Microsoft unveils new mobile phones for young consumers

Microsoft on Monday unveiled a new line of Windows-powered mobile phones called "Kin" aimed at young users which emphasize social networking.

The "Kin one" and "Kin two" phones, which feature touchscreens and slideout keyboards, are being manufactured by Japan's Sharp and will be available in
the United States through US telecom carrier Verizon Wireless in May.

The phones will be available in Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain in the fall in partnership with Vodafone.

 "Social's part of the DNA of this phone," Derek Snyder, a product manager at Windows Mobile, said at an unveiling event for the new phones here.
  
"Social networks are the cornerstone of this experience," Snyder said.
  
"Working closely with our partners, we saw an opportunity to design a mobile experience just for this social generation - a phone that makes it easy to share your life moment to moment," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division.
 
 "We built Kin for people who live to be connected, share, express and relate to their friends and family," he said.
  
The home screen of the phone remains always on as the Kin brings together feeds from social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.
  
Videos, photos, text messages, Web pages and location and status updates can be shared by dragging them to a place on the phone called the "Spot."