07-10-2015, 06:07 AM
D. Lawson wrote:
[quote=silvarios]
the Kin (a featurephone at smartphone prices that was likely no better than the Sidekick and had far less brand recognition)
The Kin was actually based on Windows CE, but wasn't a true smartphone by any means (and had no user-installable apps), and the initial decision to require a data plan for all of the "social" stuff was a disastrous choice. They later revamped the OS to remove all of the "social" stuff and make it more of a feature phone with Wi-Fi (keeping the browser and mail client, which were more robust than anything you find on a BREW-based feature phone even to this day), something which should have been done out of the gate. It was, of course, too little and too late, but I have a soft spot for the thing (the revamped "m" version, at least) just the same.
You are correct that both Kin models were considerably more crippled than the most recent Sidekick models preceding them.
Great info. Thanks.