Lesson plan
Microsoft Kin
Kin was a line of mobile phones that was briefly marketed by Microsoft in 2010. Aimed at people between ages 15 and 30, they were designed for social networking. Microsoft invested two years and about US$1 billion developing the Kin platform, beginning with its acquisition of Danger Incorporated, creators of the Hiptop or T-Mobile Sidekick. The Kin ran an operating system based on Windows CE. They were manufactured by Sharp Corporation and sold through Verizon Wireless. The Kin ONE and TWO went on the market on May 14, 2010. Within two months, Verizon stopped selling the phones because of poor sales. Microsoft scrapped its planned European release, stopped promoting the devices, ceased production, and reassigned the Kin development team to other projects. Microsoft updated its unsold Kin inventory with firmware that removed social and web-based features, and in December 2010 offered these re-purposed units through Verizon stores as limited feature phones, the Kin ONEm and the TWOm. The Kin TWOm was discontinued in August 2011; unsold inventory could still be found for sale on deals sites as late as June 2013.
Article summary
Kin was a line of mobile phones that was briefly marketed by Microsoft in 2010. Aimed at people between ages 15 and 30, they were designed for social networking. Microsoft invested two years and about US$1 billion developing the Kin platform, beginning with its acquisition of Danger Incorporated, creators of the Hiptop or T-Mobile Sidekick. The Kin ran an operating system based on Windows CE. They were manufactured by Sharp Corporation and sold through Verizon Wireless. The Kin ONE and TWO went on the market on May 14, 2010. Within two months, Verizon stopped selling the phones because of poor sales. Microsoft scrapped its planned European release, stopped promoting the devices, ceased production, and reassigned the Kin development team to other projects. Microsoft updated its unsold Kin inventory with firmware that removed social and web-based features, and in December 2010 offered these re-purposed units through Verizon stores as limited feature phones, the Kin ONEm and the TWOm. The Kin TWOm was discontinued in August 2011; unsold inventory could still be found for sale on deals sites as late as June 2013.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.