No third-party apps making Kin boring?

NEW YORK, USA:Verizon Wireless has reportedly slashed the prices of Microsoft's Kin One and Kin Two social networking smartphones.

The smartphoens were launched only six weeks ago. The Kin smartphones have failed to perform as well as either Microsoft or Verizon hoped - prompting the massive price cuts, IT PRO Portal reported.

The Kin One has dropped in price from $129.99 on a two-year contract, to just $29.99 on the same contract, while the price of the Kin Two has been cut from $149.99 to $49.99, the report said.

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Customers will also need to spend $29 per month or more on a data plan from Verizon Wireless.

Ken Dulaney, wireless analyst for Gartner, stated: “The phone has been under marketed by Verizon and may suffer from poorly researched phone designs.”

The Kin smartphones have suffered from rumours of bad sales since their release, as well as facing criticism for not supporting third-party applications, and offering poor software and features.