March 26, 2012
The Smoked by Windows Phone Controversy

So the controversy started when an Android user was told he lost the “Windows Phone Challenge” just because. This is the marketing campaign where users of non-windows smartphones are asked to do a task (obviously stacked so it’s something that Windows Phone does well) and if they can they win a prize. The non-microsoft phone user won, but was told he lost, and obviously was a bit pissed off (losing out on a laptop and $1000). Things got big quickly, with social media sites carrying the story.

If you drew the right card by luck (a combination of scenario and which mobile OS/widgets/apps users have preloaded), you could technically beat them like Sahas did. However, the odds are highly stacked against players since Microsoft is only playing with a deck that is more advantageous to Windows Phones.

No doubt thanks to some of the pressure from Reddit and Twitter, Microsoft has made it right.

Good on MS for paying up, though I wonder if this was an evil calculated move to make people more aware of the Windows Phone Challenge? Or am I thinking too deviously here….





Posted by Arcterex at March 26, 2012 12:05 PM