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Microsoft gives away 'free time' to promote Windows Phone

Company sets up "free-time machines" with perks such as free meals, grocery delivery, and access to a personal shopper -- all in a bid to generate buzz for the Lumia 900.

Roger_Cheng.jpg
Roger_Cheng.jpg
Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
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Roger Cheng
Microsoft is pushing the Lumia 900 hard with its "Free Time Machine" campaign. Reps were in Madison Square Park in New York offering free meals, personal shoppers, and other services to save people time. Brian Bennett/CNET

Microsoft wants consumers to really get its pitch that Windows Phones are more efficient than rival smartphones and can thus create more free time for consumers.

To drum up attention for the recently launched Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan II, Microsoft has set up "free-time machines" in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. They are essentially offering freebies for meals, personal shoppers, grocery delivery, cleaning, and dog walkers. Personal concierges are also on-hand to handle tasks like waiting in line for a burger.

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The promotion is part of the core Microsoft strategy centered on the Windows Phones as easy-to-use and efficient devices for personal tasks.

Microsoft, AT&T, and Nokia in particular are pushing hard to get Windows Phone into the minds -- and pockets -- of consumers. AT&T promised the biggest launch for the Lumia 900, although many stores were actually closed for Easter when it launched yesterday, The New York Times noted. Nokia blanketed Times Square on Friday with huge ads and sponsored a Nicki Minaj concert to promote its latest flagship phone.

Now Microsoft is getting in on the mix. The software badly needs the Lumia 900 to succeed, with its other smartphones having made little headway in the U.S., a crucial market.

For consumers not in NY, SF, or Chicago, Microsoft has set up a Web site offering similar promotions.