I will be holding some online office hours on Windows Store development for Windows 8.  I’ll be available online through Lync to answer your dev-related questions and help unblock you.  If people find this useful, I will schedule additional...

Today marks the first day of the BUILD conference .  Recordings of sessions will be available online at http://channel9.msdn.com/events/Build/2012/ within 24-48 hours.  Here are some keynote highlights that were new or interesting to me. ...

My team is running a series of “hands-on labs online” events for Windows 8.  The first 45-60 minutes are a presentation on some aspect of Windows 8 development, which is then followed by a hands-on lab that you can work through in a virtual environment...

When you register to develop apps for the Windows Store, you have the option to register for a company or an individual account.  What are the major differences between them?  Cost .  An individual account costs $49/year and a company account...

I was recently interviewed by G. Andrew Duthie for Microsoft DevRadio .  We discussed reasons to develop a Windows 8 application.  This episode was inspired from my blog post on “ Why Would You Want to Develop a Metro Application for Windows...

Windows 8 introduces a new breed of application called Windows Store or WinRT apps (formerly called “Metro-style” apps).  You can build Windows Store apps using a variety of different development languages: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript XAML and (VB...

Our marketing team has released a new “30 to Launch” program which helps you build either a Windows 8 or a Windows Phone application in 30 days.  You will receive a tip per day for 30 days that move you from idea to implementation.  In addition...

My colleague Jeff Blankenburg and I will be delivering some additional developer camps on Windows 8 in Michigan and Ohio, and I will also be running a camp in Chattanooga before the devLink conference.  Register here: Wed 8/22 – Southfield, MI Thurs...

It’s official:  BUILD 2012 is confirmed.  When?   Tuesday October 30 – Friday November 2.  This is the week following the Windows 8 ship date (General Availability) on Friday October 26. Where?   BUILD will be held on Microsoft...

I hate breaking in the middle of a blog post series (although there has already been a lapse with my vacation), but… In case you missed it, at Microsoft’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), we announced the release schedule for Windows 8 . ...

So now we are up to the point where we can start coding! First, let me explain my app idea. I am building a children’s game called “Reveal a Picture” where you touch the screen or move the mouse on a colored screen to reveal a hidden...

Microsoft has a design language which is codenamed “Metro”. If you are wondering about the origin of the codename, let me tell you a true story (that will seem way off topic, but I’ll come back). When my husband was working on his PhD...

In yesterday’s post , I explained why you might want to develop a Metro application for Windows 8. Today, let’s get started on the “how”. Set up a machine for development First of all, you need to set up a machine for development...

This post kicks off another blog post series on developing a Metro application for Windows 8. But, before I spend the rest of this series describing HOW to develop, let me devote one post to WHY you might want to develop a Windows 8 application and publish...

Some of my teammates and I have created a series of one-hour talks on developing Metro apps for Windows 8. Recordings of this MSDN series are available using the links below. Don’t forget to download the Windows 8 Release Preview and Visual Studio...

I gave an introduction to Windows 8 development and the Windows Store in an hour-long webcast.  This webcast was part of an MSDN series, and is now published on Channel 9 .  Enjoy! Introduction to the Windows 8 Platform and the Windows Store...

I’ve blogged about the opportunity to participate in an App Excellence Lab and potentially get a registration code/token, which gives you access to the Windows Store before the public, the ability to reserve your application name, and your developer registration...

I spoke at the Detroit Day of Azure on Saturday, March 24, 2012.  It was a great event; I highly recommend attending if they make it an annual tradition.  Some of the sessions were recorded:  Brent Stineman keynote on “When Where Why Cloud...

The Windows 8 Release Preview has been released.  You can download it from here .  If you are prompted for a product key, use TK8TP-9JN6P-7X7WW-RFFTV-B7QPF .  To do Windows 8 Metro development, you will also need to download the Visual...

I’ve talked to many developers who are excited about Metro app development, but say that the hardest part is coming up with an app idea. Some folks want to walk through converting an existing app to Metro as a learning exercise. There are other...

I promised that I would blog when the official Windows 8 Developer Camp content was available online, and now it is! You can get the slide decks, samples, resources, and wonderful hands-on labs from the Windows Developer Camps at: http://www.microsoft...

Update: there are no longer registration codes available for the Windows Store...it is now open to the public for anyone to submit apps at https://appdev.microsoft.com/storeportals . Who’s got a registration code for early access to the Windows...

David Giard invited me to speak on his show Technology and Friends about the Windows Store.  You can view it below, or at http://technologyandfriends.com/SubText/archive/2012/05/07/tf211.aspx .  (Yes, I talk with my hands too much…hee hee!)...

Fabulous! First, one of the many things on my TODO list is to take a Windows Phone app that was written in Silverlight and convert it to a Windows 8 app in XAML, to see what some of the major differences and gotchas are. But looking at my calendar...

Enough people have asked me about this that it must warrant a blog post!  Everything that you can do with touch in Windows 8 can also be done using keyboard and mouse.  The most common new shortcuts that you will need are: Go to the Start Menu...