Hi there IC13 Competitors,

I'm Nick Harris, your Windows Azure Challenge Captain, and I have some new videos to share that will be useful for you in any challenge you are currently competing in and especially in the Windows Azure challenge.  If you're building a solution that uses a Windows Store app, Windows Phone 8 app or Windows Azure and requires a backend then I would recommend you check out the following brand NEW video series on one of our new service offerings, Windows Azure Mobile Services.  Mobile Services provides a powerful turnkey backend solution for your Windows Store, Windows Phone 8 and iOS apps (Android coming soon).  Through this series you will learn how Mobile Services can:

• Create turnkey backend solutions to power your mobile apps within minutes
• Store data off device and read it back into your apps
• Add custom business logic utilizing server scripts
• Implement user authentication in your apps using popular social identity providers such as Microsoft Account, Facebook, Twitter and Google.
• Implement Push Notifications in your apps to keep your users up to date with your latest app content
• Execute tasks on a schedule e.g aggregating feeds, sending notifications, crunching data etc..
• Accelerate your mobile app development on Windows Store, Windows Phone 8 and iOS apps

Here are some quick links to the current videos within the series:

 Be sure that you follow the RSS feed for the series if you want to keep up to date with the latest videos we are posting over the next couple of months.  If you prefer to learn via tutorials or samples then check out all these great links:

• 10+ Great tutorials
• 12+ Awesome step by step Sample apps

You can get started with Mobile Services today: If you're using your Imagine Cup Windows Azure accounts it's already pre-enabled! Just look for the Mobile Services tab within your windows azure portal.

Happy Coding!

Nick Harris
Imagine Cup Windows Azure Challenge Captain
@cloudnick