During the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) earlier this week we announced that the Beta Developer Tools for Windows Phone 7 are now available. With over Over 200,000+ downloads already the developer excitement around Windows Phone 7 is clear. We are pretty much feature complete now with this beta release and are working on closing out remaining bugs and performance. This is the release you should jump on if you are one of the technology preview averse. The next update of the tools should not have any major breaking changes.
One of the first things you will notice too is the speed of the Windows Phone Emulator. The time to deploy your app to the device and debug times for your application have been dramatically decreased. A new skin has been added to the phone shell as well as making the toolbar (rotate device, zoom, exit) more transparent. Developers have already been posting Tips for the updated Emulator. Expression Blend for Windows Phone is also included now as part of the Beta Tools installation. No more separate downloads! You can find out a list of some of the great new Blend features for Windows Phone 7 at the teams blog. Also be sure to check out the overview from Paul Thurrott on the announcements made during the WPC in his Windows Phone Update: July 2010 - Availability, Developer Tools Updates, and Connected Services.
If you missed the WPC keynotes the Windows Phone 7 Value Keynote was recorded so be sure to check it out. Some really nice demos in there including showing off the phone running a newer build of the operating system.
If you are like me you probably want to know what has changed before upgrading all the developer tools on your machine. Be sure to check out this direct link to Windows Phone 7 Beta Tools Release Notes for a detailed list of what things have been updated.
If you already have the April CTP tools you will need to select Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone CTP – ENU in your uninstall menu first. Do not try and uninstall any of the other pieces separately. I encountered an issue myself on one of my machines that had an updated version of Silverlight 4 that prevented the tools from uninstalling. Once I uninstalled the updated Silverlight runtime I was able to uninstall the April CTP tools, installed the Beta tools, and then reinstalled the Silverlight update. Some people have also been running the XNA Uninstaller Tool which should fix any issues you might have. There is also an Official Windows Phone 7 Forums thread for April CTP uninstall issues.
The official Windows Phone 7 Training Kit has also been updated for the beta tools release and includes some new labs! Be sure to check out the team’s detailed blog post here on what is new and you can grab the tools over on Channel9 here.
If you have time next week there are also a few spots left for the Free Windows 7 JumpStart Course that will be hosted online virtually. This is two full days of training by some of the top people in the field like Rob Miles. You can also check out my Windows Phone 7 Resources list which I have been keeping updated with new training content as I come across it. This includes things like the Windows Phone 7 Design Resources Site which hosts the official design guidelines and Photoshop templates.
As one of the Windows Phone 7 Champs for the Eastern United States my focus over the next couple months will be dedicated to the success of Windows Phone 7. That means making sure as a Developer/Designer you get access to the right training, resources, tools and help in creating amazing applications.
If we have talked already and I know about what you are doing - then no problem. If we haven’t met yet and you are in the Tri-State or Mid-Atlantic regions please contact me asap and let me know what you are working on. Specifically I need to know the following:
The buzz around Windows Phone 7 has been tremendous and the consumer marketing campaign hasn’t even begun yet! Right now we are totally focused on you – the developer and designer and helping you build what you’ve always dreamed of. With thousands of applications already in the works the gold rush will be on when the marketplace officially opens at launch this holiday season.
As a Philly based dev myself I want to highlight what is being done right here in our own backyards. That means giving you exposure internally at Microsoft as well as opportunities to be showcased at the upcoming Windows Phone 7 Developer Events that will be held through the East Coast United States in the coming weeks. But it all starts with you! Let me know what you have been working on. Do you have a great idea but have gotten stuck? Let me know too. I’m here to help and make your applications as successful as possible.
I am also in the process of getting access to some early phones and prioritizing them based on the applications I have seen. So if you’re doing some amazing stuff I may just be handing you a Windows Phone 7 device!
-Dave
One of the more popular questions I get these days is where to start with Windows Phone 7. I thought I would share the list of links I have been sending to people to help get them started. It includes overview material and videos, hands on labs, links to the tools as well as the official blogs and twitter accounts.
Windows Phone 7 Videos on YouTube (Great way to show people the new phone and UI)
http://www.youtube.com/windowsphone#p/a/u/0/wlJ_fLPpmdM
Windows Phone 7 Customer Demo Site (Interactive demo of the UI)
http://windowsphone7.com
Developer Portal (Marketplace registration and tools as well)
http://developer.windowsphone.com
Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools Beta (Released on July 12th and now includes all the Expression Blend for Windows Phone bits!)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c8496c2a-54d9-4b11-9491-a1bfaf32f2e3&displaylang=en
OData Client Library for Windows Phone 7 Series CTP
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b251b247-70ca-4887-bab6-dccdec192f8d&displaylang=en
Windows Phone 7 Training Kit
XNA Creators Club (Windows Phone 7 Games Development)
http://creators.xna.com
Windows Phone 7 Games Development. Which should I use XNA Game Studio or Silverlight?
http://creators.xna.com/en-US/article/whichproductforWindowsPhone
MIX10 Day 1 Keynote (Windows Phone 7 starts at 27 mins in)
http://live.visitmix.com/MIX10/Sessions/KEY01
MIX10 Windows Phone 7 Videos and Slides
http://live.visitmix.com/search?term=phone&x=0&y=0
MS TechEd 2010 Windows Phone 7 Videos and Slides
http://www.msteched.com/Tracks/WindowsPhone
Windows Phone 7 Online Documentation (MSDN)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff402535(VS.92).aspx
Windows Phone 7 Developer Blog
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/wpdev/
Windows Phone 7 Community Samples and Links
http://www.reddit.com/r/wp7dev
Windows Phone 7 Developer Team on Twitter
http://twitter.com/wp7dev
Windows Phone 7 Local Champs http://twitter.com/wp7dev/champs
Bing Windows Phone 7 Search
http://www.bing.com/search?q=windows+phone+7
Windows Phone 7 Dev Twitter Search (#wp7dev)
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23wp7dev
YouTube - Windows Phone 7 Apps in Progress (wp7dev search)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wp7dev
Windows Phone 7 Design Resources (includes official design guidelines and Photoshop templates)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff637515(v=VS.92).aspx
Charles Petzold's Programming Windows Phone 7 Free E-Book (11 Chapters!)
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2010/08/02/free-ebook-petzold-s-programming-windows-phone-7-special-excerpt-2.aspx