14 DAY TRIAL // With Windows 8, Microsoft introduces a new approach to the building of applications for its client, as well as to what using such applications involves.
Windows 8 comes with a new interface included into the mix, the Metro UI, which has been developed specifically for touchscreen displays.
This means that developers interested in coming up with applications that would take advantage of Windows 8’s touch capabilities will have to adopt the Metro UI for them.
For that, Microsoft came up with a new set of APIs to enable developers to easily come up with Metro-style applications for the platform.
Consumer apps targeting Windows 8-powered tablet PCs will have to be built using these WinRT APIs to deliver the intended experience.
However, since the Windows 8 platform will tap into the enterprise area as well, Microsoft is working on the release of Metro apps for business users as well.
This week at the Convergence conference for Dynamics ERP and CRM customers and partners, the Redmond-based software giant is showcasing some concept applications in this area.
A recent article from ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley shows a bit of what these apps might end up looking like when optimized for the upcoming Windows 8 operating system.
The applications that Microsoft’s Dynamics team will bring along at the conference in Houston are Windows 8 HTML5 “Metro-style” clients that have been designed to connect to Dynamics ERP and CRM back-end services.
Designed for use on tablet PCs running Windows 8, these apps feature all the elements that we would expect Metro-style apps to include, but were also optimized for business use.
Unfortunately, no specific details on when these clients might become officially available have been unveiled for the time being.
However, it appears that the Redmond-based software company is targeting 2013 / 2014 as the release timeframe for a Windows 8 version of the Dyanmics AX 7 client.
