Kin Studio Closing Under Verizon

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Despite what you read on Engadget and Gizmodo, the Microsoft Kin was a great phone for kids and young adults that Verizon saddled with a smartphone data plan when it really wasn’t a complete smartphone. Verizon shocked the tech world by bringing the Microsoft Kin back from the dead as a feautrephone (ergo, removing the need for a $30 data contract). But, now they’re closing Kin Studio, which basically removes all the social networking features from the phone.

Kin Studio was actually one of the more innovative things about the Kin phones. It compiled all of your social networking logins into a single homescreen and filled it with pictures, status updates and other cool stuff. It was actually pretty cool. But with Verizon preparing to turn the phones into featurephones, they’ll be cutting support for Kin Studio on January 31st, 2011. The phones will still be able to make phone calls, send SMS messages etc. You’ll even be able to stream music via Zune Pass, but only if you’re on WiFi.

Verizon very wisely understands that a lot of people might be upset if a big part of their functionality of their Zune phone stopped working. So, if you take it into a Verizon store before March 31st, 2011, you’ll be able to get a free 3G phone of your choice from Verizon. Apparently, some conditions apply but we can’t seem to find if it’s limited to certain phones.

We’d be shocked if they let you take your pick of the Droid X or Droid 2, but this whole Kin fiasco is really Verizon’s fault, considering they classified the Kin as a smartphone. It’s come out now that the Kin project had to go through hell inside of Microsoft to come out (The Windows Phone 7 team was openly anganostic to the “Project Pink” team, hence the Kin uses a modified version of Windows CE instead of WP7) and it finally comes out, a perfect social networking phone for people aged 12-22 and Verizon figures it’s a smartphone and straps a $30 data plan on it. Unfortunately, it can’t even run third-party apps and I wouldn’t really consider it a smartphone in the true sense of the word.

So, apologies to our friends at Verizon, but they shot the Kin One and Two before they even got out of the gate. But, Verizon is making it right by relaunching the phones at featurephones, and those who are unhappy with the lack of Kin Studio can exchange their Kins for new phones. Fair enough?