What is the difference between kin 2 and kin 2m

Microsoft isn't actually referring to the platform on these handsets as Kin OS, but this name seems as good as any to describe the system which, as mentioned above, reads like a watered-down version of Windows Phone 7 WP7. But it's not all good looks, the Kin OS has some really cool features up its sleeve too.

Beyond its role as mobile phone, Microsoft sees the Kins as social-networking hubs. The home screen of these phones is littered with recent social-networking updates from the accounts you connect to, this is the Kin Loop. People who want to share this information can drag and drop these items to the Kin Spot, like a clipboard on a Windows PC. Multiple items can be dragged to the Kin Spot at a time, including photos, videos, map references, website URLs, and then these items can be sent to one or numerous contacts via MMS or email.

Kin Studio is desktop PC software which lets you view all of your photos, contacts and SMS messages collected by your phone on a timeline view on the PC. Data from the phone is auto-synced with a server so that you don't have to come home at the end of each day and manually sync with a USB cable. While the phones look nice, it's the software that has us buzzing, though after using the often-sluggish Motorola Dext and its Motoblur social-networking software, we have our reservations as well.

Motoblur struggles when users have large-scale Twitter or Facebook accounts, and we're sincerely hoping this isn't also the case with the Kin. These integrated social-networking tools look fantastic, but the user experience needs to be seamless as well. We contacted both Microsoft and international partner Vodafone for information regarding an Australian release, but neither company could confirm launch details for Australia at this time.

The Kin, which made its debut just two months ago at an event in San Francisco , was the result of several years of work by Microsoft and stemmed from its acquisition of Sidekick maker Danger. However, despite a few innovative features including streaming music and a Web-based companion site, the Kin phones were criticized for missing key features, such as a calendar, as well as because the monthly fees for the phone were as high as more capable smartphones, such as the iPhone and Android-based devices.

With Microsoft's decision, it is now unclear whether there will ever be software updates to the phone, including one originally planned for this summer.

Over the weekend, Verizon cut the price on the two Kin models by as much as 50 percent. Microsoft won't say how much it spent on the Kin launch, but it has been backed by significant TV, Web, and print and radio advertising campaigns. Neither Verizon nor Microsoft would say how many devices were sold, but a source told CNET that the number of Kins sold thus far is more than 1, but south of 10,significantly below expectations.

Roz Ho, the Microsoft executive who lead the unit that developed the Kin will oversee the transition of the team and then move to an as-yet-determined role at the company, according to a source.

Despite spending several hundred million dollars to buy Danger, Microsoft has little to show for the purchase, aside from some bruises to its image. The first hit came last year with a major outage and data loss to Danger's flagship product, the T-Mobile sidekick. The Kin marked several years of work on a top-secret "Pink" project aimed at developing new devices and services for the same youthful, always-connected demographic that had once been attracted to the Sidekick.

It is unclear what, if any of the Pink effort might find its way into Windows Phone down the road. The demise of the Kin adds to the pressure on the Windows Phone 7 team to deliver a compelling product this holiday season.

Microsoft got some plaudits when it unveiled the new-look operating system at Mobile World Congress. However, since then Android has continued to rapidly gain momentum and sales, while Apple has unveiled a new iPhone and new version of its operating system that added support for video conferencing, multitasking and more. Update, p.