Microsoft's Smoked by Windows Phone challenge accused of bending the rules

WP Central

Don't color u.s.a. surprised if this is true to some extent every bit it'due south a elementary marketing stunt that involves cash, but reports are coming in that the Smoked past Windows Telephone challenges are sometimes rigged, or those who actually beat Microsoft'southward OS were denied their win / prize. Not only are relatively large sums of money involved, but Microsoft recently bumped the stakes to include a express edition PC worth $1,000.

Co-ordinate to Sahas Katta, from Skatter Tech, he was wrongfully robbed of his celebrity (and make-spanking new PC) past a Microsoft employee who refused to accept that his Android handset won. Katta went forth to the Santa Clara Microsoft Shop to requite the challenge a go afterward hearing nearly the stakes increment. Using an Android handset with widgets galore to gainsay the Windows Telephone live tiles, Katta felt prepared for the task that would be presented to him past the employee.

"The Microsoft Store employee I was upward against then explained the selected challenge. Her exact words were the following: 'bring upward the conditions of two dissimilar cities.' The 1 who could do that first would win. I felt like I struck golden since I knew I already had ii weather widgets on my domicile 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 dwelling house screen with a single push button of the power push. I didn't even demand to touch the screen, since the two weather widgets were already there."

According to Katta, having won the challenge by a mere few seconds, the employee turned around to say that Windows Phone won because "it displays the weather right there." Confusing indeed since that's exactly what the Android widgets did as well - they both displayed the weather condition 'right there'. Afterwards speaking to a manager and receiving baroque reasons as to why he lost, Katta left the Microsoft Store empty handed.

All nosotros'll say is: it'south non the get-go time a company has had problems with a marketing stunt, so we shouldn't be surprised if - in this case - the Smoked by Windows Phone challenge differs betwixt employees, or is judged slightly differently. Though I would similar to add together that the manager should have handled the situation more professionally, if what Katta reported on had actually occurred. (And this is a big "if" as we're just taking their discussion).

Have you been to challenge Microsoft and Windows Phone in the challenges? If so, did yous find whatever cheating?

Source: Skatter Tech; thanks Sandy for the heads up!

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