will get you to the Zune pass; the KIN is the first Windows phone to feature Zune. Zune is a catalog of music from where you can download songs. You can get a 14 day free trial before hand to see if you want to sign up.
Some pros about the Kin2 phone is that the touch screen is very responsive. On some phones I have to continue to touch a point until the phone picks it up. This phone is a bit more sensitive and quick. Also, there is a button on the phone for the camera that simulates an actual camera. You can use the touch screen as well to take photos. The camera is an 8mp camera with a bright flash. And, the Kin has a full qwerty keyboard (which I prefer over the touch screen). Battery life is good; longer lasting than any other phone I’ve tried recently. But, I don’t care for how it does not tell you the battery level until the level is low. I’m one of those anal types that likes to see the battery with the indicator of how much juice it has left.
Any cons I have with the Kin2 phone are based strictly on preference (except for the camera which I did not find to be of great quality). Other than that, I prefer a phone with all the apps, the typical screen (instead of the artsy fun screen the kin has), the Start menu… But, again, it’s a tough call because the pros of the Kin2 phone are so unique and useful.
Overall, it’s a tough call and it completely depends on your needs and preferences. I hope this Kin2 phone review is helpful.
