MSDN Blogs

Windows Phone Development Resources

One of the challenges facing developers of new platforms is the ability to find the right resources necessary to get up and running so you can create solutions quickly. This is no different for Windows Phone. This page is a list of resources specific to Windows Phone and is meant to be a “living document” (i.e.: we will update it with fresh links as they come available and removing stale links as needed).

Main Resource Portals (version-independent)

Resource Name	Resource Description
App Hub	The App Hub is the main official portal from Microsoft for Windows Phone developers. On this site you will find links to tools, membership registration, tutorials and code samples.
Main End User Product Page	This site is the consumer-oriented site for Windows Phone.
Developer Tools Downloads	This page on the App Hub gives you the links to the actual tools download pages. As of September 9, 2011, this includes the option of downloading the Release Candidate version of the Mango tools as well as the Release to Market version of the 7.0 (initial release) tools.
Membership Page	This is the page you need to visit to register as a developer on the Windows Phone Marketplace. If you want to publish your apps and games on the Marketplace, or developer unlock your phone for testing your apps on devices, you’ll need to register.
Education Catalogue	Also on the App Hub, this page is a launch pad for learning activities (tutorials, videos and articles) on Windows Phone development.
Windows Phone Certification Guidelines	This link brings you to the certification guidelines for all Windows Phone apps and games. If you are thinking of publishing an app or game on the Marketplace, you need to read this to ensure your creation meets the guidelines published here.
Windows Phone YouTube Channel	The official YouTube channel for Windows Phone, showing off the features of the platform from an end-consumer standpoint.
MSDN Portal for Windows Phone Development	This portal on MSDN provides articles on Windows Phone development, class library documentation and code samples.
Inside Windows Phone on Channel 9	This show is the home of Windows Phone development on Channel 9, where the product team provides you video walkthroughs of the newest developer features on a periodic basis.

Development Resources

Name	Resource Description
What’s New in the Mango SDK	An overview of the new development features in the SDK for Mango (compared to the original SDK for Windows Phone 7).
Code Samples for Windows Phone 7.5	A large number of code samples for Windows Phone 7.5 that you can use in your projects or to learn from.
How-To Index	A list of resource links for Windows Phone 7.5 developers. This is where we link to all of the specific pages within the documentation that explicitly spell out ‘how to’ implement a specific type of developer scenario. Many of these actually map to and spell out the execution of the sample code in the code samples.
Windows Phone 7.5 Training Kit	This kit contains deep-dive tutorials on developing apps and games for Windows Phone 7.5. It is available as an offline resource (meaning you can download it for free).
Windows Phone 7 Training Kit	This training kit was built for the initial release of Windows Phone 7 (i.e.: not Mango/7.5). That said, many of the tutorials in this training kit are still relevant and provide a good basis for new Windows Phone developers.
App Development QuickStarts	On the App Hub, this page provides you with a starting point for Windows Phone 7.5 App development if you’re new to the platform.
Game Development – Getting Started	On the App Hub, this page provides you with a starting point for Windows Phone 7.5 Game development if you’re new to the platform.
Mango Jumpstart Training Course	This is a series of 14 deep-dive, hour-long sessions going over pretty much most aspects of Windows Phone development.
Windows Phone 7 Jumpstart Training Course	This Jumpstart training course was conducted to do a deep dive in to the initial release of Windows Phone 7 (i.e.: not Mango/7.5). That said, it provides some great tutorials on how to build Windows Phone apps and much of it is very relevant under 7.5 as well.
Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone	Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, can be used with many different platforms, including Windows Phone. This toolkit makes it easier to consume Azure services in efficient ways on Windows Phone.

Metro and User Experience Resources

Resource Name	Resource Description
31 Weeks of Windows Phone Metro Design	A 31-part, in-depth discussion on Metro and the right way to design your Windows Phone applications by Arturo Toledo, arguably one of the top interactive designers in Microsoft. A must read.
Video: Application Design for Windows Phone	Megan Donahue’s presentation on Metro for Windows Phone at the MIX11 conference.
Video: Windows Phone User Experience Design	Bryan Agnetta’s talk on Metro for Windows Phone at the BUILD conference.
App Hub Sub-Site: User Experience and User Design Guidance	Design guidance for Windows Phone from the App Hub.
PDF: The Story of Metro	The story of Metro, it’s beginnings and it’s inspirations.
MSDN: Windows Phone UX Guidelines	User Experience Guidelines for Windows Phone provided by the MSDN library.
ZIP File: Windows Phone 7 Design Templates	Templates (mainly in Photoshop format) for assisting in wireframing screen design.
Blog Post: Windows Phone Grid for Layout	A blog post by Arturo Toledo explaining why grids are important in layout design and a link to an Expression Design grid for Windows Phone.
Blog Post: WinPhoneGeek’s Dev and UX Guide	A great selection of design and development resources for Windows Phone
Videos: Windows Phone Design Sessions	A series of 13 talks (creating a full-day design workshop) for Windows Phone.

Resources for Mobile Developers on other Platforms

Name	Resource Description
Interoperability Bridges for Windows Phone	If you build mobile experiences on other platforms (like iOS and Android) and you’re interested in building apps for Windows Phone, this is a good place to start. It contains resources that map out equivalent methods and libraries from iOS and Android to .NET for Windows Phone as well as tutorial resources.
Mapping tool for iOS APIs to Windows Phone APIs	This site maps out iOS API’s to Windows Phone APIs. It is meant to provide iOS developers with a quicker and easier way to port their apps and games to Windows Phone.
Mapping tool for Android APIs to Windows Phone APIs	This site maps out Android API’s to Windows Phone APIs. It is meant to provide Android developers with a quicker and easier way to port their apps and games to Windows Phone.
Windows Azure Toolkit for iOS	Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, can be used with many different platforms, including iOS. This toolkit makes it easier to consume Azure services in efficient ways on iOS.
Windows Azure Toolkit for Android	Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, can be used with many different platforms, including Android. This toolkit makes it easier to consume Azure services in efficient ways on Android.

Blogs and Other Social Media

Name	Resource Description
Canadian Mobile Developers	Microsoft Canada’s mobile development blog.
Windows Phone Development Blog	The official blog of the Windows Phone Developer Platform.
Ignite Your Coding Mobile Developer LinkedIn Group	Microsoft Canada’s LinkedIn group for mobile developers.
Twitter Accounts to follow	@WindowsPhone, @wp7dev, @brandonwatson, @joebelfiore, @benriga, @ie, @jaimerodriguez, @joemarini, @markarteaga, @colinizer, @atleyhunter, @gcaughey, @andy_wigley, @robmiles, @justinangel, @larryalieberman, @jesseliberty, @toddbrix, @jeffwilcox, @kellabyte, @shawnwildermuth, @wppartner, @laurentduveau, @wpdesignteam, @gladstonegrant, @mandy_kaur, @ryanstorgaard, @fharper, @hockeygeekgirl, @ayakobovich, @wadewegner, @martinplante, @cliffsimpkins, @mrelph, @jrozenblit