Microsoft's Kin smartphone, announced on Monday, will be available in the Russian market and will be launched through national network provider MTS, Lenta.ru reported today. The operator will only set prices after seeing sales data from Europe and the United States.

Sales of the device in the United States will start as of May (through network operator Verizon Wireless), while Russians will be able to purchase Kin by autumn 2010. Europeans will be able to get the smartphone through Vodafone, which currently has a partnership with MTS, according to RBC Daily.

There are two versions of Kin, One and Two. According to RBK Daily, the device is aimed towards social network users since it permits them to browse, download and share social network content. RBC Daily reported that the Russian edition of Kin will be integrated with social sites Facebook, V Kontakte (Russia's answer to Facebook) and Odnoklassniki.

"We built Kin for people who live to be connected, share, express and relate to their friends and family. This social generation wants and needs more from their phone. Kin is the one place to get the stuff you care about to the people you care about most," said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, Sky News reported.

Kin is rumoured to have a price tag between US$200 and $300 in Russia. Yana Romashkina, marketing director at investment company Finam said that global marketing operations could amount to $100. The new device could take away a 5 percent slice of the global mobile phone industry.