Live blog: Microsoft's Project Pink (aka KIN) event
I received an invite last week for an event in San Francisco, but was unable to make that trip. Microsoft then informed me there would be an intimate event in Redmond for those interested and there appears to be about 5 or so people from the press here in the conference room. We don't know for sure what the announcement will be, but leaks show it is pretty clear that it will be surrounding Microsoft's Pink project. Stay tuned here as I update this blog post during the announcement.
10:34 am: Official announcement is closing now. Giving people a chance to spend lots of hands-on time with the device. I will be spending some time with the devices here in Redmond and hope to capture some photos and video content to post later..
10:32 am: Thousands of customers walk into store asking to get their photos off their old phones and Kin solves this. No pricing or plan information yet, will see Kin devices in stores in May.
10:30 am: John from Verizon Wireless is now on stage to talk about Kin.
10:28 am: Derek is done showing off the Kin and now Robbie Bach is back on stage. Getting ready to talk with partners. Sharp is the manufacturer of the Kin One and Kin Two. Verizon Wireless and Vodafone are the two carriers launching the devices.
10:27 am: All photos and video are automatically geotagged. Experience for the social generation. Kin Loop is new homescreen.
10:25 am: People keep old feature phones to view content, trapped by content lost on phone. Kin Studio is your phone online in any web browser. The Loop and Spot are included in Kin Studio. Very slick timeline is used to let you easily see your content.
10:24 am: LED flash brighter than any other phone today. 5 megapixel and 8 megapixel cameras on the two devices. Video captured in HD quality.
10:23 am: Showing off some apps and integration. Web browser, Bing maps and GPS capability, and music. First Windows Phone to ship with Zune integration.
10:20 am: Kin Spot (green button/spot on screen) makes it easy to share things with your friends. Just drag things to the Spot.
10:16 am: Kin 1 and Kin 2 are being announced and shown off now. Derek showing how he uses in his life.
10:15 am: Kindred spirit, true kinship. Welcome to Kin! Derek Snyder is now coming on stage.
10:14 am: Kin is a deeply social phone, about amplifying your life while WP7 is about simplifying your life.
10:13 am: Robbie is talking a bit about Windows Phone 7 with broad audience target that brings in everything. Kin is more targeted to the younger market. Same core elements as WP7, but customized around social communication.
10:11 am: Group is passionate about technology and wants to include it in their lives.
10:10 am: Self expression is also important and their #2 priority. Microsoft calls it lifecasting.
10:09 am: Users social life is #1. Their group of friends includes real friends, celebrities, and friends from social networks. People call "socialogists".
10:07 am: Showing off a video of Project Muse, their "beta" test program that I heard about before that was very extensive and I am still amazed was able to be kept quiet for so long.
10:06 am: Robbie Bach is on stage now kicking things off. Stated they worked with Sharp, Verizon, and several others.
10:05 am: Getting started very soon, but saw on Twitter that the Kin website is now live with the Kin One and Kin Two devices.
9:56 am: There are just a few people here in the room with John Starkweather from Microsoft hosting the event. I met Nick Eaton from The Microsoft Blog so far. The event is scheduled due kick off in just a few minutes. You too can follow the event here on the Live Webcast.