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All posts tagged "development"


Monday, January 30, 2012

30 to Launch Coming Soon

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 09:00 PM

http://www.30tolaunch.com/Home/Index

Starting tomorrow, Microsoft will begin the '30 to Launch' campaign to encourace developers to submit apps to the Windows Phone Marketplace. The schedule has not been revealed, but the rules state that each sumbitted app will mean entry into the contest. The 500 winners and the grand prize winner will be selected by a panel of judges and receive prizes such as a Lumia 800. Four grand prize winnders will win an entertainment package consisting of a Samsung 46" television, an Xbox 360, and more. Apps are required to utilize features such as push notifications, background agents, or music and video hub integration. Hit the link for more information and get coding to win!


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Will 2012 Be The Year Of Windows Phone?

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 06:30 PM

http://robtiffany.com/windows-phone...f-windows-phone

"So here we stand with the best smartphone operating system, best hardware, best development tools and the best mobile web browser. I'm certain that Windows Phone with its army of app developers, OEMs and Mobile Operator partners will be marching to victory this year."

Yes it will, says Rob Tiffany in his blog. How is he so sure? Well, he thinks it's a convergence of a number of factors that play well into Microsoft's hands. For instance, he believes that exciting new hardware options will entice customers from a handset perspective, and developers will be able to develop compelling new apps using Microsoft's effective development environment. Good points, and indeed these will be important factors. I think marketing, product positioning with both vendors and the public, and continual evolution of the reference hardware specs will be important too. Read through his blog and the drop over to our forums to let us know if you think 2012 will be "the" year for Windows Phone.


Friday, July 29, 2011

25 Ways to Promote your App

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 07:00 AM

http://blog.adduplex.com/2011/07/25...dows-phone.html

Alan Mendelevich over at AdDuplex, has published an informative list of ways to promote your new Windows Phone application. He suggests 25 different ways to get the word out. The list includes obvious examples like word of mouth and social media, and also includes information on beta testers, and utilizing technology blogs such as Windows Phone Thoughts! Better yet, all of the ways he suggests are 100% free. Hit the link for the full list!


Thursday, July 28, 2011

More Details On The App Hub Enhancements

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 11:30 AM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...month-away.aspx

"We know there's tremendous excitement among the developer community, with tens-of-thousands of you already using the beta tools and a significant increase in new developer registrations over the past couple of months. More importantly, we're hearing from you directly and learning about some of the new and creative ideas you're bringing to life through Mango. The combination of new platform capabilities such as multitasking and hardware accelerated IE9 with the new opportunities that come from our partnership with Nokia and expansion to twice as many consumer markets is attracting a new wave of Windows Phone developers. These are also some of the reasons that firms like Gartner are *forecasting end users open OS sales in excess of 600 million units by 2015 for Windows Phone."

Last week we had a link to a short posting about the App Hub enhancements for developers. The Read link below will send you over to The Windows Phone Developer Blog which goes into lots of detail about what is included in the enhancements. There are effectively three categories of enhancements: geographic expansion, new private distribution options, and enhanced application management. If you are already into Windows Phone 7 development, or are planning to get into it, then the linked posting has lots of useful information for you.


Friday, June 10, 2011

In New Survey Developers Pick Android Over iPhone

Posted by Karey Westfall in "Android News" @ 10:00 AM

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile...prefer-android/

"A new survey from Vision Mobile and Bluevia finds that Android is the most popular mobile platform amongst developers, with 67 percent of mobile developers indicating they're developing for Android in 2011-that's an 8 percent improvement over 2010."

We have a winner, folks! A new survey just released from Vision Mobile and Bluevia found that Android is the most popular platform for developers! But not far behind is development for iPhone. Does this mean that Android is slated to be the market leader in years to come?


Friday, June 3, 2011

Windows Phone 7 Developer Cheat Sheet

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 05:00 AM

http://nordkapp.fi/blog/2011/05/wp7...ers-cheatsheet/

For any developer, Metro represents a strong foundation for creating a good-looking, usable application. As such, Teppo Kotirinta, Principal Designer at Nordkapp, has published a cheat sheet for developers looking to implement many different Metro layouts and elements for your app. They give details on the elements available to developers, and information that may be useful to iOS, Android, and any others that may not be familiar with Windows Phone development. Hit the link for some more details and links to download the guide.


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Beta Mango Developer Tools Now Available

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 08:00 PM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...able-today.aspx

As planned, Microsoft has now made the Mango development tools available for download. The download will bring developers the ability to prepare the app for background processing, deep linking, additional sensor support, direct camera access and more. More importantly, the development tools now provide access to sockets for communication, which may allow Xbox Live multiplayer gaming, although Microsoft has yet to comment on their plans with regards to online gaming. Follow the link below to download the latest tools and to get started developing!


Monday, May 16, 2011

Windows Azure Toolkit Makes it Easier to Develop for the Cloud

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 05:00 AM

http://watoolkitwp7.codeplex.com/

"The Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 is designed to make it easier for you to build mobile applications that leverage cloud services running in Windows Azure. The toolkit includes Visual Studio project templates for Windows Phone 7 and Windows Azure, class libraries optimized for use on the phone, sample applications, and documentation."

For those developers looking for a way to transition your app to the cloud, look no further than the Windows Phone Azure Toolkit. The toolkit provides developers with all the information and sample code necessary to provide their app with online services and storage. Better yet, those looking to try out the platform can try Azure for free for 30 days without using a credit card. This looks like a promising solution for those not wanting to create/maintain their own dedicated server.


Friday, May 13, 2011

Mango Tools Rumored for May 24th Release

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/...-this-month.php

Although Microsoft previously announced that the Mango developer tools would be released in May, the actual release is now rumored to coincide with the VIP Preview we previously reported on. The developer tools will bring hardware access to the camera and accelerometer, as well as the phone's contacts and calendar. Hopefully this rumor turns out to be true, as a developer release of the tools would indicate that Microsoft is on schedule with regards to the update.


Monday, May 9, 2011

Certification Process Steamlined in Latest Update

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 06:00 AM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...quirements.aspx

Developers on all platforms often complain about the confusing and often frustrating app submission processes. Often, apps will be denied from publishing for no apparent reason. Growing the number of apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace is a priority for Microsoft, so constantly updating and streamlining this process is definitely in their best interest. The most recent version of the certification requirements looks to further improve the submission process, by clarifying the content policies and technical requirements for approval. There are also additional testing steps that will help developers conduct in-house application testing to help improve pass rates. Hit the link for more information about the changes, and keep working on those apps!


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Microsoft Revises Marketplace Policies

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 10:00 AM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...ss-program.aspx

"We remain very pleased with the Windows Phone Marketplace ecosystem and are grateful for the time, patience and hard work that developers have committed to make it a success. We will continue to take feedback and take steps to make Windows Phone Marketplace and App Hub a more convenient, fun and rewarding experience for developers."

Microsoft has recently made some interesting changes to the Windows Phone Marketplace that will make it easier to publish apps. This is especially true internationally, where Microsoft has partnered with a Global Publisher, who will act as an intermediary between developers and the Microsoft certification process. In addition, the Marketplace Application Provider Agreement has been updated to include more licenses. Mostly though, Microsoft used this announcement as an opportunity to tout the great results for developers who use Trial Apps. "Nearly 1 out of 10 trial apps downloaded convert to a purchase and generate 10 times more revenue, on average, than paid apps that don't include trial functionality," said Todd Brix, Microsoft's senior director of mobile. Finally, Microsoft revealed some results from the Ad Control platform, which allows developers to create ad-supported free apps. At just under 10,000 apps (9823 as of this morning), the WP Marketplace is growing quickly and these changes can only help going forward.


Tuesday, March 1, 2011

MSDN UK Tech Days Online Conference

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 10:00 AM

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ukmsdn/arch...ml-n-gb-wp7--Q3

For those UK developers, the MSDN UK Team is having a great even on March 24th. The Tech Days Online Conference will have two sessions with a lot of great information about developing apps for Windows Phone 7. The first track contains information about creating apps, optimization, push notifications and more. The second track focuses on XNA game development. Better yet, by registering you can view the sessions at your own convenience later on (if you can't watch live). Click through for more information on the sessions and info on how to register and connect on the day of the event.


Saturday, February 26, 2011

Step One, App. Step Two, Party!

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 12:00 PM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...-big-party.aspx

Next week is the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Along with just about every major game company in the world, the Windows Phone team will be attending. In addition, there will be a huge party on Thursday that Microsoft would like you to attend! All you have to do is show up on March 3rd between 5PM and 7PM to showoff your app. Apps will be judged on creativity, usefulness, polish, and fun factor. If your app is chosen as one of the five best, you will be invited to attend the Microsoft hosted party that night with the Windows Phone team (the party starts at 9PM). Katy Perry may not be there (as she was for the launch of Windows Phone), but you are still sure to have a good time. Hit the link for all the details about the competition and party.


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Shake Gestures and Windows Phone App Development

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 07:00 AM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...es-library.aspx

The accelerometer is one of the many input devices available to modern smartphone developers. In their latest blog post, the Windows Phone Developer Blog discusses using the accelerometer API to detect and utilize shake gestures. According to them, the API for the accelerometer is great, but there is no specific information on recognizing shake gestures. So, if you are a developer and looking to implement this type of functionality into your app, hit the link for some code and explanations.


Friday, February 18, 2011

Load Your Silverlight Apps Faster

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 07:00 AM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/wpdev/

"By design, your Windows Phone application should load and run (display something to the user) as soon as possible-not simply to comply with the Windows Phone Marketplace certification process, but primarily to ensure a better user experience. Users hate to wait for an application to load on their mobile devices. "

The Windows Phone Blog Develop has published an informative post for developers who wish to load their Silverlight apps faster. The post covers not just how to load your app faster, but tips on how to ensure your app loads quickly after being tombstoned. The user experience is something that Microsoft really stresses for its developers, and reducing loading times will be sure to please end users. Hit the link for the full post and some sample code and documentation.


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Are You a Developer in Canada? Microsoft Has a Windows Phone Contest For You!

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Developer" @ 02:00 PM

http://www.greatcanadianapportunity...at_apportunity/

"Windows Phone 7 has hit the market and Microsoft Canada is looking for the best and brightest in the developer community to join The Great Canadian APPortunity competition, a nation-wide search for the most creative and innovative applications and games for Windows Phone 7. In a nation of gifted developers, The Great Canadian APPortunity competition is sure to uncover some amazing apps while providing the community with a platform to showcase their skills and creativity and gain recognition. Entrants have the chance to win a grand prize of $10,000, along with some great prizes including promotion on MSDN Flash Newsletter, Developer Blogs and Microsoft.ca, Xbox Kinect Consoles, Windows Phone 7 handsets, a Dell Alienware Laptop Bundle worth $3.5K, and a Developer Conference Pack (1 ticket to the Mesh Toronto conference and travel voucher, worth $3K). It's time for the Canadian developer community to demonstrate their innovation and cash in on some great prizes."

If you're a Canadian developer and are thinking about developing for Windows Phone 7 - or maybe you already are - Microsoft has set up a great contest with a lot of tasty prizes. Submissions started on February 1st, and end on April 30th. Check out the official site for more details - and start developing!


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Petzold on Sound Recording

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 07:00 AM

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/mag...e/gg598930.aspx

Charles Petzold, author of the free book "Programming Windows Phone 7", has just published an interesting article discussing the difficulties developers face when attempting to simplify design for their apps. He follows with a description of the mental exercises he went through when creating a memo recorder from scratch. For those that are not programmers the text can get a little technical, but Charles provides a lot of worthwhile information for those looking to implement sound recording, playback, and storage in their apps.


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Windows Phone GPS Emulator Useful Addition For Developers

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Developer" @ 03:30 PM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...s-emulator.aspx

"The Windows Phone GPS Emulator (a small WPF application) and one WP7 DLL enable you to debug your application on the Windows Phone emulator or a real device without leaving the comfort of your home or office. Once you've completed your testing and debugging, you only need to change a single line of code to switch to the device back to real GPS."

There certainly has been an increase in the number of location-aware apps available on smartphone platforms of late. While Windows Phone has not missed the party, with the release of the Windows Phone GPS Emulator there will soon be more such apps representing the platform at it. Over on the Windows Phone Developer Blog, Yochay has posted an article explaining the background on the app and some basic instructions on how to make use of it. This could save developers much time and effort. So developers, let's see what you can do!


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Aussie Developers: Win A Trip To Las Vegas

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 07:30 AM

http://www.istartedsomething.com/20...artedsomething)

"For Windows Phone 7 developers down under, Microsoft Australia is hosting a Windows Phone 7 Dev vs Dev competition to seek "an app worthy of claiming the Windows Phone 7 App Champion title" with the first-prize winner going to Las Vegas for the Microsoft MIX11 conference in April."

It would be a bit of a long trip, but undoubtedly fun! Here's a challenge for Australian Windows Phone 7 developers that is quite enticing. Develop a great app and you could find yourself on the way to the US. All bets aside, this Las Vegas conference could be very important for Windows Phone 7's future.


Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Runtime Intelligence Means Better Apps

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 08:00 PM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...dows-phone.aspx

Microsoft recently partnered with PreEmptive Solutions to provide tools that allow developers to gain insight into how users are engaging their apps. Runtime Intelligence provides data about time used, number of unique users, average time spend in the app, feature usage, and geographic distribution. If you are a developer and would like to add Runtime Intelligence to your app hit the link for more information.


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