iPhone app scoops best software prize on Microsoft campus
By Vlad Savov 
posted September 1st 2009 10:19AM
posted September 1st 2009 10:19AM
posted September 1st 2009 10:19AM
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womp womp womp
How is this possible? All the Microsoft boys had to do was write an app that takes full advantage of WinMo's awesome multi-tasking capabilities that can do push email and run eight or nine other applications in the background. After all, that would surely impress the tech-nerds who believe multi-tasking capabilities and Microsoft's open platform will kick the crap out of every other platform.
Oh, that's right. 99% of smartphones users don't give a damn about multi-tasking. They just need a smartphone that works without crashing constantly. Oh well, 14 apps to 1 wasn't very fair. They would have needed at least 16 more WinMo apps to make it an even contest.
Developers, developers, developers! Just wait, Microsoft. Apple's closed mobile ecosystem will be finished in a month's time, then it will be your time to shine.
WTF, I got a headache just reading your rant!
Eh?
I must admit, MS showed some class there. But this is the best app in show?
Yeah, I mean, good on MS, but this is the best thing anyone could come up with? I'm hoping it's much cooler than it looks when actually in use, otherwise it makes me wonder what other crap was submitted!
I know that engadget may not post this but they rejected another cool app, unless of course the developer made changes. What's worse apple will not explain why the changes needed to be made.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10322460-17.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0
Isn't this exactly the same as the iPod music quiz except with pictures? Not really that original.
Original, probably not. Useful, if your as bad with names as I as yes, as long as you have a photo, which if you do you probably know their name.... Ah...
It would have been a much much bigger surprise if Apple held an event like this and allowed ppl to develope software for MS och Palm wouldn't it?
Yes, but that wouldn't happen would it? Apple are more proprietary than Microsoft.
yes, it wold have been a surprise if Apple did the same thing. i got dirty looks just for talking on a winmo device while strolling 1 infinite loop. i think someone even threw an iphone at me :-\
Did it explode?
"i think someone even threw an iphone at me"
Can I have it? Only I'm still waiting for mine over 2-months now since it allegedly was released.
less proprietary than microsoft HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA you are FUNNY
lol... silly boys.. its funny how you turn things around all the time.
@ Sam
"Yes, but that wouldn't happen would it? Apple are more proprietary than Microsoft."
Talk about being ignorant Sam. Big fail on your comment.
Several of Apple's core technologies are based on open source:
http://www.apple.com/opensource/
http://developer.apple.com/opensource/index.html
basing software on the hard work of the open source scene and turning it proprietary doesn't mean u're open...
Yes, it won best in show... but no, we won't approve your app.
It wasn't all bad news for MS, since apps designed for Windows did take home the "Best Malware" and "Best BSOD trigger" prizes.
See here:
http://www.engadget.com/profile/1384422/
Jubei's original account after I reported many of his posts for trolling.
http://www.engadget.com/profile/3164146/
His new account...
Poor Jubei. You're on your way to another ban.
This is a message to anyone who may read Jubei's posts- downrank and report. Easy as that- he'll eventually get whats coming to him.
gotta love MS for their utter lack of an objective view of their products
The jock here is that MS provides hardware and software for the winner and they cannot use either since you cannot develop iPhone apps on non Apple computers and without the Apple SDK. ( no hackintosh comments pls )
The gifted coders were probably at the dance with Mary Jane that day.
I'd say that their problem is not that an iPhone app, frankly it is cool that they let that fly, something Apple would never do. The real issue is that such a lame app won.
@Perspective
You have none.
I actually think that this is a pretty good app. No it's not technically brilliant or difficult but that's not the point, it's good for business types who have a bazillion contacts in their phone but have no idea who any of those people are (you know, like your facebook account).
And it definitely helps with the schmooze if you like...remember people's names and some vague details about their life.
Should definitely have a field for kids'/spouse's names or something so you can throw in "How's Mary and Bobby doing? What grade is he in now, 2nd?" lol
The best app made over 54 hours by presumably some of the best programmers around is something that I could have whipped up in about 20 minutes during 9th grade computer science class in Visual Basic?
Seriously. It doesn't matter that it's an iphone app, but how did this win out over whatever other entries were in the contest? Were there no other entries, or were the other devs' creative juices flowing even less than whoever came up with this one?
How stupid can these apps get...
Who the fuck are these people?
Let's contrast MS who allow the winnning app in their sponsored contest to be for a competing platform vs. Apple who seem capricious in what they allow into their App store.
Moves like this are what garner mindshare in people (i.e. devs) that can help MS further their platform.
Despite the result on the surface i think long term MS will be the one who gets the most out of it.
Indeed, with an iPhone app winning, the dev(and others that learn of it) might start developing for the Zune HD. Smart decision on Microsoft's part, really.
This app won?? I'm sure the other programmers are visibly upset that their 100 different versions of "pull my finger" didn't take top prize, since they did so well in the app store.
http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2009/08/31/startup-weekends-award-winners-search-kick-and-learn-that-name/
Learn that Name won the Audience favorite App but not any actual prize.. A Contextual Search startup called Saractually won the BizSpark prize of 5000$ of seed money.
The prize-winning startup is called Search Kick.
This article could have easily have read, "Palm Pre app scoops best software prize on Microsoft campus".
Who's to say that the Pre app wasn't made first? Then, after realizing that no one in their right mind would care for such a piece of crap app, they said - " Hey, fanbois eat up all kinda crap from the apple store, lets write it for that."
How is the Zune HD lacking in innovation?
"and hey, it's not like Redmond has been lacking in innovation lately, right?"
Try reading that again(pay really close attention to the 4th word)
How is the Zune HD NOT lacking in innovation? I wasn't aware there are people who actually use HD radio at all...
Though I'm not sure that statement was at all directed towards the Zune HD
How is it innovative? Its a touch screen media player which has pretty much the exact same form factor/features as another 3 year old product that is often imitated. It going to have a similar app store, the UI is certainly similar. There are some differences in all these devices, but ultimately they're "me too."
It might be excellent, cool, refined and all that, but its evolutionary not innovative.
I kinda wish they tried harder to come up with something cool that was a little more different.
Sigh....
i was at the event, and the Iphone app only won 1 prize out of 3.
this is not a very fair coverage of what happened.
Imagine what the apps that didn't win might have been like! Any guesses?
That's totally Michael Rice. What do I win?
The cool thing is that THOSE ARE REAL PEOPLE! Somebody is showing off his contact list.
Kid
So it's an iPhone AND pre app, but your title only mentions the iPhone? nice unbiased journalism there
OMFG its a conspiracy. Are you not familiar with headlines? You do know that there isnt enough room in a headline to put the whole story? So you put the part of the story that draws the most attention, be it people who are actually interested in the story or people like you who only want to bag on apple, and whine like a little baby.
@Tsing Tao: Did you happen to also notice how this team won the much less important award? And that the one that actually won the day(in terms of actually, you know, winning something) was a contextual search startup? Sorry, but this is sensationalist journalism. Honestly, that's probably what Microsoft was hoping would happen, as it just shows them as being far more dev friendly than other alternatives(such as Apple)
POW!
Yep, the SSD is only beginning and I suspect this time next year, all new computers will have them at little if any upgraded costs.
Regards,
~DD
Huh?
One thing that should be noted is that 15 out of the 16 teams chose to develop their products on the MS stack; and some of them made pretty good progress for ~44 hours of dev time (counting sleep!). F'rinstance, check out http://www.mapmydate.com/ (the team I was on).