KUALA LUMPUR: As I passed by the same fashion outlet for the third time trying to find the venue for Microsoft Malaysia’s Windows 10 Media Treasure Hunt, it came to my mind that getting into ‘treasure hunt’ mode was proving to be more tiring than I had anticipated. I had begun my preparations quite early in fact, warming up by way of travelling to KLCC by LRT all the way from Kelana Jaya Station – not my usual mode of transport I assure you. But it all went well as I finally managed to locate the venue through my keen sense of direction (as well as by asking one or two people).
Getting into groups was easy, the organisers simply gave us different coloured T-shirts according to the colour we randomly picked from a bowl. Being the only lady in my group, I thought I could sit back and let all the guys do the hard work, but no such luck. I somehow ended up as group leader and was in charge of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 device and the Microsoft Lumia 950 smartphone we were given to help us in the treasure hunt missions. We were also given a survival kit consisting of an apple, a bottle of energy drink, and a poncho each, in case we somehow ended up lost and hungry in some far flung area of Kuala Lumpur instead of in the vicinity of Suria KLCC and Avenue K where the action was.
After a short briefing (more of a crash course on using the Surface Pro 4 and the Lumia 950), off we dashed to complete the first mission! The clues and missions were all obtained from the Microsoft devices given but we had to unlock the next mission by completing one first. What was fun about using these devices were the use of the facial recognition unlocking feature on the tablet and the iris recognition unlocking feature on the smartphone.
The first station for our team (Team Green) was the Microsoft Authorized Reseller (MAR) Store at Suria KLCC. This challenge was aimed at replicating real-life working scenarios of editors, with tight deadlines. It required each team to proofread a PowerPoint presentation with the use of the Lumia 950. A cool and nifty Windows 10 feature, called Continuum, allowed each team’s Lumia phone to connect to the monitor and literally work like a PC. With the use of an additional docking station available at the MAR Store, our team was able to complete proofreading the text given in under 15 minutes. This challenge proved pretty easy for us as we were all used to working tight deadlines and making sure the grammar and spelling are all correct. As we managed to complete the task very quickly, we were given the chance to win gifts from Microsoft by answering quiz questions. Teammates Nazrin from CHIP Magazine, Victor Yap from Amanz.net as well as Kevin of Hitechcentury.com were on top of the game as they managed to answer all the quiz questions given correctly in record time.
Next, we had to run all the way to Avenue K for the second challenge, which was to sing along with the buskers. In this challenge, the Surface Pro 4 was used as a multitasking device, activating its snap assist function that allowed us to refer to the song lyrics and the karaoke video of the song simultaneously. Thank god it was a fairly easy song to sing – Dancing Queen by ABBA. Michal Golebiewski (Microsoft’s Chief Marketing & Operations Officer) and Bruce Howe (Microsoft’s General Manager of Consumer Channel Group) joined in the fun, belting their lungs out too!
The next challenge was at Break Out, Avenue K where we had to try to unlock a hidden code in a dark room, open the locks on a cabinet door and take out a glass beaker. We then had to take a picture of the writings on the beaker using the Lumia 950’s 20MP Carl Zeiss optics in low light conditions. Sadly, the locks refused to cooperate with us in this challenge. It decided not to budge as yanked and pulled at it a dozen times after putting in the correct code. “This is just a minor setback,” we tried to console each other, while grumbling about the ‘faulty’ locks all the way to the next challenge.
At this station, all we had to do was identify the right Bryan out of four similarly dressed individuals. They were sporting afro wigs. Believe me, it was not as easy as it sounded. In fact this was the most physically challenging mission of all. Why? Well, first of all, the ‘Bryans’ can run really fast. Secondly, once you catch hold of one of them, they’ll ask you to carry out a physical activity such as push-ups and jumping jacks before revealing their true identity. The right Bryan would then be able to unlock the Surface Pro 4 with Windows Hello – an inherent biometric security feature within Windows 10. After catching hold of two false Bryans, we managed to find the right one and then move to the next challenge.
The next challenge was a game of vocabulary. We had to go to a microsite (http://dogreatthings.my/) and with the use of a digital pen, solve a crossword puzzle and share the answers via e-mail. The Surface Pro 4 has sensitive 12.3-inch PixelSense display with 3:2 aspect ratio that was ideal for comfortable viewing and note-taking, allowing us to use the digital pen and Surface with ease.
Just when we thought we were done, we were asked to attempt the Bonus Round. We reached the park where Master Yoda, complete with pointy ears and prune-like green skin gave us a riddle to solve. It was a pretty easy riddle that I think all the teams could solve so we go and finally have lunch. After all that running around and solving riddles and problems, I felt like I could eat the whole buffet spread.
All in all, everyone in the five teams (teams Blue, Green, Grey, Red and Yellow) had so much fun. Team Grey won the treasure hunt and walked home with a Lumia 950 together with a docking station each. Vernon Chan from the Yellow team also won himself a Lumia 950 for posting creative photos of his team in action for the social media popularity contest!
