I really haven't spoken of this yet, but yesterday (Oct 29th, 2012) I was invited to attend the launch event for Windows Phone 8 here in San Francisco as a "fan" (as opposed to press). From 8:15am to 9:45am, I got to mingle (as much as an introvert can) with many other "fans" (some, I discovered weren't so much fans but people interested to see what Microsoft had to say in person). There were lots of Microsoft employees who worked directly on the platform there to mingle and get feedback from us.
During this time, I had drinks, got a t-shirt and did some talking, including meeting and showing my app to the head of the entire Windows Phone division, Terry M. (can't remember how to spell his last name). Steve Ballmer addressed us in a great and jovial fashion. The alcohol was tasty and so were the mini pancakes.
We were then ushered into the events room and took our seats before the press showed up. We all sat behind the press, but it was still easy to see the stage. Joe Belfiore gave the presentation and it was exciting in person.
Jessica Alba came on stage for a bit to give it a bit of celebrity love. She seemed thoroughly happy to be there, though shy. It certainly gave the whole presentation a great extra love for the product.
Joe B.'s kids came on stage briefly to show the wonderful Kids Corner feature. That is the ability to bypass the locked screen to reach a special area that can have designated apps, games and features accessible to what you want your kids to reach. And in an extra fashion, security-wise, don't include email and other stuff and it can't be accessed either. I will be using this a lot.
Steve Ballmer came on last to give a good delivery (much, much more canned than the very personal and funny speech he gave to the fans before the presentation). Although his presence wasn't diminished in the least.
And then we got our surprise. At the end, after Steve, Joe and Jessica gathered on stage to do a quick end photo-op together, Steve says, "Oh, and I forgot to mention. Everyone here gets one of these phones." The sliding video columns slide away, the back wall pulls up and behind it is revealed to be a full back lounge area with all of the Microsoft employees hanging out and girls with trays full of HTC Windows Phone 8X's walking onto stage.
Needless to say, the fan part of the audience erupted in major applause and yelling.
I spent the next half-hour breaking open my new deep blue 8X, getting it running on a temporary sim card (it's a micro sim, compared to my full size one in the Focus), and then walking around, hitting NFC markers for apps that they had placed on tables all over the venue.
I talked to the woman who emailed me the invite. She helped me get some things set up. I held a Nokia 822 briefly. I seriously considered grabbing a drink and some of the delicious lunch they had put out for us. It included Ahi Tuna sandwiches and a rainbow of cookies and cakes arrayed on a table. I don't know what else there was to eat.
Unfortunately, I had to get back to my children who were being watched by a hotel sitter. So I made my way back through a not-so-great part of San Francisco (which reminded me how much it's suffering from this economy downturn) and relieved the sitter of her duties. Fortunately for my children, she was lovely and they took to her wonderfully.
Regarding the phone, I won't lie. I was hoping to get a Nokia 920. The low-light images and exclusive apps are something to desire. Considering how much I spent on the sitter, I won't be getting one for some time (although I still have a discount upgrade waiting). That said, this phone is, pardon my language, fucking awesome.
The pictures I took have been fantastic. Never perfect, that would be a miracle of any phone, but significantly better than anything I've used EVER. Below is an image of San Francisco City Hall.
Especially compared to my old Samsung Focus, this thing is a polished piece of work. It feels better. It looks better. It performs better. Windows Phone 8 OS is a vast improvement over 7.5. The added features of Kids Corner (already used) is phenomenal. The multiple sized tiles are going to be a good headache trying to figure out how I want it to look. And the OS isn't technically the final product either, since it hasn't been officially released yet.
All in all, the event was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me. I will probably not ever be able to attend such a spectacle ever again and consider myself exceptionally lucky for doing so. I don't say this thinking it was necessarily better than attending an iOS launch event or anything. But I can say that I can imagine what it would feel like to be an iOS fan attending one of those.
Don't get me wrong. It is just a phone. But in this day and age, it can also be an extension of who you are. It can be an extension of accessing those things that are going on around you and staying connected to it all. And frankly, with experience with iPhone and extremely little experience with Android, I think Microsoft's Windows Phone fulfills that want.
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