Verizon, the broadband and telecommunications company, will return all unsold Kin devices to Microsoft, marking the end of the smartphone rumored to have only sold around 9,000 units. The Kin One and Kin Two have been pulled out of online sales. Currently, Verizon only sells accessories for the smartphones.

Verizon had previously cut the price of the Kin One and Kin Two. The Kin One, which had a price of $50, was sold at a discount for $30. The Kin Two, on the other hand, fell from $100 to $50.

Microsoft then disbanded its Kin team, thereby weakening the possibility of future device updates. In a statement, the technology company said, "We have made the decision to focus on our Windows Phone 7 launch and we will not ship Kin in Europe this fall as planned. 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 U.S. to sell current Kin phones."

Observers blame the combination of high startup costs and a hefty monthly pricing plan for the Kin's demise. The smartphone also did not have support for third-party applications, which could have smoothen out kinks in the device's social networking apps.