Over in Redmond today, we got some hands-on time with both of Microsoft's new "Kin" mobile phones, and a demo from Microsoft mobile veteran John Starkweather, a member of the Kin team. In the video above, Starkweather demonstrates the Kin "Loop" home page, in addition to the built-in camera and Zune software.

One of the most interesting aspects isn't the device but the way it will synchronize content created on the phone to a free online service and make it available in a browser interface called the Kin Studio. It works like a "time machine," as Starkweather put it, giving users a timeline of their texts, call history, photos, videos and contacts. They'll literally be able to scroll back to see what was happening in any given month.

Cloud-based storage will be unlimited, and people will be able to go back and download their historical content if they decide to end their Kin service plan at some point in the future, the company said. The online service will work via Windows Live ID. Verizon, which will offer the Kin in the U.S. starting in May, isn't talking yet about the prices it's planning for the devices or related service plans.

The Kin Studio also acts as an online backup -- the importance of which users of T-Mobile's Sidekick device would appreciate. Speaking of which, in its development of the Kin, Microsoft relied heavily on talent acquired in its purchase of Danger Inc., the company behind T-Mobile's Sidekick. However, Microsoft said the Kin should not be considered a replacement for the Sidekick, a brand that T-Mobile owns.

Microsoft says it will also offer a Mac-compatible version of the Kin browser client, letting OSX users synchronize content to the device, as well. Roz Ho, the Microsoft executive who headed up the Kin initiative under the code name "Project Pink," is the former head of Microsoft's Mac Business Unit.

The devices will integrate Facebook, Twitter and other social networking features, but they won't be open to third-party applications, at least not initially. Microsoft is calling the Kin a Windows Phone device, but it's not a Windows Phone 7 device and won't be able to run applications written for that upcoming platform.

Another limitation out of the gate: No video games.

Asked about those types of shortcomings, Microsoft executives say their intent with Kin wasn't to duplicate Windows Phone 7 devices. The target market for the Kin devices is more likely to be people upgrading from lower-end feature phones, not switching from existing smart phones.

Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, said during a news conference in San Francisco this morning that Windows Phone 7 is meant to simplify the lives of its users, whereas Kin is meant to "amplify" the lives of its users by making it far easier to share content and communicate.