Microsoft India offers Free Windows 7 Phone for Student App Developers!

                    Looks like Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned to push its Windows 7 mobile OS amongst the masses. Microsoft India has launched a program i unlock joy that promises lot of freebies to student app developers that includes a Free Windows 7 Phone as well.

                   But, before you run to get your hands on it – there are obviously some rules to participate in this program.

You are eligible to participate only if

• You are 18 years of age or older; and
• You have been actively enrolled as a student at an accredited educational institution that grants high-school or college/university (or equivalent) degrees for at least 3 months between 1^st January 2011 and 18^th November 2011; and
• You are not an employee or intern of Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd. or Microsoft Corporation, or any of their affiliates; and
• You are not involved in any part of the execution or administration of this Program; and
• You are not an immediate family member of (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft affiliate, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Program.
• You are a registered member of Microsoft DreamSpark Program for students.                 
                  The last point being the most important one “You should be a registered member of Microsoft DreamSpark Program ”, which essentially is a very similar platform to what Microsoft’s very popular Bizspark program is for startups. Microsoft offers their software’s free of cost to students to registered members of these platforms encouraging them to develop Microsoft based applications.
                 So, if you are eligible for “i unlock joy ” program, you will have to build apps to get your hands on the freebies offered by Microsoft. If a registered student is able to develop & submit a one verified Windows 7 phone app to Windows Phone Marketplace by December 18th, then you get a Merit Certificate, Windows Phone T-Shirt & 2GB flash drive.
  
  If you manage 4 apps within that time frame, you can get your hands on cool new Windows Phone!
  
  
  
                    There is no doubt that Microsoft is pushing hard to popularize Windows phone OS and one of the basic requirements for OS to succeed will be a it’s huge app market place.
  
                    Microsoft obviously does not have a developer community like say Android or iOS. But by introducing such programs to students, they are surely pushing hard to build a community that will be basis for their success in coming years. It is interesting though, that it has been opened for Indian students only – It puzzles me as to why it has not been opened worldwide!
  
  Whether they will be successful or not, only time will tell!