kin

As promised, Microsoft is offering software that will allow Kin owners to share photos and music between a Mac and the new, youth-oriented phone.

One new wrinkle, though, is that Microsoft went with a third-party firm to develop that software. Mark/Space, which is known for its software for syncing mobile devices and the desktop, created Kin Media Sync for Microsoft.

The free software download lets users transfer music, photos, videos, and podcasts from a Mac to the Kin, though it won't work with copy-protected songs or videos purchased from iTunes.

My colleague Donald Bell wonders why Microsoft hasn'… Read more

This week has been a pretty hopping one here at Crave, for a few reasons. Besides helping you get ready for Mother's Day, we've been been helping you use gadgets and social media to find love (not that I know anything about that).

We also talked about many things iPad, including a case that turns it into a laptop and stats showing it might already be affecting the Netbook market. We dug down a little and looked at Microsoft's Kin phone and wondered why Verizon doesn't bundle it with Zune Pass.

The PS3 Slim got turned into a laptop, … Read more

Earlier today, Verizon Wireless began online sales of the Kin, the first phone to feature a built-in version of Microsoft's Zune player. But I think the companies missed a historic opportunity to sell the first phone in the United States with a bundled on-demand music service.

The phone itself is getting mixed reviews, with praise focusing on its music and social-networking features, and criticism for its sluggish performance and feature omissions, like the lack of a calendar and the inability to send photos or direct messages to Twitter.

The price also seems high: the larger Kin Two, which costs $… Read more

Can two competing operating systems really make it work in the game of love? Maybe not. Maybe the world really does need Cupidtino, the Apple fans-only dating site discussed in Thursday's episode of Loaded.

My first reaction to this site was a resounding, "Oh brother!" I can't stand unabashed Apple love, even though I am exclusively a Mac user. However, being raised a Jehovah's Witness (which I am not any longer, but that is a topic outside the range of this post), I was taught not to date outside of my religion.

Later in life, … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--For me, testing a cell phone is about living with the phone. Phones are interesting in demos and videos, but that's not where they get used. They get used at restaurants and on buses, in the office and on the go.

That's the approach I take with trying most portable gadgets, actually. I had fun taking the original Zune around San Francisco looking for someone to share music with me and then, when the Wi-Fi-based Zune HD came out, I took it on the road to see which hot spots were compatible. So I thought the same … Read more

Bonnie finally reviews the Microsoft Kin phones, and let's just say it isn't too positive. We also discuss the recently announced Android phones--the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide and the LG Ally--plus a few other cell phone news items this week.

News T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide makes official debut LG Ally officially announced with May 20 release Samsung goes simple with the Stride Aliph adds A2DP to the Jawbone Icon Boost Mobile introduces free 411 calls 4G coverage expands

Reviews Kin One (Verizon Wireless) … Read more

Although the Kin is aimed at folks somewhat younger than myself, I was nonetheless eager to get my hands on Microsoft's latest phone foray.

The Kin may not be an app phone, but when it comes down to it, the main things I do on my phone are e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and a bit of the Web. So, during the next 24 hours, I'll be putting the Kin through its paces and reporting back on what I experience.

I got my hands on the Kin Two Tuesday morning and have spent much of the day getting it ready … Read more

The folks who built the Internet are thinking it could be a great idea if flying cars were available in military zones to help extract soldiers quickly from sensitive locations. And they should transform. So, awesome future on our way. Plus, Apple sells 1 million iPads, we try to untangle the h.264 codec mess, and the future of the Internet is cloudy.

Apple sells 1,000,000 iPads in revolution’s first month http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/03/apple-sells-1-000-000-ipads-in-revolutions-first-month/… Read more

And so the upshirt goes the way of the upchuck.

After pressure from some people who found it creepy and thought it encouraged sexting, Microsoft intends to re-edit an ad for its new, socially networked cell phone, Kin.

The ad, which some might consider about as dangerous as an ice cream cone in a gunfight, showed a young chap take a Kin shot of whatever was up his shirt--presumably tautly trained pectorals-- and send it to an attractive person of the opposite sex.

Consumer Reports was in the vanguard of those who wondered whether the ad encouraged the practice of … Read more