With Microsoft having recently announced its plans to discontinue its May-launched Kin handsets, there have been widespread discussions about what actually went amiss with the software company’s ambitions of making its presence felt in the handset arena.

Despite the fact that Microsoft is already a big player in the smartphone market with its Windows Mobile OS, the company intending expanding further with its own-branded handset – a move for which it acquired the Sidekick maker, Danger.

The Microsoft Kin handsets were supposedly to be the spiritual successors to the Sidekick line – aimed largely at the youth, and with Sidekick-like emphasis on SMS and instant messaging. In addition, the Kin handsets boasted better hardware, richer online integration, and support for the popular social network, Facebook.

Market watchers analyzing the apparent failure of the Kin handsets are of the view that since the smartphones were targeting the youth they should have been cheap – both in terms of initial cost as well to operate. However, that’s where Microsoft seemingly flawed. Priced at $150 and $200 respectively, with call plans beginning $60 per month, the Kin One and Kin Two handsets were doomed right from day one! 

In addition, though Microsoft took up extensive advertising for its Kin smartphones, the requisite promotion effort was somewhat lacking on the part of the phones’ carrier, Verizon, in terms of in-store promotions – a fact that delivered the irretrievable blow to the Kins!