A price drop just six weeks after a product launch is rarely a sign of success

As such, it would appear Verizon's decision to slash the price of Microsoft's Kin handsets – Kin One dropping from $50 to $30, Kin Two from $100 to $50 - earlier this week was less a move to drive sales, and more a precursor to the platform's early retirement and clearing stock.

Indeed, the social network-focused phones – which were the result of Microsoft's buyout of T-Mobile Sidekick manufacturer Danger Inc back in 2008 – have gone from official unveiling to the bargain bin in less than two months.

New kinship for Kin

"We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship Kin in Europe this fall as planned," Microsoft said in a press statement, signalling the demise of the project.

"Additionally, we are integrating our Kin team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from Kin into future Windows Phone releases. We will continue to work with Verizon in the US to sell current Kin phones."

Focusing its forces on just one platform – Windows Phone 7 – is something many commentators had been urging Microsoft to do ever since Kin was announced.

The idea of launching two separate mobile brands seemed muddled, and Kin's long-term future was put in doubt from day one, slow sales – rumoured to be around 500 units to date – sealing the format's fate.

Social savvy

Nevertheless, the concept of incorporating social networks into one simple UI has currency.

It's something many Android phones, such as Sony-Ericsson's Xperia 10, have also tried to master, but Kin was criticised for having no apps and no games. Microsoft is putting far more time and money into ensuring Windows Phone 7 doesn't suffer the same fate.

Regardless, the cloud based nature of Kin's set-up could well serve Windows Phone 7 well, which has a UI that attempts to do much the same, albeit on a larger scale.