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I headed down to the Santa Clara Microsoft Store this morning after hearing about the Windows Phone challenge last night. For those not familiar, anyone who completes a task faster than a Windows Phone on their own smart phone can win a $1000 Special Edition Laptop assuming they meet some standard terms and conditions. Those who “get smoked” by a Windows Phone, have the opportunity to trade in their existing device for Windows Phone.
After signing a waiver agreeing to let Microsoft use a photo of me in their advertising, I got in line for the challenge. I was using a Samsung Galaxy Nexus which runs the latest Android operating system on the Verizon Wireless network. As requested, I shut down my phone and powered it on in front of an employee when it was my turn. (I’m assuming they don’t want anyone pre-launching any apps in advance.)
The Microsoft Store employee I was up against then explained the selected challenge. Her exact words were the following: “bring up the weather of two different cities.” The one who could do that first would win. I felt like I struck gold since I knew I already had two weather widgets on my home screen: one for my current location (San Jose, CA) and another for Berkeley, CA.
After a three-second count down, I hit the power button on my phone and said “DONE!” out loud. I had disabled the lock screen entirely, which is a rather awesome out-of-the-box feature of Android that takes you straight to the home screen with a single push of the power button. I didn’t even need to touch the screen, since the two weather widgets were already there.
My opponent finished a split-second later. She had two live tiles on her home screen displaying the weather of two different cities as well. Why does it take longer on Windows Phone? She had to perform two actions. First, she hit the power button to turn on the screen. Second, she had to swipe away the lock screen. That’s pretty much as fast as it gets on that platform. Windows Phone takes two interactions. Android takes just one.
I excitedly thought I won out of pure luck. However, I was quickly told that I lost. I asked for a reason and was told Windows Phone won because “it displays the weather right there.” That was rather unclear. I showed her my device which also was showing off the same information with two side-by-side weather widgets on the center home screen. After pressing for a better reason, I was told that Windows Phone won “just because.”
After trying to push for a real answer since I clearly won the contest by their rules, another Microsoft Store employee (possibly a manager) came by after noticing me asking more questions. Thinking on his feet, he quickly gave a ridiculous out-of-thin-air reason that I need to display the weather of different cities in different states and that “my phone could not do that”.
I calmly and politely tried pointing out that I was absolutely never told about having to show off two different states, but at this point I realized there was no point in even attempting to argue since the Microsoft Store employees clearly had no intention of even potentially discussing the possibility of considering me the winner.
I was then asked to snap a photo in front of a sign that read along the lines of “My Android was smoked by Windows Phone” before leaving the store.
I was quite excited to take the challenge, but left the Microsoft Store in distaste. I sure hope the purpose of this marketing ploy is to attract new customers by demonstrating the highlights of Windows Phone, not frustrating them instead. If anyone from Microsoft would like to have a rematch, I would be happy to smoke a Windows Phone with Android, again.
Update: I Got My Laptop & A Windows Phone. Both Are Up For Auction. 100% Of Proceeds Go To Charity.
Microsoft lost, hands down, no excuses. There is no “because you altered the default behaviour.” It’s not the point of the test. The point of the test was to see who could smoke who. If they’re not smart enough to disable locking, bypass locking, they lose – no excuses. They got beaten by someone just a little bit smarter than they were and didn’t want to admit it. Next time they issue the challenge I’m sure they’ll make sure there’s a lock bypass.
Just sore losers.
The author did say he only won by a fraction of a second only because he had already disabled the unlock screen. He neglected to mention if he always had his phone unlocked or if he disabled the lock screen for the purpose of winning the challenge. Jury is still out weather if he cheated or not.
And this typical Microsoft attitude surprises people because…???
One of these days Microsoft will have a legit product that works, is user friendly, and is not called “simple” to use because it takes 3 steps to accomplish the same tasks that other systems can do in one – maybe.
But I admit I am not holding my breath either. I just keep hoping…
Because you are too retarded to turn on a light. 1} the author said he beat the WP7 by a fraction of a second since his opponent had to swipe the unlock screen. 2) his opponent had to make 2 actions against his one because he setup his phone in a way that no one else would. The author may have admittedly cheated a little by boasting how lucky he was that he got this challenge.
Hi
First of all well done !
But beside all this one can ask him self what is exactly the relevancy of powering up a phone, this is operation you do once a week – well at least if you don’t use Microsoft device.
I think you won the contest, as there’s no rules against your procedure. But beating one Microsoft’s rep in one Microsoft Store in one contest using an unsecure phone with a preconfigured app doesn’t mean anything: Windows Phone 7.5 is still the best smartphone OS on the planet.
I’ve been using iPhones since second generation (3G) through 4G. I’ve also used a BlackBerry Curve 9300 with OS 6 as a second phone all 2011 (was a long year for me, that phone sucks). And now I’m using a Samsung Galaxy S2 updated with Android ICS 4.0 since november 2011 (my iPhone hit the street… oh yeah!).
During 2011, I was given a demo of Samsung Focus with Windows Phone 7, wich I later updated to “Mango”. I’m in love with that device and that OS… is beautiful (BlackBerry = ugly), innovative (Android = iPhone fresh copy), cheap (iPhone = expensive), fast (BlackBerry, iPhone, Android… no one is on stage at WP speed, and I’m talking of a one-core chip phone).
Since last government we have in Argentina “special” rules for importing, but I’m waiting for Nokia Lumia’s phones to throw away all these “smartphones”. My special one-year-use ranking is: Windows Phone, iPhone, Android, Meego, Symbian, etc., etc., etc., DOS 3.3 and finally BlackBerry.
Microsoft has awarded the prize to the winner.
Considering that you disable the lock screen, you don’t care that much if your phone gets snatched or stolen.
I agree that you won but you also came prepared and obviously knew the challenges. I call this a tie for the Galaxy Nexus. It’s very obvious though that besides this challenge the Windows Phone does beat most phones including the Galaxy Nexus at a lot of the other challenges because of the integration of the OS. Where most phone have to jump form app to app to get something done Windows Phone doesn’t need to. In the end Ben hooked you up with both so now your in a better position. Besides which phone did he give you. Hopefully a Titan 2 or a Lumia 900
Tony —
Even if it were a tie, here is what the terms and conditions say: “In the event of a tie between the Windows Phone and Your smartphone your smartphone will be considered the winner. The decisions of the judges are final and binding.”
That means that the contestant should win the prize in that situation.
P.S. I was given a Lumia 800 bundle along with the laptop. Both are going to charity.
I went to the “Smoked by Windows Phone Challenge”, I was told to find directions to the closest 4* restaurant. Sales rep didn’t find directions he just found locations of them, at the same time I found directions. When I showed it sales rep, he told me that I was trying to cheat and offered me redo, when I found closest restaurants faster then him he again told me again that I was cheating. I don’t understand how Microsoft wants to get back on the Market when they are clearly not follow rules.
This fucking “article” is a commercial for Android phones to all you idiots out there who didn’t realize. It also degrades Microsoft at the same time. Shitty marketing ploy, makes you guys wanna hate Microsoft and like Samsung. What a fucking joke… I personally have many Samsung products but I don’t think I’m gonna keep encouraging them anymore after reading this horseshit.
Makes me think of the Republicans bashing Democrats commercials… lol… politics…
RIGGED:
So pissed off. Me and a friend get there (both of us have an S2) wanting to do the challenge just to try to win the laptop. We walk in, ask the guy and he says we are my friend (since he already did it) is good since it’s a new promotion and valid March 30 – April 5 so if you haven’t done it in those dates yet, you can do it again. He asked us what phones, we show him, we exit our programs, etc.
Now he states the challenge, send a picture text. My friend says I can go ahead and go, so I walk up, and the guy says I’ll challenge both of ya’ll at the same time. We asked are you sure and say that we can wait to go one at a time, he says no just both at the same time is fine. Now another guy comes over that works there to be the “judge” and he see’s both of us doing the challenge at the same time and he’s fine with it. They make little snide remarks saying, “Let’s see how the dual core processor fares, get ready to be smoked, etc.” Now ready, set, go, we go, we beat him, he admits defeat and goes and talks to a manager. We see two laptops being carried out, so we are pretty ecstatic.
Now here comes the frustration. Manager comes over, talks to us, and only offers us one laptop, even though she says we both won the challenge and says that one person can have a redo. We argue, stating that we knew the rules, the microsoft worker said for both of us to go at the same time and the “judge” acknowledged it. She then states in the rules only one person can go at a time (I read it over, it does not, just says One entry per person, One phone per person, One winning prize per person). We argue back and forth, she says we are even lucky to get one since the rules weren’t followed, and I get upset and state that in most contracts/challenges it is up to the stores transgression to modify or change anything and that’s what her employee did and WE ASKED HIM and he said he wanted to challenge us at the same time. Blah blah blah, back and forth some more, more of we are lucky to get one and have a shot at redoing it. Now my friend was like F’ it, we’ll just contact corporate or something, they said fine so we got information, and it turns out she’s the assistant manager so we ask to talk to a manager or someone higher up and she says there is no one higher up (WTF then why are you the assistant manager). Friend does it again, they now pick translate a whole french menu to english (WTF) so of course we lose. So we are now just trying to figure out the best way to go about this. Most frustrating part, she states that she wants to give away laptops and are happy when people when, but she can’t this time. I ask why, it was her worker, an employee of Microsoft that changed the rules, not us, she responds, I’ll deal with him. This all the while we get snide smart allelic remarks from some of the employees.
Long story short:
Challenged by an employee who let’s 2 of us go at once (in which we double checked)
Smart remarks on getting smoked
We win, they acknowledge it, they get 2 laptops out
Assistant Manager argues saying rules were broken (BY HER OWN EMPLOYEE not by us we double check they insisted anyways)
We walk away with one only when we were suppose to get 2
Microsoft will be hearing from us, any ideas?
Galaxy Nexus is amazing, no contest
I will immediately snatch your rss as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me realize in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
You should be able to type in your email address in the subscribe box. Let me know if it is not functional.
IPHONE FTW (no offense to android, still love it)
in real live ofcourse you would not have won , becouse your android would have had its screensaver on
Windows phone is utter rubbish that’s good for nothing other than the local tip.
An Android will win every time.
i have an android and I’ve taken the challenge at least 5 times and lost each time :/ the windows phone always smokes me by like a good 5 minutes(ok I’m exaggerating there :p)
Unfair Microsoft… this is what happened too with Windows and Apple in the past.
thats bullshit!!! I’ve taken the challenge at least 5 times never won but hey were nice and gave a reason they won but that.. that i just stupid they probably didn’t have the $1,000 to spare :p
is it because u hate windows stuff or frustration connected auction????
I don’t think Windows can do a better job compared to Android. It’s very clear that you have won but, since the challenge was to prove their features to attract new customers, they said you lost. This is really not fair. I think its very easy to smoke a Windows Phone with Android as what ever the app is Windows Phone takes a step more compared to Android.
This is simply stupid from Microsoft part, if they can’t win by virtue, applying hook and crook.
No wonder why Microsoft has a very low customer base of windows phone. Because windows phone always rigs these “challenges”. They also have a similar contest called “dare to live” and it also seems rigged. The only reason why they win all the time is because they are always challenging with 1-2 year old phones like the iPhone 4. Heck they even had a challenge with an older blackberry which I think is the curve 9310. If they didn’t cheat in their “challenges” maybe they would attract a much larger customer base. Very few people in the U.S wants a windows phone and the only phone carrier in the U.S that actually get more high-powered windows phone is AT&T which I avoid.