Written by Marie and I have been Verizon customers for a long time. We’ve actually never been with another provider. Sometimes I feel like I’m married to Verizon. “Til death do us part.”
Anyway. Not important.
It was time for us to upgrade our phones, so last week I started my standard research ritual. I see what phones are available, throw out all the ones I know aren’t for us, and then read as many reviews, watch as many videos and find as many things as I can about each of the phones until I find one I like. It’s like unleashing a machine. For some reason, I thrive on equipment manuals. Couldn’t tell you why.
Also not important.
As I was looking through our possible upgrades, there was one phone in particular that caught my eye. You see, I’m a bit of a cheapskate (like you didn’t know that), so I can’t bring myself to pay for the internet twice (I already pay for it at home). Therefore, any phone with “Data Plan Required” written next to it was automatically off my list. Traditionally this has meant that I’m stuck with basic phones. No bells and whistles. Maybe a QWERTY keyboard and a crappy camera, but that’s about it. Certainly no touch screen or anything like that.
Apparently that has changed.
I stumbled across the KIN TWOm. It’s made by Microsoft and Sharp. Technically it’s a Windows Phone, I supposed (since it says that on the back of the phone). It’s a nice looking little touch screen phone with supposedly a better camera, some standard apps, WiFi (woo hoo!), etc. And then I noticed that it didn’t say those game-changing words next to it. Could it be? Is Verizon really offering a phone like this and not requiring a data plan?
Indeed they are.
So I set out to watch and read all that I could about the phone. It got “okay” reviews. Nothing groundbreaking, but certainly nothing that would typically keep me from buying a product. That being said, I’m the kind of guy who wants to put his hands on something before he buys it. I mean, videos and reviews can only tell you so much. So I started calling Verizon stores. Problem is, I determined that there aren’t any stores that even carry it (at least not in the Cincinnati area). Sure, I could order it online and return it if I’m not happy with it, but Verizon would charge me that nice little $35 “restocking” fee.
No thanks.
I put a call in to Verizon via the handy dandy *611, and I spoke to a lovely representative who, after looking at their store inventory more closely, offered to waive the $35 fee if I decided I didn’t like it since it wasn’t in the stores. This pretty much made my decision for me. So I ordered it and waiting patiently until the next day when it arrived. You really can’t beat free next day shipping. And the phone only cost me $19.99 when I re-upped by 2-year contract.
Can’t beat that either.
I’ll spare you the unboxing details. If you want to see the packaging and all that, there are plenty (i.e., way too many) KIN TWOm unboxing and review videos on YouTube.
I’ll also spare you the details of the in depth features of the phone. You can watch the videos at the link above to get a more detailed look at what’s on the phone. But just to give you a basic idea of what’s on it, here are the standard “apps” of which you cannot remove or add any (hey folks, it’s not an iPhone – get over it):
- Messages (text, voicemail, etc. all in one place)
- Phone (an obvious feature for a phone)
- E-mail (you can set it up with several providers very easily)
- Browser (very similar to the iPhone – nice browser)
- Music & More (almost completely identical to the Zune HD)
- Camera (8.0 MP stills and 720p video with “flash” – although it’s not what I would call “great” video or pictures, it’s certainly better than most I’ve seen on phones)
- Calendar (don’t get excited – it’s just like your cheap-o cell phone – no syncing)
- Settings (change some basic stuff)
- Alarms (again, standard stuff)
- Calculator (it’s not going to replace your TI-89, but it’s handy)
- Search (your phone, contacts, apps, etc.)
- Contacts (more detailed than any phone I’ve owned)
Here are some other points of the phone:
- Full QWERTY keyboard (slides out – no virtual keyboard)
- Customizable lock screen (which shows each time you wake up your phone)
- Regular-sized headphone jack (this is pretty awesome)
- 8 GB of memory (not expandable)
- “Favorite” contacts that you can get to just by sliding your finger to the left (pretty handy)
One thing to keep in mind, again, this is not an iPhone. It’s 20 bucks. But you don’t need a data plan, and it has wifi, so it’s just what I was looking for.
EDIT: Again, I would like to emphasize that this is NOT an iPhone (or Droid or new Windows Phone or whatever other “awesome” phone you want to compare it to). It’s not as sexy as an iPhone, it’s not as fast as an iPhone, there are no apps to add, yes – there are lags at times when using this phone, and again, this is NOT an iPhone. I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t buy this and expect to get an iPhone. If you do, you will be SORELY disappointed. That being said, if you have appropriate expectations for this phone being what it is, then I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, especially for the price and the fact that you don’t have to have a data plan. So please don’t e-mail me saying that this phone sucks and I’m an idiot.
Now on to some pointers. These are some things I’ve learned just in the last 24 hours, so this isn’t a complete list. Just something to help you out a little.
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Although you don’t have to get a data plan, if 3G is available and wifi drops out (even for 1 second), 3G will automatically kick in, and you’ll get charged for data (it usually won’t be much, but it’s still $1.99/MB). There are two approaches to get around that.
One’s a pain in the butt and involves putting the phone in airplane mode and then turning on wifi every time you want to browse or check e-mail. Completely lame.
What I did instead was to block all data services through Verizon. You can block data without blocking texting or anything like that. It prevents anything from being transmitted over the Verizon network when you’re in the browser, e-mail, etc. I would highly recommend this if you’re just looking to use your phone for internet when you’re around wifi and not when you’re out and about.
You can do it by calling Verizon or logging into your account online and finding the block services section (which was actually kind of hard to find).
To get there, go to the top menu, hover over “Account” and then click on “Plan.” Then on the right side column, about three quarters of the way down, there is a link that says “Manage Service Blocks.” This will allow you to completely block things like downloads, data, texting, etc. Pretty handy. You can turn them on and off whenever you want.
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Call Verizon and ask them to mark your account to waive the $35 restocking fee since it’s not available for you to handle in the store. That way, if you don’t like it, you’re not out anything – just like if you bought it in the store.
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To hook it up to your computer, you need to install the Zune software. This will allow you to sync music, videos, pictures, etc. I had a little trouble with this at first. For some reason, the driver didn’t get installed correctly, and Zune wouldn’t recognize that my phone was connected.
First (don’t connect your phone yet), I would download and install the Zune software. The drivers for the KIN TWOm are in that software. Much easier this way. Go to the Zune website to download the software. Click the “Download Now” button near the top of the screen.
A note on the software. Unless you eventually want to pay for it, don’t sign up for Zune Pass. It’s basically 15 bucks a month to stream music. It’s called Pandora, folks. And it’s free.
This next step was very counterintuitive to me. I just download the most recent version of the software. However, it needed to do an update. Smooth move, Microsoft! To get it to update, go to the “Settings” link at the top of the player, go to “Software” and the “General” item (at the bottom). Click the “Check for Updates” button in the “Software Updates” section and let Zune update its outdated self (if necessary).
Once you get the bloated software installed and updated, then hook up your KIN via the USB cable provided with the phone, and let it works its stuff. Once the driver is installed Zune should open up (if it’s not already open), and the front screen of your KIN should say “Connected.” If so, you’re in business. If not, take some time and walk through this KB article from Microsoft on your KIN and Zune problem. It actually helped me.
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Make sure you charge the battery before you use it. A simple thing, I know, but the battery isn’t charged when you get it. They never are. You’ll get it to turn on, but won’t get much use before it dies.
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In case you’re getting super geeky with me, take some time to download and ready the full user guide instead of just the quick start guide that comes with the phone. It only tells you about 5% of what to do.
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Ringtones. They suck. And you can’t change them, add them, delete them. Not even with BitPim or something else. Want your phone to ring like a normal telephone? Sorry. Not your KIN. I’m still getting used to this one, but it was still worth it to me when I considered everything else I got. EDIT: Yes, you can text yourself a ringtone, although you cannot delete it once it’s on the phone. But I don’t have text messaging since I blocked it, so no can do for me. I’ve learned to live with it. My phone is on vibrate 99% of the time anyway.
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Contacts. If you’ve used Verizon’s Backup Assistant in the past to transfer your contacts to your new phone, you can forget it on this phone. There is basically no way to import contacts. Some people have gotten them to successfully do it at the Verizon store, but some people report that their phone was wiped out in the process. I’m just typing mine in my hand. A pain, I know, but again, still worth it to me.
Those are just some basic pointers to get you started and help you if you’re considering the phone. Hope it helps.
Awesome info. Thanks. We’ll be looking very seriously at this phone.
This seem to be the phone for these frugal times. I read at one of the kin forums that you can e-mail yourself a ringtone, or use one of those online ringtone services. Don’t have a TWOm to test, but i might pick one up soon.
Enters that Windows guy ;-)
So I was a bit surprised to see you go with a Microsoft phone. My wife and I both have a new WP7 phone. Unlike you, I opted FOR the Zune Pass for several reasons.
1. Unlike Pandora… its on the WP7.
2. Unlike Pandora I can select, on demand, any song I want to listen to (within reason, some are blocked by artist).
3. Related to number 2, I can do that over and over and over again.
4. The $15 a month comes with 10 “free” songs each month that you can buy and keep forever, DRM free. So if you assume $1.29 per song you are buying 10 songs and then paying $2.01 for the ability to stream and download any song you want.
5. I’m all for people making some money for their craft. I expect to be paid for my craft, and while it isn’t the millions that artist are making. This gives them a great way to make some money and me a great way to acquire music.
Most folks don’t have the 5,000 songs that you have in your library, so they end up listening to the same songs over and over and over again. The Zune Pass gives a great way out of that cycle. If you buy a CD a month.. its worth it, because you can download most of the songs for free.
Now, talk to me 2 years from now and I may cancel it for a bit because I would have built up a good library.
About ringtones: You can save sounds and ringtones to your phone. However you cannot change the names or delete them once they are there. I use myxer and phonezoo for my ringtones. Just something you might be interested in, if you haven’t already thought of it.
Nice phone. Glad to see you’re still researching!
I just ordered this phone after trying one at the store. The sales person told me the internet would not work with Wifi if you block data or put on airplane mode. I tried it right in front of him and he shrunk away into a corner. I then asked him WTF Verizon 3g has to do with WIFI whether my own or a public hotspot. I find it odd that Verizon does not stock this phone and it is obviously a loop hole around the madatory data plan that they do not want to make people aware of. BTW, I think requiring you to spend $20 to $30 a month extra for a data plan is a crime in and of itself. I can’t wait to get this phone.
everything i needed to know. awesome dude. thanks a ton!
I have to agree with what everyone has said, thank you! very helpful tips, especially with the manage service blocks tip! Thanks again!
Thanks for the comments, everyone. Glad to hear the info’s been helpful.
Good article, Josh. I just read it and went through a lot of the same things. I did order it without handling it first, and I didn’t have any problem connecting with Zune. I haven’t been able to connect it successfully to Bitpim; I thought I might be able to transfer my contacts to it that way.
So, after only 2 days with it, I didn’t expect it to be like an iphone; I read a few reviews before purchase that prevented that. But it seems to lack “normal” feature phone features. The two things I miss most so far (again, after only 2 days) are being able to forward a text message, and having my alarm vibrate but without any sound. My last 2 feature phones had that. Oh, and obviously being able to transfer my contacts, even if only through Bitpim. Another thing I do through Bitpim is to transfer my Google calendar to my phone. That’ll be a bummer.
My texting is slow, because there are no numbers or punctuation marks (other than a period) without hitting a function key. I imagine I’ll get used to that over time.
But, I think I’ll stick with it for the next 2 years. It does have some nice advanced features not normally seen on feature phones, like wifi, nice camera, two-finger zoom, etc.
Thank you so much for posting all of this!!! It helped me a ton. I really appreciate people like you who take the time to do things like this! :o)
Thanks for your review, just got a Kin TwoM, lots that I really appreciate about the phone…just one comment, I attempted to go to Pandora after seeing you mention it. Pandora.com said that it didn’t support this mobile device, and to go to Pandora.com/mobile to check for compatible items. You’ve probably seen that message by now, too–unless you’ve figured out something I haven’t?
Cool little phone, love the Wifi option and the FM radio.
I bought this phone, and all I can say is that I came to the same conclusions as everyone else: this phone will be PERFECT! But, after recieving it in the mail 2 days ago (2 days past Verizon’s promised 2 day shipping), I have had nothing but trouble. I wasn’t expecting a iPhone, in fact, I was trying to get away from it. I am warning everyone, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THIS IS. Verizon is of no help, and when I called Windows today, they didn’t even know what a Kin was. They even asked me to spell it out for them. I really like the phone, but just a warning to everyone out there- I am returning it because if there is ever a problem (which has been my whole experience) NO ONE CAN HELP.
Kudos Josh on the info. You info was accurate and would have been useful to me had I found your article a few weeks ago when I first got my Kin Twom. I had to figure most things out for myself. However, it wasn’t really difficult. Little things like how to delete emails from the list without having to open the email gave me a headache for a while but I eventually figured out that touching the screen with 2 fingers puts an “x” beside each email and you can just touch it to delete the emails. I would like to be about to delete multiple emails or empty the deleted items folder without having to do it 1 email at a time but I haven’t figured out how to do that. I am really enjoying this phone and love the wifi feature. I did get the $10 75MB plan just in case I wanted to access the web when I wasn’t around wifi. I’ll just keep an eye on my data usage to make sure I don’t go over. For those who suggested putting the phone on airplane mode to avoid data usage, be aware if you do that you can’t receive texts or calls while you’re in airplane mode. Also, since the camera is 8mp each picture is a large file. So, if you decide to upload a file to Facebook etc using 3G you should know that those add up to a lot of mb’s really fast. Overall, I love this phone. I wish it would have had backup assistant and some other minor features, but I’ve learned that all phones will be lacking some features that other phones may have. BTW, I just noticed that Verizon no longer has the Kin Twom on their website anymore. They have the Kin One.
Josh great article, thank you. Yes, it is NOT an iPhone however; the Zune has replaced my iPod. The Zune software found my iTunes music library therefore, Zune made it easy for me to down load to my phone. For me the Zune software is easy to use oppose to iTunes. As too iTunes the software can be very ambiguous to operate. Zune also found music that I ripped from CDs to my iTunes library I thought that I lost. The experience has been a fun thus frustrating at times getting to know this phone however, so are my teen kids. Also, the photos and video are taken at 720p. My husband and I took most our summer vacation pictures in Arizona with this non-iPhone. Love the Wi-Fi with no data plan. This phone stands to be savvy enough for just a phone. My occupation is in telecommunications as a technician, therefore I have found that working in this field, an anarchy of people that over stimulated non responsive to reality around them, can’t wait to retrieve what’s next in technology. As a simpleton I will continue with a KISS attitude.
As a follow up. The Zune Pass just changed their business model. Now, Pandora > Zune Pass. Though maybe Spotify > Pandora :-)
It’s not a bad phone. I had mine for about a year now. But I want to upgrade to a smart phone because this phone isn’t doing it for me. You can’t add apps if you get a data plan, you can’t delete ring tones, there’s no way to upload photos via text to facebook (well, I can’t at least. ) the zune player isn’t the best, the camera is basic and not many functions, the themes are lame and can’t add new themes and the touch screen can be a pain. But I got my phone for free and it is what it is.
I just got a used version via ebay and my kin twom refuses to connect to zune :/ Help! Please!
Nickie: Have you downloaded the most recent version of the Zune software from Microsoft’s website? I had some trouble with this at first as well, but that pretty much resolved it.