WinMobile.se closes due to Microsoft's arrogance

Listen, I get the point. I don't thing anyone has the right anyone to tell anyone else what to use or not.But the email address he was corresponding from was toni@winmobile.se. What signal does that send to other people getting emails from winmobile.se? Image is important and the message "This guy runs a blog about how great Windows Mobile is, but doesn't even use it." is not a great one.Would it be ok for him to have the "Made with Macintosh" logo on the bottom of the site as well and ask MS to pay for design & coding?Even if everything inferred from the exchange is true, (because I can assume that the iPad comments came from the email signature too), is it too much to ask to change the signature when asking for time, money and talent from Microsoft?Would you show up at a friends party with his ex-girlfriend and expect a warm welcome too?

Like I said, we don't know the ins and outs of the situation. Sure, I understand where you're coming from and we can only touch on this with an outside point of view, but it's such a small detail. At the end of the day it's an email signature. It's not advertising the product against Windows Phone as he's using it to converse with a contact from the company. We don't know why he didn't use his WP handset.It's something so small that Microsoft should have overlooked the detail since the website provides a platform for the company to gain reach in Sweden for Windows Phone. Should he close the website? Probably not, should Microsoft have acted above what was said in the email? Definitely.

That's precisely what it is, advertising a competitor of the phone he is trying to promote. Maybe not an advertisement on the site, but what is the purpose of defaulting signatures 'sent from my iphone' or 'sent from my windows phone'? Advertising. It creates brand awareness. Companies build in free advertising. I dont know about others but I disabled mine almost immediately because it was unprofessional, no one cares what kind of phone sent them an email from. Did MS take it a bit far, perhaps. But for not knowing the ins and outs you seem to have already closed judgment against them.

Don't get me wrong (or the article itself - which is why I left it open for comments), I haven't taken sides or closed anything down. Sure, he could have removed the signature from the device, and yes they do create brand awareness, but this isn't about emailing any given contact. It's solely between Microsoft's contact and Toni from WinMobile.se. There's no brand awareness here or advertising, since I'm sure Microsoft's contact is more than aware of the iPhone.Being an editor for a website that has been around for years, it's pretty safe to assume that he's into Windows Phone enough to continue writing about it. Should it really matter what handsets he uses? I use an iPad and MacBook, as well as multiple Windows Phones and a PC, does that mean I'm not worthy for anything from the company?I find it's actually a bonus that he does use other products and understands technology as a whole. I do believe Microsoft has taken it a bit far, but since we don't know enough on the situation, it could be six-and-half-a-dozen. Then again, would this have all blown up if he had used a Windows Phone? Probably not, but he would still be using the iPhone for personal use, without Microsoft knowing. I really don't see how it would affect providing for a fan website that's been around for a fair amount of time.

Well, I just heard from Toni personally (via h is comments section) and he stated there was a demand by MS Sweden to stop using the iPhone/iPad and the could post it but didn't feel it was appropriate.I told him I could see his POV and wished him luck in the future.Sad to see any WinMob/WP site close its doors, but he feels he was treated unfairly by a company he was promoting and as a community all we can do is respect his decision.

Yeah, that's not good. Not sure why they'd chose to restrict product usage. It's better that he uses competitor devices to better understand the advancement in technology.It's a lesson to be learned, that's all we can come away from this.

I will wait to pass judgment, but do you think Mr. Jobs would provide funding out of apples budget after seing a windows phone signature?....I doubt it, he would send him packing. Besides, this isn't something new, I've heard a coke employee was fire for wearing a Pepsi tee shirt.

No, the conversation would go something like this.TO:stevejobs@apple.comFROM:Toni(iloveiphones.se)Steve, Thanks so much for the offer to help. As you know I do this in my spare time and don't really have the resources to update the look and functionality of the site. ToniSent from My Windows PhoneTO:Toni(iloveiphones.se)FROM:stevejobs@apple.comToni,Are you F**&*^! kidding me with that signature?Not only will you not be getting any support from Apple, I will spend the rest of my days and my entire fortune destroying you, your blog and anyone who has ever read it. Die you Piece of S&^%!SteveSent from My iPad

You forgot the part where Steve vows to go "thermonuclear" on Toni.

You make some good points. I don't think asking him to change the sig is too much considering he was hitting them up for money and help.

Why do you feel the need to advertise to the world that you're using an iPad? That smacks of fanboyism, and I'll be damned if I give money to anybody who's a fanboy of a competitor.

I don't think using a default signature on a device is making me come across as a fanboy. I use my iPad and Windows Phone (as well as my PC and MBP) for email, how could I be a fanboy of either the iPad or Windows Phone when I use both? Granted I use the WP far more, almost 95% of the time, but it still doesn't make me a fanboy. I enjoy technology as a whole and like to keep up-to-date with competitors as well as platforms I support.

This is complete nonsense... what does it matter which phone he has? Does it make him a worse Windows Phone reporter? Also.. he doesn't work for Microsoft directly, or does he? So why would he need to use a Windows Phone anyhow... It should be great to see iPhone users putting time and effort into Windows Phone. Tsss....

we don't know anything about this, but Anders' e-mail state:"I have got the money to make a real effort to give your site a facelift"That tell me that Tony was receiving money from Microsoft for this site. The article doesn't say Tony is closing down the site (if he does, it's he's own decision) it says Tony will not receiving fundings from Microsoft.If Microsoft is giving something out for free, then it's their choosing they do they give it to. I'm not going to boycout WP7 just because I'm not getting one of those free developer phones.on a site note, and as a sick joke, so don't spam me too much ont his. they SHOULD shut down WinMobile.se and reopen it as WinPhone.se :)

U Shouldnt be using an iphone while workin for microsoft no very smart but microsoft did go a little far with this

Apple had the same attitude all these years...This is the reason they did BIG business...Microsoft did the right thing IMO.

Why couldn't you use an iPhone while working for Microsoft? I'm pretty sure Microsoft has allowed employees to use any personal device to sync to their Exchange environment.

As far as we can see in the post from Toni it is a message sent from the Iphone that triggers it. Whether Microsoft and the contact at Microsoft at that time was aware of that his Windows Phone was malfunctioning due to the Mango update is another matter. It would be a real shame if a dedicated Windows Phone site has close because of childish behaviour from a Microsoft employee.

Well why is he using a garbage iphone anyways ???? Yes i think if you are on board with the Windows Phone Platform and you supposedly have the top Windows Phone website in Sweden, then you should probably use a windows phone and your e-mail signature that you send to MSFT shouldn't have iphone **** in it... I mean shouldn't they use Windows Phone for research reasons only ??? I mean they have the top Windows Phone website, right ??? This site, WPcentral, used to show the garbage Macbook, in some of their photos of Windows phones app reviews... It doesn't make business sense.Who cares about them, Bye-Bye... Another Apple loser down the drain as far as i'm concerned.

His Windows Phone got bricked while trying to update to Mango, and it's in for repair. The iPhone would seem to be spare or borrowed.

Hopefully cooler heads prevail if this was a simple misunderstanding. Given that Bill Gates himself refuses to let his own family use an iPhone you gotta know it's verboten. It's a great time to be a family!

I don't get it, why would Microsoft be helping in this effort at all? I would never let them help me with my website money wise, if they want to give me news or tips great, but money and website help doesn't seem right. And if they are giving money to a website that is supposed to be focused on Windows Phone I can definitely see them upset that the person doesn't even use the phone. If I was an investor and someone didn't know or even use the product they were selling I would bail too.

my thoughts exactly. Microsoft is not forcing them to shut down. they're just not going to give them that free money

Well why is he using a garbage iphone anyways ???? Yes i think if you are on board with the Windows Phone Platform and you supposedly have the top Windows Phone website in Sweden, then you should probably use a windows phone and your e-mail signature that you send to MSFT shouldn't have iphone **** in it... I mean shouldn't they use Windows Phone for research reasons only ??? I mean they have the top Windows Phone website, right ??? This site, WPcentral, used to show the garbage Macbook, in some of their photos of Windows phones app reviews... It doesn't make business sense.Who cares about them, Bye-Bye... Another Apple loser down the drain as far as i'm concerned.

Why do he use an iPhone? He uses Samsung Omnia 7, but his phone got bricked when he updated to mango, and there is no support from Microsoft and Samsung. He needs an email client for his mobile device, so he took an alternative phone he had.

Link? If this is the case, really bad move by Microsoft. After not providing appropriate support for him, he still wants to promote them and then gets treated like this?

The issue is not the iPhone. Microsoft couldn't care less. It's the signature. Why the **** do you feel the need to advertise that it was "sent from my iPhone"? I can see where it rubbed them the wrong way. And believe me, if someone that was trying to do business with Apple had sent the late (RIP) Steve Jobs an email that read "sent from my Windows Phone", he would have blown a head gasket.

this is standard when replying from iphone mail application. It adds the signature automatically. The same happens using windows phone mail app, it adds "sent from my windows phone" as well. Probably 95% of ppl using their mobiles to send messages never modified their default signature.

That's no excuse. He should have turned it off. If he is not savvy enough to do that (and thus remain courteous to the company he's working and getting money from), then he should not be running a site.

I understand what you're saying, but it should definitely be disabled when communicating with MS execs. I'm sure this isn't the first email he has exchanged with this gentleman and he never forgot to disable it before. Ask him, I guarantee it isn't. The old saying holds true, "what you do in the dark, will come to light". And him how much money he's received from MS as opposed to Apple. MS has to feel slighted. Lets just see what happens.

No money would never end up in my own pocket, only for the facelift, which would benefit Microsoft in the end. Its basically marketing money for them. Neither have I had any contact with Apple. winMobile.se has been a winphone site since the start.ToniwinMobile.se

Toni, I appreciate your response and mean no disrespect to you. However, while you may not pocket any of these funds, it does keep thousand for coming out of you own pocket right? So are you saying because it markets WP7 you deserve this money? If your WP7 was broke at time of the correspondence, I would have stated my email out as such:Mr. Anders, let me first appologize for sending an email to Microsoft using an Apple product, but my windows phone is currently out of order and I wanted to respond to your emails immediately.After the above correspondence, I would stated whatever I need to and ended it with, "Thanks for your Understanding", etc.As a WP7 fan, I appreciate the services you have provided for the platform and hope that both parties can reach an agreement to continue the relationship and website.Good Luck

Perhaps he didn't even realise it had a default signature; I know I didn't notice the "sent from my Windows Phone" when I sent my first email from it, it was only after someone asked me about it that I realised.

lol I find this funny. I wish Microsoft carried this attitude all throughout its organization and straight bullied companies like they did back in the 90s.Maybe it's the anakin skywalker in me that enjoys that but I always find cocky people/companies amusing. I just find it so funny if Microsoft was like, "your phone sucks, no money for you LOLz... peace bye"

The same was done by Apple for many years...and it was succesfull, so MS did the right thing.

Why does he have to shut down his website because of this?

I'll tell you what's complete nonsense: why do we care? Personally, I treat with some incredulity anyone who has an iPhone or Android device. And, sorry to say, I think this smacks of a bit of the hypocritical to be using an iPhone while allegedly operating a site to support Windows Phones. An overreaction on the part of Microsoft? Probably. But don't look for help from someone all the while patronizing their rival. Not smart.

I expect this is all a misunderstanding and will be resolved in some way, not typical of the Microsoft who outreaches to devs from other platforms, creates tools to port from ios, and has generally steered clear of the mudslinging their competitors prefer.

MS offers them the tools and resources, they don't force it on them "they have a choice. If you're going to choose to run a windows site, I would think the you used windows products. Maybe this guy has been milking MS all the years.for money and it finally came back to bite him. At my company, they pay my salary and if they suspect I done something wrong and can prove I sent corporate emails to my personal phone/computer, they can confiscate them and collect evidence. If he makes a living off advertising MS products, would these same rules not apply? Corporate environments tend to have strict requirements people must sign.

I think dropping the signature is all that is needed here.

It's too late for that! Besides, a site for Windows Phone labeled Windows Mobile?Anyway, at what point does it end? If Microsoft gives money to one fan site, they'd be expected to give money to all of them. And unless they are willing to give money and/or support to all, why give money at all?

not helpful, microsoft.

It sounds like they're just saying "we won't pay to develop your website if you're using and advertising a competitor's phone instead of ours." Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Same here.

A default signature is advertising? The only person he's advertising to is some guy at Microsoft. If his Omnia hadn't become bricked updating to Mango or Microsoft had replaced the phone this wouldn't have happened. The guy is being criminalised for using a temporary phone, it's incredulous.

um, most Microsoft people are using iphones themselves.

Really? Did you do a survey at the headquarters campus?

Your own opinion. I think it would be different if it were an iPad because at the moment, MS has no real offering in that arena until win8.

Being treated "like this?" Microsoft was willing to hook this guy up in the first place. Why should Microsoft hook him up"if he's not willing to support Windows Phone (the very thing they're promoting). If anything, don't be ignorant enough to include a "Sent from my iPhone" tag when replying to Microsoft when they're hooking you up for supporting Windows Phone.DUH!Microsoft would be stupid to proceed after that, and therefore I think their actions are pretty self explanatory.

Hes Samsung Omnia 7 got bricked when he updated it to mango, what can he do? Hes been supporting Windows Mobile and Windows Phone for 6 years and from his own pocket, you notice that there are no ads in the website?

If his phone was bricked, it was because he used the Chevron update prior to Mango which MS warned would brick the phone and voided the warranty. And oh yeah troll, I also bricked my wife iphone by cracking it to get music from a source other than itunes. She also had the iphone 4 and that thing locks,freezes and she has to charge the battery so much that she's now moving to WP7 without any influence from me. Get out of your fantasy world where nothing ever goes wrong with the iphone. If I want to look at icons all day, I can load my desktop with them.....Move on to something diffent.

How do you mean?Are you saying that 6years of free marketing is not promotion enough? Isnt that enough support? Then what is?As stated above, probably 95% of the people dont remove the standard signature.

While I agree that MS went overboard, there is still a thing in business called tact. For casual email I probably wouldn't think twice about the signature, but if, on the other hand, I'm attempting to persuade a corporation to invest money into my site (and web development isn't cheap) I might err on the side of caution and strike that sig from my correspondence. IMO leaving these default sigs (Sent from my iPhone, Focus, etc) in your signature block is not very professional to begin with. And this whole issue does, after all, appear to revolve around keeping business and private matters separate. But having said that, overall I still think this is something that could and should have been overlooked on MS part.

i this is just childish behavior on both ends, i don't know why you need to report such a silly soap opera.

Well, suppose that you have a business relantionship with Ferrari and you sell only Ferraris, suppose that you have a meeting with Ferrari and you arrive in a Lamborghini...

reason why webos Failed was because no one was using a palmPre or pixi. This is how you control people. MAKE EDITORS USE WINDOWS PHONE. HAIL WINPHO!!!!! We are better than everyone. And everyone will adapt because windows phone is not goin anywhere.

don't be stupid, if Apple was giving a company funding, the would expect them to use Apple products as well as advertise them. If someone did this at Apple and accidentally use a windows signature, Mr. Jobs would sever the relationship immediately. It wouldn't matter if the platform was going anywhere or not, we're talking about an investment here. Oops I forgot you ifans aren't smart enough to realize that.

Better yet, keep the site open and make it an iPhone site. I much prefer WP and they could have said that they felt the signature didn't help the WP marketing but to tie their money to his personal phone choice is ridiculous. As ridiculous as making WinMobile.se your one stop hub for all thing iPhone in Sweden! Go for it!!

I don't think that this is arrogance...I think it's serious business. Thinκ of this: Would Apple accept a cooperation with him if he was using a WP7...? I don't think so. Microsoft did many mistakes in the past and this was one of them...they didn't pay attention to the devotion their employees had to the product. Most of them were doing this without wanting to help the company....this was the reason Windows Mobile was a disaster.

Listen, I get the point. I don't thing anyone has the right anyone to tell anyone else what to use or not.But the email address he was corresponding from was toni@winmobile.se. What signal does that send to other people getting emails from winmobile.se? Image is important and the message "This guy runs a blog about how great Windows Mobile is, but doesn't even use it." is not a great one.Would it be ok for him to have the "Made with Macintosh" logo on the bottom of the site as well and ask MS to pay for design & coding?Even if everything inferred from the exchange is true, (because I can assume that the iPad comments came from the email signature too), is it too much to ask to change the signature when asking for time, money and talent from Microsoft?Would you show up at a friends party with his ex-girlfriend and expect a warm welcome too?

If he wants their support lose the iPhone Sig. It is disrespectful. Also, he with the money makes the rules. Deal with it.

Get a grip - editor of a Windows Phone web site advertising iPhone? Didn't bill gates stress to the company to "eat your own cake". I know he's not an MS employee, but come on.Seems a bit harsh though still, not the way to win friends.

WpCentral you are better than wmpoweruser.com. Please don't go down the stupid news trail like they tend to do!

I wouldn't say we're getting to that stage of things. We merely reported on the news with little detail on our part or opinion. We're pretty much in the grey here. Could be a misunderstanding, could well be something that we don't have enough detail on.

Actually you didn't report on the news. You regurgitated one side of the argument from the party that perceives itself to be injured. You didn't reach out the MS to find out the events leading up to this email (had they already asked him to remove the signature? was he already generally being a douche?), or if you did reach out, you went ahead and regurgitated without waiting for their side of things. Finally, compounding your regurgitation, you gave it an editorialized headline slandering MS as arrogant. This should not be filed under news. News requires investigative reports. This should be filed under 'Blog' or 'Hearsay that we thought we'd repeat 'cos it seems juicy'.

Bahaha, I actually find this kind of awesome.

I can see both sides of the arguement. I also run my own Windows Phone site and use Windows Phone because I personally feel that a person that uses the product 100% of the time is going to know it better than those who don't giving myself the best chance for success.However, he hadn't opened the site yet and was maybe planning to switch once that was done. It also sounds like things got started heading in the wrong direction and this quickly escalated into something neither party intended to happen.Frankly if I really wanted to do this, I wouldn't let this issue stop me. It seems like a knee jerk reaction to one person's unfortunate opinion of his intentions. Look there are many kinds of people in the world, don't let one bad apple spoil the whole idea!

1. we do not have all the info for both sides, I bet you there is more emails between these 2 that the ones shown here, so we are not sure if one side was the starter and they only want to show the emails that make one side look like the victim.2. Probably he just highlighted the iPhone as an innocent joke or "hey!" and he took it the wrong attitude.3. Are we really sure this the "only" important website about windows phone in Sweden?4. Maybe the grudge is just between these two, where is the official letter that states this is how the whole Microsoft Company agrees with this? This article says yes but where the info is coming from?5. a lot of employees in both companies have both Apple and windows, one side need the other to work in some specific areas, like testing, etc. but seriously in a meeting with Microsoft I will show off my windows equipment.7. My own Experience Microsoft is the best helping Developers; they help you with tools, training etc., much better experience than apple.

Well, you know what? Business is business, and it's bad business to commit such a blatant faux pas. If you're asking a company for money, you need to suck up in anyway that you can.Besides, why in the **** would you put "Sent from my iPhone" in your signature in your "private life" anyway, unless your intentions are to promote the iPhone and its ecosystem in every moment that you can?These sites are important for not only news but for editorials, and if a person that is consciously promoting a competitor's product with every single email message sent is running this site, I would not trust that site to be one to showcase my products or even give a unbiased opinion of my product. Therefore, they wouldn't get a dime from me.

This is the single dumbest post I've ever seen. Why would Microsoft help out a fan site, and as a fan site, what credibility do you have if you're accepting help from the company you cover.This is amateur all around, including for WPCentral for even posting it.

I wouldn't say it's amateur on our part, it's a debate topic that's likely to spark interesting sides of opinion, which we've seen so far. The article has done it's job by getting people to provide their say on how they believe Microsoft handled the situation and whether Toni from WinMobile.se has blown it out of proportion and should have ensured he used a Windows Phone to email the contact (or remove the signature from his iPhone). I really don't see how this reflects as being amateur by either myself or WPCentral as a whole. Like they say in books, don't shoot the messenger.

But you're not the messenger because you only have half the message... Toni's biased half. THAT is why it is unprofessional of you to post this without digging further and finding some answers... you know, trying to be a journalist. At the moment you are helping Toni to slander Microsoft, especially with your headline.

So, WPcentral is working for the same cause that Im doing, to spread the Windows Phone news. If then a major corp such as Microsoft slanders the people who gives them free marketing day out and day in, I'd say its quite obvious one should not accept such a behavior from MS.Furthermore, Im again, very surprised to see so many negative reactions. I would have expect this from Apple fanboys, but not from WP users. I thought you guys would support sites like WPcentral, wmpoweruser and "local" ones like winmobile.se in Sweden.

Sir, I do support sites like this, but that's the exact reason I'm here, to read news about MS products and services. I don't want to come to this site to hear about Apple, WebOS, or anything Else. I also don't engage in going on Apple or anyone else's site bashing their product or advertising MS item in a forum or site dedicated to another's products. I am sorry that we have immature people who do this type of thing. As fans, we displayed the uttmost respect and dignity when we heard of Mr. Job's passing, yet ifan came to this site and others being horsed behinds. I would urge you to work this out with MS, but if it's your choice to shut the site down, "Good Luck and thanks for your service".

Uhm, no. We have enough to run the story and create a debate. That was the goal of this article. To hear what people think. We have enough with the email screenshot which clearly shows the Microsoft contact taking the signature a little bit seriously. I don't see how we've helped Toni to slander Microsoft, reading through the article again, I remained fairly neutral. Everyone knows a headline is always used to bring in the traffic, which is what this has achieved.

I still disagree with you. Apart from your sensationalist headline (which I note is a translation of Toni's Swedish headline on winmobile.se - not the highest standards of neutrality), you open your 'news article' with the words "Our fellow brother website in Sweden"... oops, there goes your journalistic neutrality and integrity. You declare with this first sentence where your loyalty lies and that there is a bias to this article. And although you do a lot of hand waving and 'we can't comment yet' obfuscating, the motive behind posting this item (to give publicity to Toni's plight) is clear. To be honest, you've just given Toni a soapbox on which to stand and continue his complaints to a broader audience. For this to be a news item, you would need to get a statement from Anders, followed by a statement from Microsoft Sweden and Microsoft USA. Then you could post this as 'news'. If you cannot get some or all of those statements, then you should not be posting this as news. At be it would then be an editorial comment (and pretty weak one at that).To be honest, I don't really care one way or another whether Toni or MS or both are in the wrong (the whole thing sounds bizarrely fishy from both sides). What I care about is the integrity of WPCentral. What I fear is that if you continue to post articles like this, you will throw away that hard earned reputation for integrity and neutrality. Those are valuable things and you cannot abuse your readership in this way - as the tone of the comments you've received here has demonstrated, I think. If you throw everything away for sensationalist traffic then that will be a very sad day.And just in case you think I have no idea what I'm talking about, I am an editor for a science magazine. I know a little bit about these kinds of things.

I don't understand. Why does the site have to shut down because of this?Not trying to defend MS here as they come off a bit petty here. But seriously, if you're asking someone for money, especially if you won't be paying it back, wouldn't you do everything you could to avoid offending them? It just seems like common sense.

This is totally normal.... How in the world do you expect to get subsidized by MS if you're using the competition's device. That would be like a nascar driver putting firestone tires on his car when he has a giant goodyear logo on the side.Besides, an iphone sucks anyway. It's got a tiny 3.5" screen and has NO BACK BUTTON which is a terrible experience for windows phone, blackberry, and android users.You have to push that stupid square home button to go back and retrace your steps to get where you want to go, because no, not all the time is there a software button on the top left to get to the previous menu. Absolutely terrible experience and I wonder why more people don't complain about this.

headline re-write for better accuracy ... "WinMobile.se closes due to founders utter stupidity"

While the tone of the letter is a bit over the top it is understandable that MS would not want to subsidize someone openly using the competition's product. It does not look right for communications from a wp7 site to be tagged with iPhone. I'm embarrassed for people who still use those in general but if you are not smart enough to take it off at least while you are dealing with MS about subsidizing your site and then you get all pissy when they take offense I'd say you are pretty damn arrogant yourself.

Wasn't Mr. Jobs arrogant? Even on his way out of this world. Looks like the guy hosting this website was using MS to get money hr couldn't get from Apple and he slipped up therefore got busted.

I don't blame Microsoft for this. Why they should support and give money to someone who use competition devices.If he is so into Windows Phone and stuff then why he doesn't have it himslef?So I am with Microsoft in this and this is not about they want to change someone personal life. They want Microsoft support and money then they have to support their products in anyway they can and do it under their rules and policy.Well now he can close his website and go play AngryBird or use iFart App on his iPhone all day long!

Well said. I only visited that garbage site a few times anyway. It sure could have used that makeover. now he's lost some revenue for being stupid.

Microsoft are looking for evangelists and I am sorry but sending an email from the competitions phone does not make you sound much of an evangelist.For me this is a schoolboy error on behalf of winmobile.se and I feel sorry for your readership who will loose the benefit of the site just when it was about to go up another level.Maybe the correct course of action would of been to explain your position and evangelise why you love the Windows Phone but for reasons unknown cannot possess one.

If I was in microsofts shoes I would want to have this guy on my team. Here he is writing about Windows Phones but using an iPhone. Why? What should they do to EARN his business? I really hate when companies try to hold captive the consumer. If you have the better product people will use it. If you don't, find out why and improve your product.That being said, if the site is a Windows Phone NEWS site, why would he accept money from MS? It puts them in control of your content. Microsoft, like any other company, pulls its support when it doesn't like what you say. If your going to do news, you NEED to be independent. If the site is nothing more than advertising then MS should insist he use a WP7 as part of the agreement.If he makes money on the site, he should keep it going. Closing the site should be a business decision

this wpcentral guy eats any crrapp any guy says.... obviously that winmobile.se guy 'did something' and also 'according to him' he writes emails to microsoft and shows he is using an iphone LOL can't he be that stupid or is he making the hardest effort to be stupid? and u wpcentral kid, now I can 100% confirm you are a kid, 'MICROSOFT ARROGANCE'? LOLLLL YOU ARE DEFAMING MICROSOFT WITH THAT TITLE.... KID.message sent from my wmpoweruser.com account

Can you please write in English as opposed to text speak? If you'd like to refer me as a child then I'd prefer you to act older than my age, and not a teenager. I haven't "defamed" Microsoft at all. How the Microsoft contact acted was arrogant and uncalled for. Not sure how you can send a message from your WMPU account, since this is WPCentral. We don't use Disqus either.

Richard,I think that was exactly his idea. he adds some silly line saying "message sent from my wmpoweruser.com account" and you write back two phrases about how that is illogical.That is exactly how Microsoft would feel by reading a line promoting their competitor. Only you're not giving willdoors free money for it.

If I was Microsoft and it was my money empowering his site to promote my product, I'd do exactly the same. You don't become a brand evangelist by using someone else's product. It's part of Marketing 101.If it was Apple, instead of Microsoft, he'd have a VERY hard time for the rest of his life. Yes, Microsoft let him go....Lesson: Don't mess with what's bringing food to your table.

Maybe he could update his own website, with his own money. Then it wont matter what Mr. Anders thinks.

BTW, you can usually change that greeting. Not sure if anyone brought this up yet

stupid...why on earth is he using a competitor device and especially the Apple signature? It makes him looks like a freaking lair and fake when promoting WP.

I don't see what is so surprising. That Tony dude is an idiot.

The title of this article is completely sensationalist.The site didn't close because of Microsoft arrogance... The site closed because the owner isn't very smart.In my book Microsoft does not need to retract any statements made.

Hi,Thought I shed some light on all the rumors then.1. No, I did not misunderstand that email, seriously, is it really possible to misinterpret an email like that?2. No, it was not an act by a single employee at MS Sweden. I got it confirmed via email from the Windows Phone Manager Nordic. Rock solid.3. Yes, of course I couldve removed the signature from the phone, but thats not the point guys. The point is that they neglected to see the 6 years of damn hard work I put into this just because a signature.4. Not a single cent of the money that wouldve been spent would come to my pocket. Everything was going to make the site even more appealing to make Windows Phone more known, and who would benefit from that? Not me...5. I use iPhone, Android, you name it, I try it! Why? easy, how else can I know and understand the market in order to have a better view of whats out there, just as Richard points out as well. Think about this: If you have a guy using iOS or Android, but still missions for Windows Phone, can you have a better person than that? 6. Why I didnt use my WP7 phone? Cause it got bricked when trying to update to Mango. The matter has been escalated to the 3rd line support in the US cause they cant figure out why. And yes, others have the same issue as me.7. No, there are no other WP sites in Sweden.Hope I cleared up some of the outstanding questions. PS. Im a bit surprised by some of the negative response in here, heck, I worked my **** off to run this site for so long.

You made an incredibly stupid mistake by sending that signature. Just man up and accept your **** up and stop looking for sympathy. Do yourself a favor and add "tact" to your vocabulary. Merriam-Websters second definition would have helped you earlier:2: a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense

Toni,As I said on your site & in light of the explanation you posted here, I do think you have every reason to feel the way you do.I hope that you take some time to think about things and reconsider closing the site, but I understand how Microsoft "killed the spirit" in your words.I can tell you that the MS employees here in the US have not acted this way from my experience, and would probably see the sig as partly funny and partly a challenge to get you to switch. (but they'd probably cuss you out when you weren't around).Like I said on your site, if you do reconsider and keep your joint open I'll help with design and coding.Best of luck!

I've reread this several times trying to see your rationale and I just cant. In all fairness to the feedback you are getting that isn't supporting your side is the fact that MS was entering into an agreement to finance your site upgrades. I suppose if MS wasn't financing anything on your site you would be getting a larger number of supporters. I mean really you have every right to use whatever device you want but is it really that far fetched to expect MS to finance your project while you are using the sites email account advertising your IPad? Really I'm not trying to offend you in anyway I am very fair at least I think I am lol. How about we chalk this up as one big misunderstanding and you get back to giving your readers your best! I also believe its fair to say that your hard work and dedication was obviously noticed by MS to make such an offer so you must have been doing something right!

Might be the best comment here.

You grossly overestimate your importance to Microsoft. I doubt you've helped them sell even one phone.

I'm writing for winMoible.se. All i can say is that Toni made free advertisement for Microsoft in 6 years, there is no ads in the website. And when he tried to update his Omnia 7 to Mango, his device got bricked and he is still waiting for support, what else can he do? Private life is private life and many people needs an email client for their mobile devices.

You're the wrong person telling the wrong people this.

Very careless on Toni's part for 'sent by iPhone'. Keep in mind, your "Sent By' is like displaying your colors in a gang war!Remember Gabe in Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/7/11/ My own friend sent me something similar on the weekend "@weetigo earth monkey you don't have an iPhone GASP that's blasphemy lol"

Sorry, but this is a total lack of business acumen on Toni's part. MS is looking to fund his operation, and he replies with an iPhone signature attached to his email. He's an idiot.

First of all, thanks for calling me an idiot...Secondly, ask yourself who would benefit from that funding? read my statement above. Think first, then talk... ;-)

Tonijj,you've stated many times how your site is the only WP7 site in Sweeden, and how it's the only type of adverticement Microsoft will get.Keep in mind that if Microsoft gives you money to update your site, they'll still be totally dependent on you, and what you talk about.By saving themself that money they could very easily promote the OS on their own terms. Just the way they wanted.

Toni's clearly not the right person to run winmobile.se

He's been running it for 6 years! Do you have any idea the time it takes to compile enough info and write enough articles to keep something like that going? I write an article here and there to submit to different blogs, participate in different communities and code a little on the side and just that is a ton of work. Add to it the fact that people like Toni do this on top of work, family, friends, you know...real life and you begin to get the picture.Look at my first comment. I thought Toni may have been in the wrong initially. But after hearing his POV, I think he just feels like all his hard work was taken a little for granted just because he has more than one phone.

And you base that statement on...?Ive been running it for 6 years now and made it to be Swedens largest windows phone site. Guess it wasnt all that bad....but hey, thanks for the support!

Based on your handling of the situation you find yourself in.I'd have been more supportive if you handle this properly but you're coming across worse than Anders and I think this is a decision you'll regret in the future.

Honestly? If this funding and support U-turn was hinged on Toni having an iPhone, this is really quite sad. It's actually something I would expect from Apple and not Microsoft.

Thank you!

Toni, as another reader stated, "This sentiment is not reflected by MS USA". This is MS Sweden...do you thing it reached the big guns here in the USA prior to his response to you? Somehow I doubt it, yet you will punish the many for what a few lone MS employees have done? Maybe you should reach further in MS than Sweden. Just my opinion, but as I stated above if you choose to shutdown, Good Luck!

Wait, What??? Something smells fishy. Toni, you say you make no money off the website? You use an iphone for your primary phone? So why do you spend time doing this? This makes absolutely no sense.BTW, Usually when you are asking for money from someone, it is best not to rub their face in the dirt when doing it.

First of all, I never said the iPhone was my primary phone. I test all sorts of phones. I thought that was clear enough. Secondly, do I have to do stuff for money alone? Its quite simple, Ive been interested in Winmobile since the WM 2003 days, and loved it so much I decided to run a dedicated website about it, much like wpcentral. If you find 1 single ad on my site I'll buy you a beer! thirdly, I've seen tons of Microsoft people using iPhones, Android etc.

Keep digging your grave. First you said Mango bricked your phone and now you said you know a lot of Microsoft employees using iPhone and Android. Man you are not helping yourself.

Send an email listing these employees to upper management at MS. Maybe that we have moles working in MS who don't want the platform to gain marketshare and maybe these employees are voting down specific features in WP7 the we want. Therefore they should not be employed by MS.

I have to be honest, although I wish not to be mean, but winmobile.se was a very poorly run site with bad quality. Their articles were badly written, news were sporadic and they even posted a review of the Samsung Galaxy S2 recently. If I knew MS was about to sponsor the site I would have protested, so I'm kinda happy that the deal broke. Winmobile.se can't be compared to sites like wpcentral.com.Perhaps it is pettily by microsoft to kill the deal due to an iphone signature, on the other hand it is not a very smart thing done by toni.

The site is not bad Stuxx. It certainly needs improvement, especially manpower. That's why he approached MS Sweden.I highly suspected Toni decided to finish winmobile.se due to the next emails.One side gets offended. The other started to get offended. Exchange of accusations through emails. Finally..Toni, perhaps apologizing to MS will make them reconsider. After all, you begin it.Here is their (assumed) logic :You promote Windows Phone. However, you use your website email with Iphone signature. People will start to question whether you believe in what you talk to others about WP.This is about trust. Trust is not gained easily, especially in professional environment.How many persons do know that your Omnia gets bricked ? Yet, you must have sent email to many people using your website email with THAT signature.Your 6 years of belief is worth more than a few weeks of uncertain emotion. If you really believe in Windows Phone, reapproach Microsoft.

This comment thread is spiraling out of control, the worst part is the combative nature of a lot of the comments.Toni made a mistake having sent the email with the iPhone signature, but he had a valid reason for it, his bricked windows phone. Did the MS rep have reason to call him out on it? Yes, absolutely, that signature is poor form. But all this should've taken was a reply from Toni explaining the situation, what other phones he uses in his private life is his business, but dealing with official site business, that signature is a bad idea. At this point if the MS rep is too blinded by his righteousness to understand the situation, or worse yet, insinuate that Toni shouldn't be using an iPhone period. Well... that is seriously disturbing, the guy's not even an employee, and even if he were, you can't decide what devices he uses in his private life.To all those supporting the rep's reaction by pointing what Steve Jobs may have done in this situation? I figure the general consensus as to his response is probably correct, but that's the precise reason I wouldn't want to see that kind of arrogance in a MS employee. Steve Jobs could often be a jerk, this may be speaking ill of the dead, but it is what it is, he was a genius, but that doesn't change the fact. Steve Jobs was not successful because of this, he was successful despite it. To put that out as an acceptable response as a pathway to success is ridiculous. I support MS specifically because they're generally not like that.And all of those calling Edmonds out for posting this. Well, a lot of you looked past your distaste and ended going through it anyway. Though someone suggested that MS should be contacted for a statement, that I agree with, it's only fair to let them explain their side of the story. That's the difference between an insightful post and flame-baiting commentary, the title could also probably be toned down a bit, at least till MS's response is known, but as Edmonds mentioned earlier, it does drive clicks, but it'd be nice to see the situation being handled more tactfully by a website dedicated to the platform.And to all those giving Toni a hard time and calling him a free-loader. Wow. MS clearly thought what he did was valuable enough to merit sponsoring some of the reworking of the website, though some raised concerns about how that would affect the impartiality of the site, valid, but pointless unless you know the details of the deal. But to go as far as insinuating that he's getting fat off the deal, that's ridiculous. I don't think it's fair to discount the amount of work that goes into running sites like this and I, for one, am grateful for it.

The only reason why I put in (sent from Windows Phone) is only because if there are any typos or spelling mistakes it can be easily forgiven. I use this on my professional e-mail and also personal.