Android user wins the "Smoked by Windows Phone" challenge

Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone advertising campaign, “Smoked by Windows Phone“, is an interesting little idea. Some Microsoft marketing guy will give you a task to perform on your smartphone. The adman will perform the same operation on his Windows Phone. Both of you then simultaneously try to achieve this arbitrary goal while being recorded for what will eventually be a YouTube video. If you finish first, you get money. If the propagandist finishes first, you have to look into Microsoft’s cameras and admit defeat. Yesterday evening, Sahas Katta, a student at the University of California Davis majoring in Computer Engineering, headed down to his local Microsoft Store because he heard that if he could win Microsoft’s “Smoked by Windows Phone” challenge then he’ll get to go home with a $1,000 laptop. The task presented to him was to see what the weather was in two different cities. Sahas uses a Galaxy Nexus, so he easily configured it to display two weather widgets on his home screen. He also disabled the lock screen on his device so that all he’d have to do to see said weather data was hit the power button. You can’t disable the lock screen on a Windows Phone, so you need to perform two gestures to see the weather.

So Sahas won … but according to Microsoft he didn’t. The reason? “Just because,” said an employee at the Microsoft Store. Microsoft created a game, set the rules, and Sahas won according to the rules, but then Microsoft said that his weather widgets should have displayed the weather in two different states as opposed to two different cities. Know who else changes the rules so that they never have to admit they’re wrong?

Kindergartners.

Opinions about Windows Phone versus Android aside, what Microsoft did was just plain shady. And the best part of all this was Microsoft’s response. Ben Rudolph, the Microsoft guy who started this whole “Smoked by Windows Phone” thing, told Sahas via Twitter to swing by the Microsoft Store again for a rematch.

Seriously?

[Via: The Verge]

Update: Ben Rudolph has apparently had a change of heart. Sahas doesn’t need to come back to the store for a rematch. Instead he’ll get the $1,000 laptop he won in the first place, plus a new phone. It’s a happy ending, that’s for sure, but this drama should have never happened in the first place.

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

Bradley Larcher

So they lost and won’t admit defeat. Come on Microsoft. Out of the stack of hundred dollar bills you didn’t want to give one. You guys are sore losers
Nelson Tapia N

it´s absolutly ridiculous to prepare the challenge before the test. How many people has two cities in their wheater widget normally….common!!
- http://www.intomobile.com/ Stefan Constantinescu
  
  According to Sahas, he already had his Nexus configured with two weather widgets because he travels a lot between Berkley and San Jose. We have to take his word for it though, but I don’t think he lied.
- http://www.intomobile.com/ Stefan Constantinescu
  
  According to Sahas, he already had his Nexus configured with two weather widgets because he travels a lot between Berkley and San Jose. We have to take his word for it though, but I don’t think he lied.
- Anonymous
  
  Yeah, because the MS employee running the test hadn’t prepared before the test either, right? I mean they haven’t been practicing all day long.
Bradley Larcher

Microsoft should have just paid up in the first place. Glad they did after all because am sure the backlash wouldn’t be good.
Anonymous

Come on guys, using open source is cheating. For every challenge you could just code an app that has the answer on the lock screen. What a lame competition. Go iOS!
- Jason
  
  So basically what you are saying is that you shouldn’t use Android because it is better at doing things than other mobile OS’s?
  - Anonymous
    
    yes!
Ana Hazuki Hazuki

I just don’t believe it because I saw many people there (on the video) getting paid for beating Windows Phone, including an iOS. So, why would MIcrosoft complain just about paying one more? It just doesn’t make any sense? There is something missing here!