Developers with most downloaded apps will be accepted

Sep 13, 2012 09:00 GMT  ·  By

Windows Phone 8, Microsoft’s next mobile operating system release, is nearing its official launch, and the company is providing developers with an early glimpse at what it is capable of providing users with, courtesy of a Developer Preview program.

Those who are interested in the building of applications for the upcoming operating system are invited to join the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 Developer Preview program, which will accept only a limited number of developers.

The idea is to have developers with the most downloaded Windows Phone applications optimize their software for the new platform release.

According to Microsoft, the majority of published developers with highly popular applications are expected to qualify for access to the SDK before its general availability.

“To apply, please visit the Microsoft Connect site and complete a short application,” Microsoft’s Todd Brix notes in a recent blog post.

“Be sure to have your Developer ID and Application’s Product ID on hand, as well as the name of your local Phone Champ (if you don’t know your local Phone Champ, you can always get in touch via the Find My Champ app).”

Applications can be submitted by Monday, September 17, at 5pm PDT. Developers accepted in the program will be contacted by Microsoft directly with instructions on how they can download the SDK.

Unfortunately, the Windows Phone 8 SDK won’t be made available for download until later this year, and Microsoft appears to have a good explanation for that.

“The reason is that not all Windows Phone 8 features have been announced and our SDK includes comprehensive emulators that allow developers to test apps against a wide range of Windows Phone features,” Brix explains.

“We recognize that this is a different approach to delivering tools than we’ve taken in the past. Our goal is to generate as much Windows Phone 8 excitement as possible to attract new customers when phones go on sale. This is one of many steps we’re taking to help give you what you (and we) want most.”

According to Microsoft, Windows Phone 8 is still on track to become available later this year, and developers are encouraged to come up with new applications for the platform.

“The Windows Phone SDK 8.0 is built on top of Visual Studio 2012, and will give you the ability to build applications and games that target both Windows Phone 8 as well as Windows Phone 7.5. Windows Phone SDK 7.1 can be installed side-by-side with Visual Studio 2012 and runs on Windows 8,” Brix concluded.