SydneyK wrote:
Re: your second question about comparable phones, a feature phone with Wi-Fi is rare, so I'd be hard-pressed to recommend another phone for that price.
For real. Rare. I hope these phones sell well and without data plans, sending VZW a message about giving phone some Wi-Fi capabilty without a pricey data plan. I know I have waited a long time for one..I will not purchase a data plan for a long long time.
There isn't a "problem" with the phones per-se, except that Verizon was actively discouraging people from buying the KIN in its original incarnation, both through plan pricing, and even through sales folks at the store steering folks in other directions.
The KINs you ordered this week are somewhat different from those originally offered for sale. They are re-labeled KIN ONEm and KIN TWOm. The hardware is the same, but the firmware has been updated to remove the most "data hungry" portions of the system (i.e. "The Loop" - a constant Facebook/Twitter feed polling), and the integrated online synchronization service. They also re-categorized them as feature phones, meaning you don't need to buy the expensive data plan to go with them.
What remains are a pair of VERY strong feature phones, with WiFi, a good web browser, excellent cameras (including HD video on the KIN TWOm), a decent email client, and Zune music, FM radio, and video capability (which is otherwise onlhy available in the full-on WinPhone 7 devices not currently offered by Verizon).
Compared to the original feature set, the phones are "lobotomized" as I mentioned in another thread, however, they will still do an excellent job as feature phones. I'm sure your kids will love them!
I hope this recall is actually true. I upgraded to this phone from an Alias 2 about a month and a half ago and I absolutely hate it. The touch screen is non responsive sometimes and it just loves to freeze. It also like to tell me that I have a voicemail when my voicemail box is empty and it likes to turn off instead of locking it. I do not tell it to turn off, it just happens. For anyone who thinking of getting the "new version" I wouldn't recommend it at all. I want my money back and a different phone.
Art, i'm sorry the phone has been a disappointment. However, i'd just like to point out that this article is from July 2010, last summer, regarding the original Kin phones, not the m model 'new' kin phones (which you have). There is no recall for the new phones, and i'm sorry that it has passed the first few weeks when you could've returned the phone for a $35 restocking fee to replace it. Next time, keep this period in mind and test out the phone fully before you get stuck with it under a 1-2 year contract.
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