There are a lot of sensors on the Windows Phone. We’ve got: Microphone GPS Location Camera (front & back) Gyroscope / Accelerometer Magnetometer / Compass I suppose we could also say the touch panel is a sensor, but it is so ubiquitous that we just assume it’s there anymore – yes, it’s that world...

Allow me to draw your attention to this Windows Phone application Certification Requirement: Requirement 2.7.2 The privacy policy of your application must inform users about how location data from the Location Service API is used and disclosed and the controls that users have over the use and sharing...

My colleague Developer Evangelist, Sam Stokes, in California has written a compelling article on dragging items in Windows Phone. But I have a problem with Sam’s approach! Maybe it’s because I have a problem with Sam – but probably not; he’s actually one of my top 90,000 people @ Microsoft. So, let’s...

My colleague Windows Phone Developer Evangelist, Daniel Egan, has set out to do the impossible. Only kidding. He has set out to measure the real differences between building an app on Windows Phone, the IPhone, and Android. I am excited to see his conclusions. I certainly have my opinions on operating...

When you create a Windows Phone application you might have some data to store. Where do you store it? Well, there’s always Isolated Storage . I discuss that here .  There’s always a local SQL Database . I discuss that here . But, what if on-the-phone isn’t good enough? …to the cloud! Why the cloud...

Here’s a tool that makes your emulator’s start screen look less like an emulator and more like a phone. If you look at screenshots in the Marketplace that show the Start Screen, you will notice something strange – they all look the same – usually an Internet Explorer tile and a tile for the app. There...

In addition to being able to leverage their HTML5 and Javascript skills to target Windows Phone, developers can now enjoy a selection of PhoneGap Plugins that support social networks and a solid integration into Visual Studio Express for Windows Phone. Read the full article here .

Your Windows Phone application is fast. Your Windows Phone application uses animations. Your Windows Phone application is Metro. How can you make it better? Think about your user at a bus stop. They see the bus coming. “Oh!” they think, remembering they need some information from your app. Can they get...

In a previous post I walked through the five must-have animations for a Windows Phone application . Since then, some readers have offered a 6th – the “Delete from a List” animation. This animation is also a great opportunity to tout the virtues of the ObservableCollection . The Observable Collection...

A Windows Phone application is made up of a frame and pages. The Pages are made up of XAML that define the UI and the Application Bar . The Application Bar is made up of Application Bar Icon Buttons and Menu Items . MSDN : The default Application Bar is a row of icon buttons and an ellipsis along the...

One of the most powerful aspects of XAML is it’s rich and dynamic support for data binding. MSDN : Data binding provides a simple way for Silverlight-based applications to display and interact with data. The way data is displayed is separated from the management of the data. A connection, or binding...

If I could ask God one question, it would surely be “Where am I going to die?” That way I could avoid it. With my bad luck He would likely say “the bathroom.” D’oh! Seriously, for Windows Phone developers there’s a lot of information to know (about the device, OS , sensors, and more) –  it is scattered...

Metro Principles There are four Principles of Design for Windows Phone applications. MSDN : Metro is the name of the new design language created for the Windows Phone 7 interface. When given the chance for a fresh start, the Windows Phone design team drew from many sources of inspiration to determine...

Windows Phone Applications are written in Silverlight (or XNA). Considerations for Silverlight impact Windows Phone developers. The Problem Many developers and organizations have existing libraries (assemblies) used in their desktop solutions. Object Oriented (OOP) Developers love to reuse existing assets...

This is part 4 in the Resource series. Part 1: Themes Part 2: Colors Part 3: Sizes Part 4: Styles Can I override the Theme? No, but read on – this is important. You are the developer of your application. As a result, you are in control. The reason you implement Phone Resources and respond to the current...

This is part 3 in the Resource series. Part 1: Themes Part 2: Colors Part 3: Sizes Part 4: Styles What Sizes are there? Another handy resource is the built-in size resources. This allows you to scale your fonts with two key benefits: Your font sizes will resemble the rest of the phone Your application...

This is part 2 in the Resource series. Part 1: Themes Part 2: Colors Part 3: Sizes Part 4: Styles What Accent Colors are there? Windows Phone supports 10 standard accent colors . The user selects the accent color per their preferences. Your application can read this color, but not influence it in any...

This is part 3 in the Resource series. Part 1: Themes Part 2: Colors Part 3: Sizes Part 4: Styles Themes Windows Phone provides a series of resources to delivers. They include Brushes, Colors, Sizes, and Styles. Although a developer could create their own, it is the best practice is to use the Phone...

I know what you’re thinking: “You are already sensitive to various orientations, how can you make my Windows Phone application the same?” Lucky you! Microsoft has written a whole API (a kind of radar, if you will)  to sense Phone orientation. Left? Right? Up? Down? Your application determines what...

The Microsoft Advertising Pub Center will allow you to create two types of Advertisements. 1) 480x80 XX-Large banner ads, and 2) 300x50 X-Large banner ad. 1. PUBCENTER > APPLICATION(S) First, register your Application at the Microsoft Advertising Pub Center web site – the Ad Control requires the Application...

Let’s take a minute to walk without using Express Design to create a logo for your Windows Phone application. Expression Design is included in the Expression Suite – it is NOT included with the free version of Expression Blend (which is included in the Windows Phone SDK).  Required Formats ...

When a user is idle, their screen locks and your Windows Phone application is suspended. This might be undesired, like for:  a timer, certain games, and driving directions. We have two properties to consider: The UserIdleDetectionMode property The ApplicationIdleDetectionMode property Read this...

In this live session I will be stepping through the process to add a database your Windows Phone applications. In fact, I will be discussing the three core techniques I wrote about in these articles: Using Code-First Using SQL Metal Using SQL Toolbox This session will be live, so you can watch me implement...

Whoa! I am getting a lot of questions on data validation. This warrants an article. Of course, we have many choices. Some are prescriptive, some are simple, and some are just not reliable. For now, I will just limit data entry to valid numbers. That doesn’t mean Char.IsNumeric. Commas and periods are...

External Data? Sure; data doesn’t have to be local. Like, some applications are multi-targeted. They allow users to log in on their phone, desktop, tablet, Xbox, work PC, and even fringe technologies like Droid, IPhone, and IPad. These apps probably persist user info and system data in central stores...