GLOBAL – Smoked by Windows Phone is a challenge set up by the Microsoft’s Windows Phone team. And we saw it in action at MWC in Barcelona using a Nokia Lumia 800. The aim is to give people $100 cash if their smartphone can beat a Windows Phone on everyday tasks.
Guess who comes out on top in the challenges most of the time? You got it. It’s Windows Phone.
Hosting most of the challenges is Ben Rudolph, PC Evangelist at Microsoft, who most people will know as @BenThePCGuy.
We caught up with Ben to ask him why he thought so many people wanted to take part in Smoked by Windows Phone?
“Curiosity, I think! The challenge made a pretty bold statement about what Windows Phone can do, but it also made people rethink the phone in their pocket. We had a lot of people watch the challenge or participate and say “Wow, I had no idea that there was a better way to do that task!”
And what of the people who took part, how did they react when they lost?
“It was a real eye-opener both for the people participating but also for the millions of people who watched (and in many cases, played along) at home. What was really great about this is that we didn’t encounter any sore losers, or winners for that matter. Everyone had a great time and learned something new. Me included!”
As you’ll all know, the Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 900 are all Windows Phones.
If you’re the proud owner of a smartphone, it’s because you like a phone that does much more than just make a phone call. Sure, you want to make calls, but you also want your phone to be able to handle the other things, like Facebooking, Tweeting and checking directions.
When it comes to doing any of these tasks, you’ll want your phone to do it quickly. Nobody likes wasting time. The Windows Phone platform – and therefore your Nokia Lumia – is as fast as they get, as the Smoked by Windows Phone challenge proves.
Just sending the word “Hello” via a text to your favourite people is much quicker on a Nokia Lumia than any other phone.
If you want to take a photo, tag it and upload it to Facebook, your Nokia Lumia will beat most competitors in terms of speed. In fact the only phone that beat it in this task at MWC was another Nokia, the amazing new 808 PureView.
The Windows Phone doesn’t win every time, though. We’ve got videos of Windows Phone genuinely beating others, and they even show the odd occasion when they don’t win, too. (notice how we don’t say “lose”)
What happens if you want to find somewhere to eat quickly? Which phone finds the nearest four-star restaurant and gives you directions? Watch this video to find out.
The challenge has spread way beyond America, where it started. A fifty-person team from Microsoft Indonesia launched the challenge with a Nokia Lumia 800 at a local shopping mall. This time only 50 people out of 690 beat our Windows smartphone.
For all the news and videos on Smoked by Windows Phone, the Windows Phone Blog has all the details.
Were you one of the people to get Smoked by Windows Phone? Or do you think you could easily beat the competition? Let us know, in the comments section below.