User beats Windows Phone in speed test, denied prize "just because"

[xeleraph]

I own both an Android device (Xperia Ray) and a Windows Phone (Lumia 710). The lock screen on WP cannot be disabled, the best you can do is set the screen to never time out.

It's really obvious what's happening here. The Windows Store employee tried to cheat by pre-setting two weather tiles on her start screen to "win" the contest. Apparently it so happens that the guy did the exact same thing as well and had disabled his lock screen. The employee was beaten using her own cheating strategy, and was too butthurt to admit that the guy won, which isn't surprising given how she smugly expected to win since she was cheating... except that the other guy was cheating too! :D

[Elliott]

How anyone could be on Microsoft's side in this is beyond me. They've rigged the competition to hell just so they can have an advantage.

[simplezz]

I'm confused, can't Windows Phone's slide unlock be disabled? If yes, that guy isn't really winning, let the phones be set the same way and see how long it takes for the OS to show up the info, that's how I'd measure it.

That's not how the competition is set up. Microsoft store employees prepare a WP7 device with two live weather tiles before hand (yes cheating). So if we're being fair, then shouldn't every challenger also get a chance to prepare their phones by placing widgets on home screens etc? The whole "Smoked by Windows Phone" campaign is designed to give WP an advantage. This guy however caught out the store employee, who in an unsportsmanlike fashion wouldn't admit losing.

1 vs 2 actions do not prove Android is faster, it just proves Android was set with one less action and WP wasn't.

The same can be said of instances of when Windows Phone won. The WP7 devices were prepared beforehand with tiles or other options in order to be quicker. And the challenges are worded and chosen specifically based on what WP is the fastest at. I'm sure many people could design a challenge where iOS or Android "Smokes" Windows Phone too.

[xeleraph]

How anyone could be on Microsoft's side in this is beyond me. They've rigged the competition to hell just so they can have an advantage.

It was better when Ben Rudolph was the only one doing it. Once you start "training" normal employees to do it as well, it's going to be just a matter of time before the campaign becomes a big a joke as Apple "Geniuses" are.

[ichi]

I'm confused, can't Windows Phone's slide unlock be disabled? If yes, that guy isn't really winning, let the phones be set the same way and see how long it takes for the OS to show up the info, that's how I'd measure it. 1 vs 2 actions do not prove Android is faster, it just proves Android was set with one less action and WP wasn't. He's just trying to win by finding flaws in the rules, he doesn't really get the point of this competition.

This isn't a benchmark, it's a competition: you have your phone, I have mine, let's see who does things faster.

If the point was comparing stock and not your personal setups they would be requiring using stock OOTB phones, but that's not the case with any of the phones used.

[AbandonedTrolley]

I'm confused, can't Windows Phone's slide unlock be disabled? If yes, that guy isn't really winning, let the phones be set the same way and see how long it takes for the OS to show up the info, that's how I'd measure it. 1 vs 2 actions do not prove Android is faster, it just proves Android was set with one less action and WP wasn't. He's just trying to win by finding flaws in the rules, he doesn't really get the point of this competition.

I'm sorry but this is really a draw. Trying to compare a less than 1 second swipe of a lock screen to one without a lock screen is like saying who can pick up their phone out of the pocket the fastest. The reality is, by the time you look at the screen to read it, you can already have unlocked it just like the other guy. I do it all the time.

The slower motion is pressing the power button first so if that is required on the Android device as well, it is a truly a draw. Now, if it isn't required and you just take the phone out of your pocket and no actions whatsoever, I would give it a win.

He has got the point of this competition exactly correct. There are no flaws in the rules, the rules are which device can do it manually the quickest.

The WP saleperson had set up her handset to show the weather in the least possible actions (2) as she is unable to miss out the unlock phase. The android owner had done the same, setup his device to show the weather in the least possible actions (1)

Now as both devices need a power button press to start with lets assume they can both press a button as quick as each other, upon both doing that the Android device is already displaying the weather. The WP now needs to be unlocked before it can do the same, Android wins, simple as that.

Try telling a 100m sprinter that he didn't win because someone was half a second slower than him, but hey that doesn't matter, it's not that much slower so it's a draw.

They set the rules and lost.

[guru]

Who turns off their lock screen anyway? It's like having a race to see who can start their car faster, but you've removed the door to your car just so you can get in faster.

QFT

[Miuku.]

Who turns off their lock screen anyway? It's like having a race to see who can start their car faster, but you've removed the door to your car just so you can get in faster.

People who don't need a lock screen but have a hardware switch for it - which is vastly better anyway.

[AbandonedTrolley]

People who don't need a lock screen but have a hardware switch for it - which is vastly better anyway.

Or people that want to win a competition based on speed. Same as asking why runners don't wear jeans and a jumper, they wear as little as possible to enhance their chances of winning. Exactly what this guy did, got rid of what wasn't needed for the competition so that he could win.

[Joshie]

How anyone could be on Microsoft's side in this is beyond me. They've rigged the competition to hell just so they can have an advantage.

It's called the extremely low standard of expecting a whiny blogger to offer ANY evidence whatsoever backing up his claim before agreeing with him "just because" you have a personal beef with Microsoft (or corporations as a whole) and this makes you feel warm and fuzzy because it jives with that beef.

How anybody can just believe anything any blogger anywhere says is beyond me. :p

[tsupersonic]

It's called the extremely low standard of expecting a whiny blogger to offer ANY evidence whatsoever backing up his claim before agreeing with him "just because" you have a personal beef with Microsoft (or corporations as a whole) and this makes you feel warm and fuzzy because it jives with that beef.

How anybody can just believe anything any blogger anywhere says is beyond me. :p

This is why these challenges should all be filmed. Think about it, if he did win, it would be bad publicity for Microsoft, to admit defeat. The competition sounds rigged - it makes it sound like MS is already prepared the device ahead of time with the challenge, and expects the other device to win? I say for a fair comparison, both devices should be bone stock, on WiFi, unlocked (aka no lock screen interaction or unlocking), and video recorded. If MS can do that, then I will take the challenge seriously. I love WP7, but having extensively, I know I can be much faster on Android to perform almost everything. Hell, there's even stuff WP7 can't do that Android can, and vice versa.

[.Neo]

According to HIM

And I'd say a lo of people look at the time in two cities, travelers, businessmen, students studying away from home, gamers gaming with friends in other states or countries....

Whether his phone is rooted or not is completely irrelevant in this instance. It's also possible to disable the lock screen and add two weather widgets to the home screen on my old HTC Legend which is running the stock firmware it came with out of the box. It's a feature basically all (if not all) Android phones have, deal with it.

[Syanide]

This is why these challenges should all be filmed. Think about it, if he did win, it would be bad publicity for Microsoft, to admit defeat. The competition sounds rigged - it makes it sound like MS is already prepared the device ahead of time with the challenge, and expects the other device to win? I say for a fair comparison, both devices should be bone stock, on WiFi, unlocked (aka no lock screen interaction or unlocking), and video recorded. If MS can do that, then I will take the challenge seriously. I love WP7, but having extensively, I know I can be much faster on Android to perform almost everything. Hell, there's even stuff WP7 can't do that Android can, and vice versa.

Of course it's rigged, what did you expect? This is marketing, not science. It was only crazy luck that the guy had two weather widgets on his home screen and that he disabled the lock screen. Microsoft should have owned up because they know it's downright impossible to win, but it's bad marketing either way. That's why these campaigns are crap and should be avoided.

[.Neo]

Who turns off their lock screen anyway? It's like having a race to see who can start their car faster, but you've removed the door to your car just so you can get in faster.

That's completely besides the point and has absolutely nothing to do with the contest.

[123456789A]

That's completely besides the point and has absolutely nothing to do with the contest.

I never said it did.

The contest in this format isn't a great idea. It shouldn't be about setting things up in advance, but rather the actual time it takes TO set things up.

[Rudy]

QFT

I personally find the lock screen 100% useless

[pack34]

Situation has been rectified and she has been given the full winning prize (laptop) and losing prize (phone)

[BajiRav]

How anyone could be on Microsoft's side in this is beyond me. They've rigged the competition to hell just so they can have an advantage.

True, they should just pay up.

It was better when Ben Rudolph was the only one doing it. Once you start "training" normal employees to do it as well, it's going to be just a matter of time before the campaign becomes a big a joke as Apple "Geniuses" are.

QFT. It was a nice little marketing campaign with $100. They upped the ante with $1000 and are overdoing it now.

This isn't a benchmark, it's a competition: you have your phone, I have mine, let's see who does things faster.

If the point was comparing stock and not your personal setups they would be requiring using stock OOTB phones, but that's not the case with any of the phones used.

It is actually a marketing campaign balooned into something beyond a nice little stunt. They should have never gone above $100. In some cases, stock WP will beat Android and in some Android might beat WP (although with my little exp with Android, I don't see any of my frequent scenarios faster on Android except may be weather).

It's funny that people claim "Microsoft is bad, this is all staged". of course, it is staged because it is a freaking advertizing campaign!

[guru]

I personally find the lock screen 100% useless

how do you avoid accidental touches?

[pack34]

True, they should just pay up.

They did

It is actually a marketing campaign balooned into something beyond a nice little stunt. They should have never gone above $100. In some cases, stock WP will beat Android and in some Android might beat WP (although with my little exp with Android, I don't see any of my frequent scenarios faster on Android except may be weather).

It's funny that people claim "Microsoft is bad, this is all staged". of course, it is staged because it is a freaking advertizing campaign!

Plus, doesn't everyone that competes get a free phone? The point of the whole thing is to show off the phone and get it into people's hands. To show them something cool in hopes that they'll show off their new phone to their friends so that they, in turn, may jump on board with the platform.

[AJerman]

how do you avoid accidental touches?

Leave the screen off?

[ichi]

Plus, doesn't everyone that competes get a free phone?

Only if you trade it for your own current phone, AFAIK.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

It's a bit unfair when your expectation of winning is so high that you can't possibly consider losing. And when you actually lose, you attribute it to something silly.

Situation has been rectified and she has been given the full winning prize (laptop) and losing prize (phone)

She? I believe you meant to say he.

[BajiRav]

They did

Nice of Microsoft to control the PR fallout. Let's see if this guy updates his story.

[pack34]

It's a bit unfair when your expectation of winning is so high that you can't possibly consider losing. And when you actually lose, you attribute it to something silly.

She? I believe you meant to say he.

My bad, I'm bad with gender of indian names.