The Kin One offers younger users a unique and fun social networking experience on a phone. It will be available in Verizon stores starting May 13 for $49.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate, but be aware you will also be required to sign up for a $29.99 per month unlimited data plan.
2 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET
Unique design
Of the Kin devices, the Kin One definitely has the more interesting design with its squarish shape.
3 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET
Keyboard
The phone's smaller size makes the keyboard a bit cramped, so users with larger thumbs might have some problem. Overall, however, we thought it was quite usable. The buttons are a good size and there's decent spacing between each one.
4 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET
Top view
The top of the device holds a 3.5mm headphone jack, a camera activation/capture button, and a volume rocker. The camera key and volume buttons are in an awkward position, however, so they're hard to use.
5 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET
Left side
The left side has a single Micro-USB port.
6 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET
Back view
On back, you'll find the Kin One's 5-megapixel camera and flash.
7 of 7 Sarah Tew/CNET
Picture quality
The photo quality of the Kin One's camera wasn't very impressive. The awkward placement of the camera button made it hard to hold the phone steady and get a steady shot. Also, colors were washed out.