Microsoft to employees: 'everybody gets a Windows Phone 7!'
By Chris Ziegler 
posted July 21st 2010 5:54PM
posted July 21st 2010 5:54PM
Microsoft guru extraordinaire Mary Jo Foley has retweeted a company employee boasting of a commitment to hand out Windows Phone 7 devices to each and every one of Redmond's 90,000-plus employees around the world. That's certainly one way to spread the word -- and realistically, the cost to Microsoft is a drop in the bucket if they can really take advantage of the word-of-mouth advertising effect here. Of course, step one in that process is going to be making sure the product is absolutely rock solid by the time those gratis units start getting handed out. Microsoft staffers do know how to multitask when they're working, right?
@bingster
to be banned
@Psyclotr0n
This won't apply to Indian MS employees. They don't earn the net worth of a Windows 7 Phone in a month.
@Psyclotr0n
That is going to a lot of developers making apps for the store
@Psyclotr0n
All Microsoft employees get the "boobie prize". I do hope Windows Phone 7 turns out better than what some people are saying about it. Not that it matters since Android is free, so no smartphone vendor is going to bother paying for some WP7 license and lose money. WP7 is as good as dead in the water with no user base to speak of and the rapid spread of Android.
@MosesusedaniPad
that android phone of yours really does deserve to be somewhere else than up your bum!
@Psyclotr0n They can't sell them, so they are forced to give them away. They are giving away more phones than both Kins sold.
ROTF
Microsoft taking notes from the Google handbook I see...
@PlatinumSkeet
Probably is included, most big company already gave most employee free phone and phone plus data plan anyway. My company some worker use iphone as their work phone.
@PlatinumSkeet Yeah because Google was the first one ever to hand out phones to employees.
@PlatinumSkeet Maybe, Apple did this with the first iPhone too.
@Alz Google may have been the first to hand out phones to employees, but I'm sure Apple would do it better in a magical way.
*sarcasm
@PlatinumSkeet
Not really. It's common practice to hand out free devices for internal testing. Employees have access to all of the helpful internal tools to track down bugs. Also, roundtrip time for diagnosing issues is a lot lower as you can just walk over to the users' office to diagnose the problem. It serves as a good step before doing a public beta.
@PlatinumSkeet
More like taking note from Apple? Remember Apple hands all employee an iPhone 2G when it first came out.
@techlord
Apple never do such giveaway to employees anyway. It's all about profits vs. employees happiness.
Jobs announce tomorrow. "We will give an iphone 4 to every employees... The knockoff Chinese version that is."
@cdf74dc9
Yes, Apple gave every fulltime employee an original iPhone.
@cdf74dc9
Here you go:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/28/jobs-pulls-an-oprah-12m-in-iphones-for-all-apple-employees/
@PlatinumSkeet
This is always a nice move by a company. Self interested benevolence. What a wonderful side effect of capitalistic greed.
@busdriver71 Dude stop with your *facts*. Doesn't matter with Fandroid haters.
@reuterrat no they didn't
@MoonWalkerCTE
yes they did.
@techlord
When we were given the iphone a lot of people did not switch cause the contract expensive and there was no discount. Now the ones that stuck around are paying up the ass for service. Att in Orange County is not that great.
@elbarto83
sarcasm. But in truth, Apple already did hand out the first iPhones to every employee back in 2007
@dustind1241
Yes Because Apple was the first phone company to do this. RIM and others have been doing this for years.
@cdf74dc9 Happy meals for all Apple employees now!
@elbarto83 /s to the part about google being first to do it or the part about Apple doing it more magically?
I don't think either are true. Oprah does it with more electricity.... Electricity she stores after being zapped by Tom cruise
@PlatinumSkeet i cant believe you guys are actually fightning over who did it first... who cares?! Its not like anyone will win a prize for doing so, and apparently they have all doen it now.
@bingster
You're a loser. Downranked.
But will the company pay for the monthly data plans and subs?
@Aegee14 Are you kidding me? A free phone wasn't good enough?
I have an ip4 and I suddenly want to work for Windows. Lucky SOBs.
@Statusnone88 A smartphone is only $200 w/ contract. It's the monthly subs that cost a lot, not the phone. What you are going to do with a phone that doesn't have mobile data?
@Aegee14
Well, then they can sell it or give it to someone who wants it. Point is, a brand new phone that's one of the latest is not going to go unused.
@Aegee14 Use Wi-Fi? Not everyone needs to hit the web 24/7
@Aegee14 Google didn't.
@Statusnone88 You want to work for Windows? Who's that?
Personally, I'd like to work for Microsoft if they are giving out free WP7 devices to all the employees.
@Aegee14
Doubt it. I know someone who works for Google and they didn't pay for data. His collects dust cause he's too cheap to pay for data.
@Aegee14
They already get company SIMs with data plans. The real issue here is I think they officially get these devices for personal use.
@lamerz I'm on the hiring team for Wp7- here is a list of what we're looking for http://bit.ly/divBjt
@lamerz you can - here is a list of what we're looking for http://bit.ly/divBjt
@Aegee14 use wifi
@VisitorQ As an employee, I'd like to know where these company sims can be acquired. We can buy phones and, if there's a business case you get your phone plan subsidized, but other than that it's pretty much up to you all the time. Might work differently in exec circles since I'm just an individual contributor, but for me i have a business case so I get $75/month in subsidy. And I'm really looking forward to what appears to be a very cool WinPho7.
@Aegee14
This is exactly what I was wondering. If the company is going to provide a proper "company phone" and pick up the charges associated with it, then that's great news for employees and I see no reason why this wouldn't be successful. However, if Microsoft is going to expect its employees to pay for a new contract, in addition to their existing phone contracts, then unless you are coming to the end of your current contract then all you are going to do is sell the phone. If that happens then what benefit does this plan yield Microsoft?
@Kelmon Would they not just surely hand out unlocked GSM devices and expect people to move the sims from their old phones if they wanted to? Does everything really need to come with a new contract in the US?
Not that I've any idea how Verizon and Sprint phones work, but surely it's possible to stick a new phone on an existing plan, no?
@Statusnone88
I think Windows is a pretty cool guy, eh makes phones and doesn't afraid of anything
@WindowsPhoneTS - Thanks! I'll submit a resume. I'm a former MS employee who'd love to come back to a different team. :)
@bingster
Oblivion awaits you!
All phones come pre-configured with motivational "Developers, Developers..." remix ringtones.
@Psyclotr0n I've got 4 words for ya: "I LOVE THIS COMPANY!"
YEAH! I would love this company too if it had made me a billionaire.
Anyway, that aside - I think it's great to see Microsoft actually releasing something new and innovative to the market. So many of their concepts haven't made market over the last decade, and they were looking like they may never resurface as a force to be reckoned with. This (hopefully) will set their wheels of innovation moving again.
@RincewindWiz
it has nothing to do with money. Microsoft is one of the most influential companies on the planet. They literally are the definition of technology.
@MicrosoftOwns Correction - they /used/ to be one of the most influential. They're way behind Apple, Google, and others these days.
@MicrosoftOwns
...and you are the definition of clueless