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Guy smokes Windows Phone in contest, Microsoft says he loses "just because"
- Thread starter Polari
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The Verge: Smoked by Galaxy Nexus: Windows Phone challenge defeated by Android 4.0
Neither setups were default, so that point is irrelevant.
Neither setups were default, so that point is irrelevant.
It doesn't take a genious to figure out you can disable the lock screen. With their previous experience, like CES, you'd think someone else tried that before him.
Having him pictured with the sign was a douchebag move.
Isn't the risk with this that people start fabricating stories like this? As they do competitions like this pretty often seemingly.
Anyway, after that twitter they might not have a choice. It was a poor decision. If they hadn't twittered it they could've solved it more smoothely. Now it's all out in the open.
Having him pictured with the sign was a douchebag move.
Isn't the risk with this that people start fabricating stories like this? As they do competitions like this pretty often seemingly.
Anyway, after that twitter they might not have a choice. It was a poor decision. If they hadn't twittered it they could've solved it more smoothely. Now it's all out in the open.
Bring up the weather of two different cities.
YOUR PHONE CAN'T DO THAT.
*smirk*
I can't get upset at the prospect of someone doing this, when the "competition" is fabricated to begin with.
Simple solution: Don't fake a contest in order to market your product.
brotkasten
Member
As a Windows Phone user, I have say I'm disgusted by this. This is so embarrassing and effecting me in such a way, that I seriously consider to drop my current Windows Phone for an Android phone.
The Galaxy Nexus is still the best one, right?
The Galaxy Nexus is still the best one, right?
Sounds like poor contigency planning to me by MS marketing.
Probably had shit like - "use obscure elements and preconfigure the Windows handset to ensure that Windows Phone achieves victory" in their guidelines.
And when this guy came along and fluked it with shit he just happen to have on the phone, it broke their script, and dumb ass retail people and managers just panicked.
Probably had shit like - "use obscure elements and preconfigure the Windows handset to ensure that Windows Phone achieves victory" in their guidelines.
And when this guy came along and fluked it with shit he just happen to have on the phone, it broke their script, and dumb ass retail people and managers just panicked.
Honestly seems like a strange reaction.
Fjolle
Member
They did that at first, then upped the stakes. I think?
Anyway. It's not MS fault, it was the clerk that did the challenge.
They do. If they loose.
Waaaaaaait a minute, you are not Copernicus.
Who works for MS, no? "It's not our fault we have shitty employees" is hardly an acceptable defense. Also Ben Rudolph is hardly ground level retail employee, and he just made it worse.
How would that help? He won a laptop.
It's honestly ridiculous and disingenuous that they won't disclose what is the "random challenge" your phone has to beat beforehand. It could be something that another phone could easily do faster, but if their setup isn't right, then they "lose"?
Even if this guy didn't disable his lock screen, what's the difference in speed between two live tiles show showing weather and two weather widgets? How fast your finger moves to unlock the device? How fast your carrier can retrieve the data?
What if this person only had one weather widget? He still loses because Microsoft set up their phone to have two before hand for the challenge. That's not fair play.
Even if this guy didn't disable his lock screen, what's the difference in speed between two live tiles show showing weather and two weather widgets? How fast your finger moves to unlock the device? How fast your carrier can retrieve the data?
What if this person only had one weather widget? He still loses because Microsoft set up their phone to have two before hand for the challenge. That's not fair play.
bigtroyjon
Member
I guess someone had to take his place post ban.
I'm pretty sure this whole fiasco has exposed "smoked by windows phone" as a joke
That's true too.
Thats kinda the thing. Im pretty sure its not meant to be fair, its just a marketing thing to increase awareness.
The only thing that shocks me, is that they actually extended this campaign to their retail stores.... Doing it at a trade show on camera is one thing, extending it to your stores is stupid. Its a clearly rigged challenge. And something like this was bound to happen eventually. Now they have to deal with the PR.
Bleh.
shanshan310
Member
OP lacks context. What was the context? Why are they talking about the weather? Needs more than a link.
Making him stand in front of the "I lost" sign is really adding insult to injury. Really Microsoft?
Making him stand in front of the "I lost" sign is really adding insult to injury. Really Microsoft?
Yes he won the laptop, no argument there. What i meant was, why didn't they offer a Windows Phone as the price in the first place, that would have made more sense
Yes he won the laptop, no argument there. What i meant was, why didn't they offer a Windows Phone as the price in the first place, that would have made more sense
Because if your phone proves to be better than a Windows Phone, there's no point in winning one as a prize
TouchMyBox
Member
Last time I saw a field mouse writhing in pain and convulsing from pesticide spraying I put him out of his misery.
I think it's the most humane thing to do.
Yes he won the laptop, no argument there. What i meant was, why didn't they offer a Windows Phone as the price in the first place, that would have made more sense
Ah yeah, true. But then again, if you already have a phone that manages to "smoke" a windows phone in this scientific test, why would you even want that prize? =)
edit: i can't believe i spent over 3 minutes typing that
The Faceless Master
Member
i actually have a weather widget up with 2 cities (Albany, GA and Brooklyn, NY [DIFFERENT STATES WOOO!]) though it's on my 5ht panel not 4th.
I don't think this should be an indictment of Microsofts rigged carnival game but rather of the shitty store employees. They have the Laptops to give out as prizes, 10 per store, so it's not as if they expect to win every challenge.
Also, his Android phone smoked Windows Phone because he disabled his lock screen? Clearly a rematch is in order.
Also, his Android phone smoked Windows Phone because he disabled his lock screen? Clearly a rematch is in order.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
So then once someone finds out that the store employees are shitty, they'll be sending him his free laptop, right?
Disabling the lock screen is a setting. Pinning Live Tiles is a setting. There's no way the WP's performance counts and the Android's performance doesn't.
So then once someone finds out that the store employees are shitty, they'll be sending him his free laptop, right?
Sounds like good company policy to send a free laptop to everyone who claims to have beaten Windows Phone 7 in their stupid contest.
Sounds like better company policy to instead offer a second rigged rematch after the guy has won, rather than looking into his claim specifically with the store and finding out whether or not his claim is true. And if it is, sending the man his prize...
Where exactly are you trying to go with this....
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
In summary, Microsoft Rules GOOGSUX DROOLS
I'm saying that Microsoft should not be thrown under the bus for the actions of a couple stupid employees who had no idea how to handle losing their rigged contest. I'm saying that one Twitter post say 'Come in for a rematch!' doesn't mean the whiner from the original story isn't going to get his free laptop anyway.
As I said, the stores have 10 laptops to give away and had he done the challenge at a different store he likely would have walked away with a laptop. I know people LOVE to shit all over Microsoft and their silly attempts to make a phone OS, but lets not get out of hand here.
In summary, critical thinking stops when it's a story bashing Microsoft.
It's fine, have fun with the negative PR, it's not like my thoughts on this story are going to change anyone's opinion.
Flatline
Banned
Microsoft deserves this. It's an obnoxious PR trick where they set all the rules, know beforehand the challenge and then parade the loser as trophy in front of a sign that says he lost, and even with the game rigged they're so arrogant that probably haven't properly explained to the staff what they should do in case someone wins. From the description it seems that they were completely clueless.
Yessss MOARRRRRRR
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Erm, employees represent a company by default. When an employee does something that's inconsistent with how the company wants to be represented, the company needs to correct the perception problem. Their first salvo in correcting the perception problem is to not correct the perception problem. It may be the case that if this blows up, they will eventually correct the problem, but as of right now, the people representing Microsoft are making Microsoft look bad.
Okay, well, I'll ask you again--and it's pretty rich that you're accusing me of anything after you selectively replied to me the first time:
- Did the guy win the contest? You implied he did not because turning off the lock screen is in some way unfair, even though it's a setting available to all Android phones, and even though for the Windows Phone to "win" it also required a non-default behaviour
- If the guy won the contest, does he deserve a laptop?
I think most of you are missing the fact that you get a free exchange to a Windows Phone whenever you lose the challenge. There isn't as big as an incentive for Microsoft to rig the challenge in their favor as you think. Their past past campaign at CES already proves that their challenges can indeed be won, there's no incentive to make it look like Windows Phone wins at all tasks. Bring a crappy phone, get a free upgrade, sell it if you want, why the heck not? This is just a screw up by their employees and yes, Microsoft sucks at this.
The thing is that there wasn't a point in extend this contest to retail, when they did it before was both fair because the tasks were really things a random person use their phone every day (send a pic on twitter, check facebook status, etc) and not fabricated things that only a minory do (like in this case checking 2 weather widgets/live tiles), and more importantly for publicity: it was a novelty in a controlled enviroment that they won and could use it for good PR.
Now I hope this will be the end of this stupid publicity stunt (I'm talking about the extended to retail "Smoked by Windows Phone", the original was really good) that the only thing was asking were people who would abuse the rules and cheat to win a laptop and stupid rules to prevent people from win it, we have heard the later now, and when/if ms gives this guy his righteous won laptop we will hear a lot of the former.
Now I hope this will be the end of this stupid publicity stunt (I'm talking about the extended to retail "Smoked by Windows Phone", the original was really good) that the only thing was asking were people who would abuse the rules and cheat to win a laptop and stupid rules to prevent people from win it, we have heard the later now, and when/if ms gives this guy his righteous won laptop we will hear a lot of the former.
I'm trying to think of a scenario where i fuck over a customer and my employer avoids the fallback by saying "we have shitty employees, we are sorry but we can't do anything about that and you should know that".
I'm not succeeding.
I never implied that and I twice mentioned the fact that Microsofts 'contest' is rigged heavily in their favor. This guy won the lottery with his challenge (A challenge that I've never seen mentioned in all the descriptions of them) and he is well aware of that.
Do I think the story is completely genuine? Maybe, maybe not. It's the internet and I'm less inclined to believe stories like this without any other examples to base the validity off of. Again, most of the challenges I've read about require using the web browser, facebook app, twitter app, ect... ect...
Would I be surprised if the story were true? No.
If he won the contest, does he deserve a laptop? Of course. The problem for him will be proving with any validity that he won the contest.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
So your input to the thread was basically "I don't believe the story in the OP occurred at all [although maybe it did! I'm not saying it didn't!], and no further discussion can occur because we can't prove otherwise"...
Hot Coldman
Banned
Seraphinianus
Banned
https://twitter.com/#!/BenThePCGuy/status/184123838949359616
Sorry that you should have won the laptop but didn't. Come back for a rematch!
"SORRY BOUT THAT BRAH, I LOVE MY WINDOWS PHONE, COME BACK FOR ANOTHER CHALLENGE."
OriginalThinking
Member
I called the Smoked by a Windows Phone challenge a stupid PR stunt back in the original thread.
Im feeling pretty smug right now.
Im feeling pretty smug right now.
How on earth did you get that from my post? I'm was explaining why I'm not on the Microsoft Shit Train (because I'm, you know, reasonable). Why on earth would I be saying no discussion should take place? You're putting words in my mouth. I just think there is a lack of any kind of critical thought going on in this thread.
I'm not some Microsoft fanboy ravenously defending his company waifu, I don't own a windows phone and don't intend to, but I simply don't think one guys blog post invalidates an entire companies marketing campaign, which has been successful up to this point and based on the flurry of media coverage of this one guys post, will stop being successful.
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