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No. Giving things away doesn't create any benefit, it massively devalues the product. Apple don't need to give away iPhones. Samsung don't need to give away Galaxys. Microsoft need to give away WiPhos.

I reviewed a Lumia 800 recently on Talk3G. The Lumia, and WiPho, have a long way to go. I returned mine. One day MS may get there, but that day is not today.

You are correct. I used a Samsung Focus for less than two months. The quality of the apps in the Marketplace is pure ****. Not one good GTD app, nothing. One or two decent Twitter apps but that's it.

Once you get passed the five seconds of ooohs and aaaaahs on the stupid Live Tiles, you actually want to USE the smartphone. And the apps are where it's at, but in the Marketplace, it's pure ****.
 
Wirelessly posted

Its all about creating buzz for the product

This.

The average person that knows little about smartphones knows of the iPhone and Android phones.

Getting some Windows phones out their into people's hands (assuming you lost the contest) will get friends and family to look at it. Especially when they find out how they got the phone.

After that its up to the quality of the product to get people to switch from their current phone to that.

When I first joined this site I didn't even think of a windows phone. Now just from how often it's brought up I'm very interested in them.
 
You are correct. I used a Samsung Focus for less than two months. The quality of the apps in the Marketplace is pure ****. Not one good GTD app, nothing. One or two decent Twitter apps but that's it.

Once you get passed the five seconds of ooohs and aaaaahs on the stupid Live Tiles, you actually want to USE the smartphone. And the apps are where it's at, but in the Marketplace, it's pure ****.

My experience is totally opposite of yours. Also got myself Focus to test out straight talk. Quality of apps in marketplace is actually pretty good. All the apps I used on ios are on windows phone, some work better than ios ones. Live times and windows phone mango are much better than ios and its grid system. MS is doing the right thing. They are getting phones into as many hands as possible and at the same time trying to attract as many developers as possible. and OS is actually very nicely done.
 
Microsoft doesn't have any smartphone market share at this point.

They can advertise (which they are doing), but the best way for people who don't visit Microsoft stores to see the phones in action is for them to put some devices in the hands of the public.

The contest is a good way to put phones in peoples' hands who will actually USE the phone. They take your old smart phone and give you a new one. This avoids the market flood/devaluation problem because people will be forced use these devices as their main phone (since their old one is gone). Few of them will pop up on craigslist for $100.

Microsoft's problem is that they got into the game too late.

Android jumped in while iPhone was still AT&T only. That was a HUGE mistake on Apple's part. If Apple had gone non-exclusive multi-carrier in 2008 or 2009 then iOS would be crushing Android in terms of market.

Instead, Android had years to build up a user base on non-iphone carriers and the result is what you see today.

Microsoft is trying to enter a saturated market. Not impossible, but they have a very uphill climb to reach critical mass. Windows phones will probably not have the speed/polish of iOS and definitely won't have all the features/usability of Android.

I'd hate to be in their shoes right now.
 
damn. I'd like to have been able to take an old iPhone (I've still got a 3G), and give this a shot. Either way I come away with something free
 
My experience is totally opposite of yours. Also got myself Focus to test out straight talk. Quality of apps in marketplace is actually pretty good. All the apps I used on ios are on windows phone, some work better than ios ones. Live times and windows phone mango are much better than ios and its grid system. MS is doing the right thing. They are getting phones into as many hands as possible and at the same time trying to attract as many developers as possible. and OS is actually very nicely done.

So Things, Omnifocus, Firetask, Tweetbot, Twitterriffic Premium, QuickCal, Cyclemeter, B.iCycle, and all the rest are on Windows Phone 7 now? And some of these have apps that work perfectly on the tablet along with their respective desktop counterparts?

Sorry, I have to raise the BS Flag.
 
I went to challenge them last week at the Santa Clara store and I got beaten so bad. I wonder how he was able to update his status so fast.

BTW, updating the facebook status with WP is pretty east. Just open up the Me tile, click status, type the MSG and click save. The whole process takes less then 5 seconds to do it...
 
And what about people who want nothing to do with Facebook? Who gives a **** about updating your status on Facebook? There's more to smartphones than weather widgets and updating your Facebook status.
 
So Things, Omnifocus, Firetask, Tweetbot, Twitterriffic Premium, QuickCal, Cyclemeter, B.iCycle, and all the rest are on Windows Phone 7 now? And some of these have apps that work perfectly on the tablet along with their respective desktop counterparts?

Sorry, I have to raise the BS Flag.

Don't use any of them so i could care less. All the apps I (notice the I part) use are in the windows marketplace

And what about people who want nothing to do with Facebook? Who gives a **** about updating your status on Facebook? There's more to smartphones than weather widgets and updating your Facebook status.

Don't use facebook. Problem solved. Yes there are more to smartphone apps then weather widgets. And windows phone is a lot better at some things than iphone is. But you are right iphone does offer a lot more of useless apps
 
Ah, its April mean that this deal of getting a laptop it over by now.... :(

The good news is the promo has been extended thru mid April. The bad news is, you only get a $25 GC now unless you *smoke* their phone in which case you get a $1000 laptop OR GC.
 
I went to challenge them last week at the Santa Clara store and I got beaten so bad. I wonder how he was able to update his status so fast.

BTW, updating the facebook status with WP is pretty east. Just open up the Me tile, click status, type the MSG and click save. The whole process takes less then 5 seconds to do it...

We will definitely be able to beat WP7 with iOS 6. Swipe from top of screen enter status. Press done.
 
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