14 DAY TRIAL // Application developers interested in building software solutions for Microsoft's new mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, can now download and install the final version of the Windows Phone Developer Tools from the Redmond-based company. About two weeks ago, the company announced that the developer tools would become final today, following the Windows Phone 7 OS reaching its gold state.
“The Windows Phone Developer Tools have gone final, and we have released to the Web. This release is English only, but we will be releasing the French, Italian, German and Spanish language versions in the next couple of weeks,” a recent post on the Windows Phone blog reads.
The official launch of Windows Phone 7 devices is near, and the fact that the Windows Phone Marketplace is set to open its gates in early October is a proof of that.
Developers interested in having their software solution submitted to the portal would have to download and install the new version of Windows Phone Developer Tools, otherwise their applications will fail certification in the Marketplace.
“When you do submit your application, you can expect it to take about five days to pass or fail certification, though you can check the status of your app submission at any time at the developer portal,” the said blog post reads.
As soon as the version of the developer tools are installed, app builders should get access to resources like:
- Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone – Free edition of VS 2010 for Phone development. - Express Blend 4 for Windows Phone – Free version of Blend for Windows Phone 7 Development. - Silverlight for Windows Phone 7 – Rich framework for building great applications for Windows Phone 7. - XNA Game Studio for Windows Phone 7 – Rich framework that enables you to build great 2D and 3D games for Windows Phone 7. - Windows Phone Emulator – A hardware accelerated emulator that allows you to run and debug your applications and games without requiring a phone. - Phone Registration Tool – When you get a device, this allows you to “unlock” the device so you can run/debug your application on it, using your Marketplace account.
While some might be just starting to look into the development of applications for the new mobile operating system, others already got their applications up and running, and are getting ready to make the final touches to them just before submitting the solutions to the Marketplace.
Among these solutions, we can count apps for Twitter, Netflix, OpenTable, Flixster and Travelocity, which can be seen demonstrated here.
According to Microsoft, the main idea would be to ensure that high quality applications are released on the market, something that should also help the operating system move upwards.
"The final release of the Windows Phone Developer Tools is the culmination of hard work on the part of many talented people. We couldn’t, however, have done it without the help of the community. The feedback we received since our initial release in March has enabled us to make some changes, resulting in a better finished product," the said blog post reads.
The Windows Phone Developer Tools are available for download from Softpedia via this link.
