Category Archives: Development Tools

Nokia Promotions!!!

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Hi all –

Here’s what’s going on in September for Windows Phone developers!

– If you’re an active developer (have published or updated a WP app in the last 6 months), you can enter a drawing for a Lumia 1020, 925 or 928 (your choice)! See
http://richarddunbar.blogspot.com/2013/09/september-lumia-blowout.html for details. Just like last month, being an active developer pays off!

– Have you published a new Windows Phone or Windows 8 app this month? If so, you can enter a monthly sweepstakes to win some cash! Go to http://www.mstechaffiliate.com/members/gregorystoll to enter.

– If you’re in the Austin area, check out the Austin Windows App Developers meetup! It’s run by Ryan Joy, a Microsoft evangelist, and you can sign up here: http://www.meetup.com/Win-App-Devs/

– Speaking of Ryan, he wrote a very useful post about marketing your app after release: it’s at http://ryanjoy.com/2013/08/marketing-101-12-things-to-do-after-you-publish-your-app/

– Nokia just announced a global app-writing competition called Nokia Create – you could win a trip to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona! For details, see http://developer.nokia.com/create/.

– If you’re starting a new app, you should check out Windows Phone App Studio, which lets you get started in a browser! It’s a free tool from Microsoft – here’s a good guide to getting started: http://ryanjoy.com/2013/08/create-a-windows-phone-app-in-20-minutes-with-app-studio/

– Here’s what’s happening in DVLUP:
– There’s a new challenge to update any app for 100 XP! It’s that simple! See
http://blog.dvlup.com/2013/08/30/dont-pass-up-this-opp-update-an-app-and-snap-up-some-xp/
– And if you are planning on updating your app, we’d love it if you would fill out a quick survey – there are a few prizes too! http://blog.dvlup.com/2013/09/10/updating-your-wp-apps-tell-us-your-plans/
– I wrote an article this month about adding ads to your app, and using an in-app purchase to turn them off. It’s at http://gregstoll.livejournal.com/436805.html, and all of my articles are at http://austin.devnokia.com/. I’ve also written a number of Windows Phone apps that you can see at http://gregstoll.dyndns.org/windowsphone/ – if you see anything you’d like to do in an app of yours, drop me a line and I’d be happy to send you some code!

Events:
– I’ll be at the Houston TechFest in September – see http://www.houstontechfest.org/SitePages/Home.aspx for info.

– Battlehack is coming to Austin in September! I’ll be there on day #2 and awarding a prize to the best Windows Phone app. To sign up, see http://battlehack.org/austin/#register

App of the month:
This month’s app is WP Pride by Patrick Campanile, aka Twisty Apps. It’s available at http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=26f50727-aa25-4a97-9a30-27670d088df4 – here’s what Patrick has to say:

WP Pride started out with just seeing some wallpapers a designer made. I loved them, and though, “I have to have a way to change these easily!” so I contacted the designer. He was all for it! I started the app, and then life got busy and it got left as another “project unfinished”. Then I heard about the giveaway you and your tram were doing with the 1020, and knew I had to finish the app to enter the August contest. And I did!

I relied on many articles written by you and others, and, knowing very little C#/XAML, I was still able to finish the app in about a weeks time! Did it have very many features? No. But it was a start. I have since been brainstorming with my designer on new features, and began to take a class in C#. We have many ideas in the pipeline, and are always looking for feature requests! We are working to get an update out with a re-designed layout and some more info on the future of the app.

—

As always, let me know if you’ve written any apps and would like to submit them to be considered for App of the Month, or just want to chat about Windows Phone. Email me or hit me up on Twitter at @gregstoll.

In reversal, Microsoft gives snarling developers Win 8.1 RTM to chew on

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MSDN and TechNet subscribers were enraged when Microsoft denied them access to the latest Win 8.1 pre-release build

After developers and IT pros pelted Microsoft with complaints, the company has backtracked and decided to grant them access to the latest Windows 8.1 build instead of making them wait until mid-October.

When Microsoft sent to PC and tablet makers two weeks ago the latest pre-release version of Windows 8.1 — the so-called RTM (release to manufacturers) build — it broke with tradition and kept developers and IT pros out of the loop, enraging them.

Microsoft said at the time that these two camps would get access to the final version of Windows 8.1 when it starts shipping commercially on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18.

It justified the incendiary decision by saying that it had to collaborate closer than ever with its hardware partners because the OS has to work with a much broader variety of devices.

“As such, we’ve had to evolve the way we develop and the time in which we deliver to meet customers with the experience they need, want and expect,” Microsoft official Antoine Leblond wrote two weeks ago in the blog post announcing Windows 8.1 RTM.

But in blog comments, Twitter messages and other social media channels, developers and IT pros growled, saying that this wouldn’t give them time to test their applications, tools and IT environments, possibly causing chaos for them.

“How are IT pros and partners supposed to evaluate 8.1 now and perhaps change scripts/applications/whatever as needed?,” wrote one person in a comment to Leblond’s blog post.

On Monday, in a surprise reversal, Microsoft announced that it has changed its mind, and that subscribers to MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) and TechNet now have access to Windows 8.1 RTM.

“Weve listened, we value your partnership, and we are adjusting based on your feedback. As we refine our delivery schedules for a more rapid release cadence, we are working on the best way to support early releases to the various audiences within our ecosystem,” wrote MIcrosoft official Steven Guggenheimer in a blog post Monday.

The move is a “no-brainer,” according to IDC analyst Al Gillen. “This community is one of Microsoft’s points of entry to corporate IT,” he said via email.

Another IDC analyst, Al Hilwa, said that keeping the code from developers would have harmed them and Microsoft as well. “It does not materially help Microsoft or anyone to delay adoption,” he said via email.

It’s not clear why Microsoft made its initial decision, but Hilwa speculates it may have stemmed from its ongoing transformation into a devices and services company, a plan outlined in a broad reorganization launched in July by soon-to-be-retired CEO Steve Ballmer.

“I think they came to their senses to realize that their ecosystem of developers is different from Apples and prefers more open practices,” Hilwa said.

Developers and IT pros get to download both the Pro and standard editions of Windows 8.1 RTM, as well as Windows Server 2012 R2 RTM and Visual Studio 2013 Release Candidate.

However, they will not get access to the RTM version of Windows RT 8.1, the version of the OS for devices that run ARM chips, according to a Microsoft spokesman. Hardware vendors did get access to Windows RT 8.1 RTM two weeks ago.

Guggenheimer said it will still be necessary for IT pros and developers to refine and tweak their Windows 8.1 applications and IT environments once the final, GA (general availability) version of the OS ships in mid-October.

However, the RTM version offers code that is much closer to the final build than the Preview version developers and IT pros received in late June at Microsoft’s Build conference.

Microsoft had argued in its defense two weeks ago that the Preview versions of Windows 8.1 and Visual Studio were sufficiently baked for the purposes of IT pros and developers.

This was the latest flap involving Windows 8, a historically important upgrade to the company’s flagship OS for desktops, laptops and tablets.

Windows 8 started shipping October of last year with a radically altered user interface called Modern, and also with a more traditional Windows 7-like desktop for legacy applications.

Based on tile icons and optimized for touchscreen devices, the Modern interface was designed to make Windows a better OS for tablets, where the Microsoft OS has taken a beating at the hands of Android and Apple’s iOS.

Unfortunately, the Modern interface wasn’t well received, particularly among enterprise and consumer buyers of Windows 8 laptops and desktops, who complained that it was hard to master and inconvenient to use with a mouse and keyboard.

With Windows 8.1, Microsoft is hoping to put out the main fires keeping customers away from the OS. For instance, it’s adding something very close to the Windows 7 Start button, which the company took away in Windows 8, clearly unaware of how attached users are to it.

Windows 8.1 also attempts to smooth out the process of toggling between the Modern and traditional interfaces, which many users have described as awkward. To this end, it will be possible for Windows 8.1 users to boot directly to the traditional desktop interface.

Windows 8.1 also lets users view all the applications installed on their device and sort them by name, date installed, most used or category. The OS update also sports an improved search engine powered by Bing that will return results from a variety of sources, including the Web, applications, local files and the SkyDrive cloud storage service.

Windows 8.1 also comes with Internet Explorer 11, a new version of Microsoft’s browser that the company has said will load pages faster and offer better performance in touchscreen mode.

Other Windows 8.1 enhancements include the ability to make a Skype call and take photos with the Windows 8.1 device while the screen is in Lock mode without having to log in. It will be possible as well for users to select multiple applications at once and perform bulk actions on them, like resizing, uninstalling and rearranging them.

Windows 8 App Development Tools

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Image Resizer w/ Windows8 Development Tool is an image resizing tool designed to make development for Windows8 a lot easier and save some serious time. However, this isn’t just a tool for developers. It has batch image resizing capabilities, allows users to resize images to preset or custom sizes, and creates a folder for the generated images. It will also convert your images into 10 different image types.

Why should developers use this tool?
* It generates all the icons needed for the Windows8 and Windows 8 Phone store
* It also creates promotional images

It will literally knock hours off your app submission time!!!