Nancy Xiao

Before Microsoft so hastily bids farewell to the Kin, the software giant might want to take a few notes to apply to its next mobile project, and use the experience to learn more about the market the company was trying to reach.

As a 17-year-old student plugged into today’s popular social media networks, you’d think that the Kin would be right up my alley. But unfortunately, the cons certainly outweighed the pros; and besides, I would by no means want to be caught with that not-so-appealing-egg-shaped thing in my pocket.

Taking a look through the Kin 1 and Kin 2, Microsoft did score some points:

• Packaging: nice promo material upon opening up the box, product was nicely put together.

• Music & Radio Integration: Very smoothly weaved into the Kin.

• Synchronization Tools: The Kin Studio and Kin Spot were my personal favorites; having that link and accessibility to work easily with online sources is a big plus.

Where the Kin went wrong

• Lack of content/versatility: While the focus of the product was on social media and connecting with your favorite people, the complete lack of content was very disappointing. With expansive apps from the iPhone and Android, teens are easily diverted and an endless RSS feed of your friends’ Facebook and Twitter statuses isn’t going to be enough.

• No basic applications: No calendar, IM client, or calculator ... pretty sure my mental math skills aren’t going to suffice when I’m out and about.

• Inability to complete basic tasks: Unable to make direct phone calls from the home screen, upload pictures to Twitter, or predictive texting.

• TMI! While it’s great to be able to follow your friends as thoroughly as possible through every social network in existence, it’s a bit much. Jennifer, it’s really cool that you’re buying a new pair of boots and all, but hearing about it endlessly through all these different portals is suffocating. As a friend of mine put it, he sadly noted that the Kin was like “the ultimate stalking device."

What to improve in the future

• More aesthetically pleasing and personalization options:I love changing things up and customizing things to my tastes. My interests are constantly varying and I’m at a point in life where I’m always redefining myself.  Since my phone is practically my third hand, I’d like to be able to customize it to reflect my personality by tweaking the visual interface. If I'm going to be using this phone endlessly for the two years in my contract, I want it to look and feel as personal as possible.

• Quality over quantity: While Microsoft forked over a pretty penny for advertising on the Kin, the advertising itself didn’t resonate very well with its audience, similar to the “New Busy” Hotmail fiasco.

• Better basic functions: Add a calendar, a world clock, a converter, a calendar! There are so many opportunities in that last one -- incorporate Facebook invites/events, Google Calendar events, MySpace music events, and so on.

While it was a great start on an increasingly influential market, the Kin’s biggest issue was its lack of focus. It was hard to distinguish it from a phone or half-baked social networking accessory or music device. I’m crossing my fingers that the Windows Phone 7 will be more promising in terms of functionality, and that Microsoft can learn from the abrupt death of its cousin.

RIP, Kin.

Nancy Xiao is a graduate of Inglemoor High School and Cascadia Community College who will be studying business at the University of Michigan. She is currently interning at TeachStreet.com in Seattle. Read her blog here, and see this previous TechFlash story about her aspirations as a young entrepreneur.