NZ Community Blog

Show Us How Good You Are!

ryan_tarak — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:31:35 GMT

Windows 8 Developer Road Show

ryan_tarak — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:21:56 GMT

Hamilton, Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington: A 3-hour morning workshop to let you hit the ground running!
Give us 3 hours of your time, and we will give you the basics to get ramped up and building your own Windows 8 apps. This quick-fire session will show you everything you need to know to get started, and will introduce a range of Windows 8 app features.

Auckland: Choose one of two full-day workshops on the weekend, December 1st or December 2nd!
We have a little more time to spare in Auckland, so we will go through the entire app building process from start to finish. Although we are asking for more time (10am to 5pm) we will provide full catering and all-day parking.

Events are free, but space is limited. Register your seat today:

Windows 8 Milestone … 100 NZ Apps on the Store!

ryan_tarak — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:26:38 GMT

Congratulations to our local New Zealand developers for getting their app on the store in time for the Windows 8 Launch!

Windows 8 Developer Workshops - II

ryan_tarak — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:20:34 GMT

Windows 8 Pro-Developer Workshop

With the announcement of Windows 8 General Availability in late October of this year there is no better time to build your Windows 8 Modern App and make it available on the store.

As part of the lead up to the launch we are running several Windows 8 Workshops to help you get connected with the local MS team as well as the local Windows 8 developer community.

Join us at the workshop and learn how to get started, see some of our local apps in progress and find out the process to get your app on the store.

What’s a Windows 8 Workshop?

Windows Workshops are free, fun, no-fluff events for developers, by developers. You learn from experts in a low-key, interactive way and then you’ll get to apply what you’ve learned.

The workshops are designed to be short as most of the actual development will take place in your own time, this is a great opportunity to network with others, meet your local MS reps and also kick start your Windows 8 development.

What am I going to learn?

At this Windows Workshop, you’ll learn how to develop for the Windows 8 Platform. Topics include how to build Metro Style apps, tooling, UI and Controls, and more.

What do you need to bring?

The labs are designed to be hands on so bring your own machine with the Windows 8 RP installed or Windows 8 RTM and the developer tools required to build Windows 8 Applications. Check out the resources on the Windows 8 site to get started on your app now.

3 Sessions :

6pm- 9pm | Wellington 18th Sep

9am – 2pm | Wellington 19th Sep

6pm - 9pm | Auckland 19th Sep

Evening Session – 18th and 19th September

Time	Session	Duration
5.30pm	Dinner and Drinks
6.00pm	Overview of Windows 8	30min
6.30pm	Hands on Labs – Demo 1	50min
7.20pm	Hands on Labs – Demo 2	40min
8.00pm	Hands on Labs – Demo 3	40min
8.40pm	Submitting Apps	20min
9.00pm	Close

Morning Session – 19th September

Time	Session	Duration
9.00am	Overview of Windows 8 Consumer Experience	20min
9.30am	Developer Overview	20min
10.10am	Hands on Labs – Demo 1	40min
11.00am	Hands on Labs – Demo 2	40min
11.40pm	Lunch	60min
12.20pm	Hands on Labs - Demo 3	40min
1.20pm	Submitting Apps	40min
2.00pm	Close	40min

(Agenda subject to change)

What does it cost and how do I register?

Windows Camps are free. We appreciate your time, so we take care of the rest. Registration is free, but it’s also limited to keep things interactive and fun. We recommend you register right away to make sure you get a seat. Registration links below.

Any Questions?

If you have any questions, please email msdnnz@microsoft.com. If you can no longer attend this event, please cancel your registration so we can reassign the place to another person.

Windows 8 Pro-Developer Workshops

ryan_tarak — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 23:37:06 GMT

When – 2 options - 3rd, or 4th September

Where – Level 5, WF Building, AUT, CNR of Mayoral Drive and Wakefield Street, Auckland City

When – 10 – 3pm

Free Event

Register at - https://win8.msregistration.com/EventList.aspx – Create an account on https://win8.msregistration.com/ and the register for one of the Auckland Student Camps.

Windows 8 Pro-Developer Workshop

With the announcement of Windows 8 General Availability in late October of this year there is no better time to build your Windows 8 Metro App and make it available on the store.

As part of the lead up to the launch we are running several Windows 8 Camps to help you get connected with the local MS team as well as the local Windows 8 developer community.

Join us at the camp and learn how to get started, see some of our local apps in progress and find out the process to get your app on the store.

What’s a Windows Workshop?

Windows Camps are free, fun, no-fluff events for developers, by developers. You learn from experts in a low-key, interactive way and then you’ll get to apply what you’ve learned.

The camps are designed to be short as most of the actual development will take place in your own time, this is a great opportunity to network with others, meet your local MS reps and also kick start your Windows 8 development.

What am I going to learn?

At this Windows Camp, you’ll learn how to develop for the Windows 8 Platform. Topics include how to build Windows 8 apps, tooling, UI and Controls, and more.

What do you need to bring?

The labs are designed to be hands on so bring your own machine with the Windows 8 RP installed and the developer tools required to build Windows 8 Applications. Check out the resources on the Windows 8 site to get started on your app now.

You can also register for the Win a Slate competition by building a Windows 8 app which finishes on the 9th of September.

Time	Session	Duration
10.00am	Overview of Windows 8 Consumer Experience	20min
10.20am	Understand the Windows Store	20min
10.40am	Overview of Development Tools	40min
11.20am	Showcase of Apps in Progress	40min
12.00pm	Lunch	60min
1.00pm	Hands on Labs - Demo 1	40min
1.40pm	Hands on Labs - Demo 2	40min
2.20pm	Hands on Labs - Demo 3	40min

(Agenda subject to change)

What does it cost and how do I register?

Any Questions?

If you have any questions, please email msdnnz@microsoft.com. If you can no longer attend this event, please cancel your registration so we can reassign the place to another person.

Sponsors

Big thanks to our primary sponsors AUT for providing the venue and facilities to run these workshops.

Windows Phone Community Competition–Results

ryan_tarak — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:54:57 GMT

Thanks to everyone for entering the Windows Phone Community Competition – 98 entries of which only 82 were actual free apps and were eligible for the competition.

It was a difficult task assessing each and every entry, so we unfortunately had to extend the judging process by two weeks. The winners were notified on the 5th of May – so congratulations to the 9 winners.

THE FINAL RESULTS:

Be Creative ::
Win 1 of 3 Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phones!

The be Creative category was drawn first – 11 developers submitted more then 5 apps, 58 in total and were put into this draw, the category was draw randomly – the following are the winners:

Amit Chand – Publisher Name – Zapi
Daniel Ballinger – Publisher Name – FishOfPrey
Gordana Zivkovic – Publisher Name – nz bee

Be Great ::
Win 1 of 3 Samsung Focus S Windows Phones!

The remaining 65 entries were then assessed on the quality of their applications. The main criteria here was that the application was functional, easy to use. Extra brownie points for local NZ apps. The short list below:

…And the winners are:

Animal Splits
NZ Bach Finder
Neon Starfighter

Be Lucky ::

Win 1 of 3 Samsung Omnia W (Focus Flash) Windows Phones!

The final remaining 62 entries were then all put in the random lucky draw to win one of three Samsung Omnia Phones – and the winners are:

Postcode Finder
Crying Elf
Track Me

Again – thanks to everyone for the interest in this competition – we will be running another competition details will be posted in the next week so stay tuned!

Windows Phone Community Roadshow 2012

ryan_tarak — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:55:08 GMT

There is less then 10 days to go before the deadline of the Windows Phone Community Competition – get your application submitted by 31st of March to be in the draw to win one of 9 phones

Current # of entries = 23 (as at 21/03/2012)

Key things to note:

Applications must be free – but you can change this later
Details must be emailed to msdnnz@microsoft.com by 31st March – Publisher Name, Title, Deep Link, 2 Line Summary
You have 14 days grace period to get your application published – 13th April is final deadline
There are three main categories

Be Lucky – 3 Samsung phones drawn randomly
Be Great – The 3 best apps receive a 1 of 3 Samsung Phones
Be Creative – Anybody that submits 5 or more applications will go in the draw to win one of 3 Nokia Lumia 800’s

Please post questions to www.facebook.com/msdnnz

Good luck !!!

Join Microsoft for the 2012 Windows Phone Community Roadshow.

Microsoft’s Developer & Platform Evangelism Group will be running this 3-hour hands-on workshop across eleven towns and cities in New Zealand. Event timing varies by location, but workshops will run from 4/5pm until 7/8pm – select your city using the tiles below to find out.

The event is designed to be hands-on, so bring your laptops with the Windows Phone Tools installed, and start building your own Windows Phone apps. The team will run through hands-on demonstrations, showing you some of the features within Visual Studio and Expression Blend you can use to deliver great-looking fully-functional applications.

And of course, this being Microsoft, we have loads of prizes to give away.

We have a competition with three prize categories. Although you don't have to attend one of the roadshow events to be eligible to win, our demos will provide you with inspiration and ideas to build apps, as well as the required know-how! You can submit your app by emailing msdnnz@microsoft.com with a brief description and a link to your app on the Windows Phone Marketplace, by 31st March 2012. You must have a New Zealand Windows Phone Marketplace Account to enter.* Terms and conditions are available here.

Be Lucky ::
Win 1 of 3 Samsung Omnia W (Focus Flash) Windows Phones!
Each and every app submitted will go in the draw to win 1 of 3 Samsung Omnia W (Focus Flash) Windows Phones. This is purely a game of chance so, as long as your app is published (passes through the certification process to become available on the Windows Phone Marketplace) then you have as good a chance as any.

Be Great ::
Win 1 of 3 Samsung Focus S Windows Phones!
The three best apps submitted to the competition (as judged by Microsoft) can each win a Samsung Focus S Windows Phone. So if you're not happy with the random draw described above, make sure to spend some time on your app to create something that will really impress the panel of judges!

Be Creative ::
Win 1 of 3 Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phones!
If you want to win Nokia's highly-anticipated first Windows Phone, simply submit FIVE apps to the competition, and you're in the draw to win one of three Nokia Lumia 800s. Given how amazing this prize is, not just any app will make the cut, your five apps can't include follow-my-feed, app-maker or other online-tool-created apps. Don't worry, we won't be asking the impossible but put your thinking caps on!

*And as if you needed another reason to start developing for Windows Phone, be one of the first 100 people to email a screenshot of your ready-to-publish app to msdnnz@microsoft.com and receive a complimentary one-year Windows Phone Marketplace Developer Account valued at NZD$149!* This one-year Marketplace subscription lets you publish free, paid, or ad-funded apps and games. You can submit unlimited paid apps to Windows Phone Marketplace, and up to 100 free apps. Note that Windows Phone Marketplace Developer Accounts will be issued in the form of activation tokens only to the first 100 people to email a screenshot of your ready-to-publish app to msdnnz@microsoft.com.

There you have it.

The 2012 Windows Phone Community Roadshow.

Hands-on demos at the event, and three prize categories to inspire you.

So what are you waiting for? Register your seat today...

Windows Phone 2012 Competition - Terms and Conditions available to view here.

Windows 8 Training Camp–Register Your Seat

ryan_tarak — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:34:57 GMT

Microsoft is delighted to bring Windows Camps to New Zealand. Catered for developers, Windows Camps will provide first hand training to start developing on the Windows 8 platform. Join us in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland from the 20 to 23 March 2012.

What’s a Windows Camp?
Windows Camps are free, fun, no-fluff events for developers, by developers. You learn from experts in a low-key, interactive way and then you’ll get to apply what you’ve learned.

What am I going to learn?
At this Windows Camp, you’ll learn about:

The Windows 8 Platform
Metro Style apps
Tools
UI and Controls
Integrating with the OS
Managing states
Notification and PLM
Hardware: Media, Camera, Sensors
Windows Store APIs

(Agenda subject to change)

What happens at these camps?
The first part of the camp will be lecture style presentations by expert trainers to give you an overview of the Windows 8 platform. The second part is a Hands-on-Labs workshop where you will have access to a Windows 8 Computer to complete hands on training. Attend one, or both. For the lab part of the event, space is very limited and we will be prioritising slots to those developers who commit to building a Metro Style App for Windows 8 to put into practice what they learn in the lab. Don’t worry we won’t be getting you to sign a contract or anything like that but we will follow up with you after the lab to see how things are progressing and what you have chosen to build.

What does it cost and how do I register?
Windows Camps are free. We appreciate your time, so we take care of the rest. Registration is free, but it’s also limited to keep things interactive and fun. We recommend you register right away to make sure you get a seat. To keep things simple, just you, some ID and maybe something to take notes on.

Any Questions?
If you have any questions, please email msdnnz@microsoft.com. If you can no longer attend this event, please cancel your registration so we can reassign the place to another person.

Christchurch 20 March	Wellington 21 March	Auckland 22/23 March
Lecture: 9 –1pm Addington Events Centre Twigger Street, Addington, Tower Junction, Christchurch	Lecture: 9 –1pm Mac’s BrewBar Function Centre, Taranaki Street Entrance, Wellington	Lecture: 9 - 5pm (day 1) Event Cinemas Metro Building, C1, Level 3, 291-297 Queen St, Auckland
Lab: 2 – 6pm Addington Events Centre Twigger Street, Addington, Tower Junction, Christchurch	Lab: 2 – 6pm Cliftons Wellington, Level 28, Majestic Centre, 100 Willis St, Wellington	Lab: 9 – 1pm (day 2) Cliftons Auckland Level 2, 45 Queen St Auckland

Terms and Conditions

Community Road Show Resources

ryan_tarak — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:25:42 GMT

Find Workshop Resources here

Hi Guys,

We have started on the road this week hitting most of the North Island – make sure you attend and check out how to build your own Windows Phone Application. - http://j.mp/newzealandWP7

You can download resources from the camp here

Demo 1 – Spin The Bottle Summary: My name is Lochana and my app is called Spin the Bottle
Marketplace link: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/57d5864a-33e5-4ab1-ba8a-8444334d1fc8

I made this app simply to:
1) Get familiar with Expression blend – one of two tools used to make apps
2) Learn how to use the free physics library for future apps.
3) Learn how to upload an app to the market place

The physics library and documentation can be found at http://physicshelper.codeplex.com/
Below is a summary of my tutorial.
The app uses a simple windows phone page with a canvas type LayoutRoot. Inside is a rectangle that fills the entire page, and a smaller rectangle in the centre. The floor.png and bottle.png images are filled into the big rectangle and the smaller bottle rectangle respectively. A small ellipse is drawn at the centre of the bottle to act as the rotation joint.

The following behaviours from the free physics library are used:

1) PhysicsControllerBehaviour – used on our LayoutRoot to say our environment is a physics environment
2) PhysicsObjectBehaviour – used on floor and bottle rectangles
3) PhysicsFluidBehaviour – applied to our floor rectangle so our bottle slows down
4) PhysicsJointBehavior – applied to ellipse, with BodyOne and BodyTwo fields filled with floor and bottle rectangles respectively.
Once the app is finished, it is important to remember the following steps:

1) Replace default phone tiles with your own graphics relating to your app, and get screenshots of your app using the emulator
2) Open project up in visual studio, right click on solution and go to properties and change deployment title (get rid of underscores), and specify a language like English in AssemblyInfo.cs
3) Compile in Release mode
The full tutorial can be found on SkyDrive. A great website for further guides on windows phone development is http://windowsphonegeek.com/   .
Have fun!

Demo 2 – NZ Herald – New Feeder App – Summary:

Hi there, my name is Harish and I'm currently studying at the University of Auckland. I recently made an app called EPL Center which is a football app that displays all the latest information from the English Premier League football competition. My app includes news, results, fixtures, stats, reports, live scores, commentary etc. I decided to make this app because I wanted to make something that people would want to use frequently and because there was no good free football apps out there in the marketplace.

The process I took to make my app was:

- Decide what features to include.
- Find a way to get the data I needed for my app:
- RSS feed for news. Used a native .NET library, Syndication to extract XML data from the feed.
- HTML Agility Pack .NET library for scraping the rest of the data directly from HTML pages.
- Findd a website to get data from.
- Made the UI for the app to display this data. Predominantly used the ListBox control.

In my demo I walked through the steps needed to make a simple news reader using an RSS feed.We started work in Visual Studio and used a WebClient to retrieve the RSS feed document from the web. Then the SyndicationFeed class in the ServiceModel.Syndication .NET library allowed us to get the necessary information contained in an RSS feed to use in our app. After we got the data from the feed, I explained how to display this data using a ListBox. For the UI work we used Expression Blend and went through the sample data tool. This tool helped us generate mock data to help us get an idea of what our ListBox would look like once bound to the actual RSS feed data. This also let us easily select the attributes we want to bind our controls to e.g. making the value of our text blocks equal to the respective news article's title and description. We edited the ItemTemplate of our ListBox to show a title, description and image for each news article. Final thing I showed was how to navigate to the actual link of a news article using the WebBrowserTask once an particular article is selected in the ListBox.

Resources:

HTML Agility Pack - http://htmlagilitypack.codeplex.com
SyndicationFeed class - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.servicemodel.syndication.syndicationfeed.aspx
Source code for demo

Demo 3 – Simple Vibrator – Using the Hardware :

I am Jonny and my app is Simple Vibrator. As the name suggests, it’s a vibrator app that has a simple metro interface. Users would use the slider to change the frequency and intensity, then flip the toggle switch to turn on the vibrator. Other features of my app include:

- Running under lockscreen
- Disable lockscreen
- Marketplace review functions

The demo that I covered includes the following phone functions:
- VibrateController
- DispatcherTimer
- marketplaceReviewTask
- marketplaceSearchTask
- rootframe ObscuredEvent handler

If you download the Vibrator sample project from the skydrive folder, the code related to using these functions are explained in the comments in the MainPage.xaml.cs file.
The following resources should be useful: - Running under lockscreen / disable lockscreen http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff941090%28v=vs.92%29.aspx
- Vibrate controller http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.devices.vibratecontroller%28v=vs.92%29.aspx
- Dispatch timer http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.threading.dispatchertimer%28v=vs.95%29.aspx
- Marketplace tasks http://windowsphonegeek.com/articles/6-how-to-use-marketplace-tasks-in-a-wp7-app
- Obscured event http://www.wintellect.com/CS/blogs/jprosise/archive/2011/02/11/silverlight-for-windows-phone-programming-tip-6.aspx

Demo 4 – 2Degrees App – Using Live Tiles:

Hey all!
My name's Andrew, a PhD student / tutor at the University of Auckland. I've been involved with a number of mobile development projects over the past few years, including my PhD itself. Recently, I've been checking out the Windows Phone platform and I've been really impressed with how easy it is to build fully featured apps. For the roadshow, I've been demonstrating an app I wrote called "My 2Degrees", which lets users quickly view their 2Degrees account balances on their homepage, via Live Tiles. I've been talking about some of the technologies involved with that app, including background agents, asynchronous programming, and of course, live tiles themselves. I've also been doing a hands-on demo, showing how to add live tile support to an existing RSS feed reader application.

While I was learning the basics of windows phone development, I found MSDN to be quite a useful resource. Specifically, these pages really helped me understand some of the complexities of some of my application features:

Live Tiles: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh202948%28v=vs.92%29.aspx
Background Agents: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh202942%28v=vs.92%29.aspx

We are on the road for the next 7 days – so come on and join us and learn how to build your own Windows Phone app - http://j.mp/newzealandWP7

Windows Phone Community Roadshow 2012

ryan_tarak — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:50:00 GMT

There you have it.

The 2012 Windows Phone Community Roadshow.

Hands-on demos at the event, and three prize categories to inspire you.

So what are you waiting for? Register your seat today...

Windows Phone 2012 Competition - Terms and Conditions available to view here.

Windows Phone Samsung Competition–Winners

ryan_tarak — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:45:56 GMT

Thank you to those of you for submitting an entry for the Windows Phone Samsung Competition – over 58 entries in total were published within the required time line.

The four winners draw randomly are:

Shane S Anderson – Auckland Bus Stops
Donald Dingwall – Tap That
Brian Donovan-Smith – Ye Be Lame
Craig Moodie – Hip Hop Blog

But don’t worry if you were unlucky on this occasion we have another competition about to kick off through the MS Communities Group – stay tuned to this blog site- more details by the end of this week!

App Title	Deep Link
ASB BANK	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/932e2c6c-6a2a-460e-8cca-29d68ca8cebc
Auckland Bus Stops	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/016bb745-05a7-45ac-98b1-4750d43f4119
BAPS Satsang App	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/e5f3c4f4-3a65-4aee-9286-c5f9d2a933c6
Beer Rater	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/0182b963-6d4d-428c-8348-12c08730cb9d
Big Bang Fan Quiz	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/3c8831d1-3d4f-4549-93ea-5d82763be394
Bus Card Balance Auckland	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/e436118d-dd02-472a-a626-ccafd2322ec4
CCNet Monitor	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/645b160e-7434-451c-9d45-b99ab1df7c98
D&B Blogs	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/e7d0c00c-edd6-4f2a-8284-49c3f223df37
Dice Roller	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/5622e777-4902-46d8-86f1-28afec3e04e7
Discover Boston	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-nz/apps/cf190ba3-a061-4e12-886c-b5116c196b4c
Doodle Draw	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/65e74cf6-e65d-4a21-9289-de309d3a07ab
DubStep Blogs	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/b39f1a39-f0c1-4b4f-ad2b-dba398d840f7
EnaSolar	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/65ada622-38f3-4c02-b434-51b78bd7ae75
Follow Curiosity	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/a993a5ec-adb2-4dfd-b5b5-7e21469ee3a4
Game of Life	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/1b39ad88-4542-4a7a-b751-e2b271ffd6f5
HipHop Blog	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/ebe252a4-aca0-47c5-b585-a5ebd208bf25
Indoor Rowing Calc	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/ee878f20-88f2-4039-9da7-cde013fe9562
Learn NZSL	http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=55ac2141-05d7-42f9-bf8b-88c5a6129d05
Life Hacks	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/4080caf7-6086-4ff5-bac8-aacf98e6a9e9
Light Weight Free	http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=36c31c9b-e117-48be-8822-193f398827d1
Log Book	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/b698f5b6-5d59-4bcc-8981-40efd7493ae0
Magic 8 Ball	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/8c7a38c5-b004-4709-bda2-ca0d7c843012
Mood Finger Scanner	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/e086b6c3-9f80-43d1-b2a2-6ef8d127375f
Mugglenet News	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/1fd8fbce-8458-4e5a-b6d6-c937cd268797
My Deal USA	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/d96db393-931c-4577-9aef-8a0d0df72870
My Powershop	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/ec8d20b8-5276-4c67-a46e-12a98a133e4f
NekMinnit	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/8944ed59-c649-4be4-b2ba-7cd05f9ea5b3
Nigh and Day	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/857c6825-474a-42ab-9ab6-1ae6cc565ea1
Number Guess	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/7837b20b-0123-456d-bebb-37b97e8bed82
NZ Post	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-nz/apps/e01cda31-ff6f-4d77-9e12-8a6470ec36c2
NZ rain Radar	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/cdc642f3-9843-45cb-9346-ae10b67cb21d
NZ Soundboard	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/f85d65b8-f938-4139-92e1-8a3fc8549dc5
Office Calculator	http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=ea44711d-130b-4f07-9713-b2038368f844
Palmerston North City & Manawatu	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/ec12c150-41af-40f5-9c7d-6dccb15baa7e
Paris Movie Walks	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/26b86b67-98cf-4e1a-a8da-75cf1c522647
Polaphoto	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/3db18345-3254-46a9-a147-674ac3652c3b
Rainbow Calculator	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/1953d8df-7ba6-4f15-b88a-1ab73d8970f0
Resistor_Calculator	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/13d04274-766d-4e1e-86e9-6fcdd0c44ebc
Roadside Stories	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/1c2827e4-4f92-4830-9660-2c1688db2e6e
Rock Blogs	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/c26a4530-97e8-4e0c-8966-463855205f24
Rock Paper Sissors	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/dbb2877d-ce3d-41b6-9dcc-1f86d9e21ac6
Scarbbledictionary	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/f3f72408-1af0-4562-9f7b-96060c8cbf12
Simple Buzzer	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/74b4a93d-8e59-44b7-b4b6-b8cb9bf562c6
Simple Calculator	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/cc693d1e-f908-4523-ae3a-3012ff8c87c9
Simple Strobelight	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/aa408f4e-44ab-4ab2-9512-d7ba3ef3a41c
Sketcher	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/a938da81-3688-4304-bd3c-ea2177a9b22f
SlingShot Internet Usage	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/dc32f6e9-04ca-46c7-a8d7-f4150c55e6cc
SuperMarket Finder NZ	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/4af105c1-570a-45b9-9625-360333c589d6
Tap That	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/2828e57a-7988-47a5-9d19-3342711cf793
Team Connect	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/cb6f9c39-0088-4059-adc1-8b350ffe5acf
Team MCG RSS Feed	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/34c207f8-882a-4279-9b2d-b6af8ba7a1eb
The_Bro_On_The_Go	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/33701ea3-096e-421a-86b9-c9869770463e
Vodafone NZ SMS Service	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/bdedac03-ff8e-4ede-806d-d23f2ea3a20d
Walk Auckland	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/11c0e73f-fb44-4f83-9241-e4abc30f0a74
Word Rush	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/bd2a2c62-d668-4f0f-9d8e-8b9a90e87d10
Ye Be Lame	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/e9dded48-7395-4b8d-80b3-b2937f850db9
Zombie Madness	http://www.windowsphone.com/en-NZ/apps/6bdd50fc-a3d9-4622-bc82-89886f4db299

Competition: be in to win one of four Samsung Focus Flash Windows Phone by developing a Windows Phone app

ryan_tarak — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:10:50 GMT

So you want to be a Phone Developer? Be in to win one of four Samsung Focus Flash Phones for developing a Windows Phone application. The first 50 entries also get a free Market Place account.

I happen to have one of the best jobs within Microsoft - managing the Windows Phone Developer Ecosystem in New Zealand. I work within the Developer Platform Evangelism team, alongside Thiago Almeida (Cloud Evangelist), Nathan Mercer (IT Pro Evangelist) and Nigel Parker (Windows 8 Evangelist).

As part of my role, I manage Microsoft New Zealand's Windows Phone training events and workshops, and work with developers to help them get their hands on Windows Phone devices for testing apps nearing completion. We have some exciting opportunities to ramp up developers on to our Windows Phone Ecosystem so keep reading.

Over the last 12 months we have seen the launch of the highly anticipated Windows Phone in New Zealand, launching with the LG Optimus and HTC Trophy on Telecom and Vodafone, respectively. Since the launch in NZ, developers in New Zealand have released over 250 apps to the Marketplace. Globally, over 40,000 apps have been released, with over 120,000 downloads/day. Three successful New Zealand apps have taken the world by storm, Alphajax, Metrotube, and RWC2011 have had hundreds of thousands of downloads.

The market has already begun to shift, and Windows Phone is quickly becoming a major player. We will be working heavily with our developer community to take advantage of this trend. There are also now several ways to market your application to your specified audience: public domain, targeted domain i.e. enterprise applications, and testing domain. These three options now give you all the flexibility you need to customise your applications, including the opportunity to test your application before submitting to the public market place.

There is no reason to put it off any longer! For those new to the platform - Windows Phone development is completed using familiar tools, Visual Studio 2010 and Expression Blend, both available as free versions to develop for the phone. Use Silverlight and XNA to build rich, immersive experiences in the languages you know, C#, VB.Net. And with exposure to over 35 markets there is a huge opportunity to be the next Angry Birds.

If you're stuck and looking for resources, just do a quick search and you will find a plethora of training material - but to get you started, check out:

.    Jump Start Training Sessions
.    Mini Training Videos
.    MSDN Resources
.    Absolute Beginner videos
.    App Hub Registration Walkthrough
.    App Hub FAQ

There are several interesting sites to keep you up-to-date with the latest on the Windows Phone Ecosystem - including WP Central, Windows Phone NZ, Windows Phone Developer blog, and our MSDN Facebook page. There is also the Auckland Metro Meetup and Linkedin Windows Phone group.

If you need a device to test your application, email us and let us know - we can help. One of best things about the submission process on the Marketplace is that you get a full report on why your app didn't pass certification, so that you can go back to rectify the errors, and feel confident that your application will give your users the best experience possible.

Finally, as part of our ongoing effort working with local developers to build some great local phone apps, we will be running free seminars and workshops throughout the country, and will be working with the local MS Communities group across the next six months.

Now it's time to step up and show us what you can do! We have four Samsung Focus Flash phones to give away at the end of January. How can you win - simply build an application and get it published on the Windows Phone Market Place by 30th Jan to be in to win. The more applications you publish, the more chances you have to win. Every app goes in a random draw to win one of four Samsung Focus Flash handsets.

But wait, there's more! The first 50 developers to email us a screenshot of their first application will get a Market Place account for free - that's waiving the $150 annual registration fee. So get started today!

Windows Phone Competition. Please read below specific Terms and Conditions:

To be eligible - you must be a New Zealand Resident using a New Zealand Market Place Account.
To be eligible for the competition, you must have a new published Windows Phone application anytime between the 1st of January 2012 to 30th January 2012
Entries must be emailed to nzeditor@microsoft.com with a link to the application on the Market Place and a short two/three line sentence describing the application
Microsoft is not responsible for entries not received and incomplete, illegible, 'hacked' or otherwise fraudulent entries are not valid.
By entering this prize draw you agree to be bound by these terms & conditions.
Each published entry will go in to the draw to win one for four Samsung Focus Flash Phone Handsets
Winners will be notified on 5th of February 2012 via the email or contact phone number provided.
Prizes will be delivered to each winner at a New Zealand address (as advised by the winner) at Microsoft's expense.
Only people living in New Zealand are eligible to win. Employees and independent contractors (and each of their immediate family members) of Microsoft are not eligible to enter.
Prizes are not transferable or redeemable for cash. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, Microsoft may award it to an alternate winner.
If you accept a prize you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize.
If for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, Microsoft may substitute the advertised prized for another prize which has approximately the same recommended retail price.
If there is a dispute as to who submitted the winning entry, the winner will be the authorized account holder of the market place account used to publish the Windows Phone Application. Applications submitted in to the draw must be by the actual owner of the Market Place Account.
Microsoft New Zealand Limited is the promoter of this prize draw and may modify these terms & conditions without notice. The judge's decision in relation to the winners or any other aspect of this prize draw is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Microsoft may disqualify, from participating in this prize draw, any person who tampers with the entry process, or submits an entry not in accordance with these terms and conditions.
Microsoft is committed to complying with the Government gift and ethics policies. Employees and independent contracts of the Government must adhere to gift and ethics policies applicable to them when entering this prize draw or accepting any prize.
Microsoft is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, servers or providers, or any combination thereof. Nor is it responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this prize draw, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the course of the administration of this prize draw.
To the extent permitted by law, Microsoft, its retailers, suppliers, associated companies and agencies will not be liable to you for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage whatsoever, including personal injury, which is suffered as a result of, or arising from, your participation in the prize draw or winning (or not winning) any prize.
At Microsoft, we are committed to protecting your privacy. Microsoft will collect and use your details for the purposes of running this prize draw. You can access or request correction of your details by emailing uptodate@microsoft.com.

Microsoft Imagine Cup - Seeking Industry Mentors

ryan_tarak — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:35:06 GMT

MICROSOFT IMAGINE CUP 2012

The Microsoft Imagine Cup is the World’s Premier Student Technology Competition focused on finding solutions to real-world issues. The competition challenges the world’s most talented software design and programming students to tackle the world’s toughest problems- issues related to: hunger relief, poverty, education, disease control, healthcare, the environment and other crucial problems facing our world.

At the same time, we are challenging YOU as industry professionals to work with the top 25 student teams to further strengthen their innovative solution. This is your opportunity to mentor passionate and talented students and help them realise their potential to change the world!

KEY DATES

5th October 2011: Top 25 teams announced.
10th November 2011: Application deadline for Imagine Cup Mentors.
24th November 2011: Mentors allocated to teams.
24th November 2011 – April 2012: Teams to work with mentors on their project.
April 2012: Imagine Cup Festival, Auckland. Top 25 teams to present and demonstrate their project to judges. Winning team will get a chance to qualify for World Wide Finals.
July 2012: World Wide Finals, Australia.

THE ROLE OF THE MENTOR FOR MICROSOFT IMAGINE CUP NEW ZEALAND

A mentor can serve many roles including coach, guide, role model, advocate, and friend. In general, a mentor should help the students to work together efficiently as a team and act as a facilitator. A mentor can answer students' questions, discuss issues they raise, remind students of upcoming deadlines, and suggest resources for problem solving. A mentor should be a good listener and should have a breadth of experience in the area of focus so that he or she can effectively discuss technical as well as business issues with students and refer students to resources. However, the mentor cannot do the competitors’ work nor can the mentor solve the problems that confront the competitors.

WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM MENTORS?

Upon allocation of your team, we would like you as the mentor to connect with your team once a fortnight for 1 hour during the duration of the competition (Nov 2011 – Apr 2012). This may be through teleconferencing, Skype or in person meeting. The frequency of the meetings may vary at different stages of the competition. This is a guide, and actual connection is at the discretion of the team and mentors.

At the end of the competition, please fill out a referral/report card for each of the team members. This should outline their contribution to the project which can be used for a CV/reference.

TYPES OF MENTORS

There are 3 different types of mentors for the New Zealand Imagine Cup 2012 Software Design Competition.
Industry Mentor: A mentor with ICT Industry experience from a New Zealand company.
Microsoft Mentor: A mentor from Microsoft New Zealand.
Academic Mentor: A mentor with ICT Academic experience from a New Zealand institute.

ASSIGNMENT OF MENTORS

Mentors are assigned to Imagine Cup teams in Round 2 that begins in November 2011. These are the top 25 teams from Round 1. A team will be assigned one Industry Mentor and one Microsoft Mentor. Mentors will be assigned to teams based on availability and suitability by Microsoft New Zealand. A team will also be encouraged to find an Academic Mentor from their institute. Mentors can only mentor one team.

Team locations/Industry Mentor Positions available:

Location	Industry Mentors Positions Available
Auckland	18
Waikato	1
Wellington	2
Christchurch	1
Dunedin	3

APPLYING AS A MENTOR

Email nzedu@microsoft.com to apply for a mentor position and register at www.imaginecup.com/register. Applications close 10th November 2011. Questions can be emailed to nzedu@microsoft.com.

RESOURCES

Visit www.imaginecup.co.nz for more information on the Imagine Cup Competition.

2011 Tech Ed Online - Sessions Available Now!

ryan_tarak — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:59:42 GMT

Its been an intense week of technology sessions with the 2011 Tech Ed and Auckland Code Camp.

You can now view some of the popular sessions online – check out at www.microsoft.co.nz/techedonline and also enter the draw to win one of 3 x XBOX360 + Kinect Sensors.

2011 Code Camp!

ryan_tarak — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:32:17 GMT

Team OneBuzz Make It to Top 6

ryan_tarak — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:24:27 GMT

Team OneBuzz have had success at the 2011 Microsoft Imagine Cup, after 3 days of gruelling competition, the team have wiped out 67 teams to make it to the top 6. They now prepare to tackle the final round and compete against 5 of the best teams in the world. Good luck to Team OneBuzz, follow more details on www.facebook.com/nzimaginecup

More Media Stories:

http://www.news.com.au/technology/live-updates-microsoft-imagine-cup-2011/story-e6frfro0-1226089137907

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/07/08/exp.am.imagine.cup.microsoft.cnn?iref=allsearch

http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/kim-vinnell-value-being-nice-geeks-4296715

http://www.facebook.com/nzimaginecup

http://www.twitter.com/icnz

Release a New App for Windows Phone 7 by 6th June For The Chance to Win a New HTC 7 Trophy Phone

ryan_tarak — Mon, 23 May 2011 01:42:45 GMT

What is required: A quick check on the number of apps released by NZ developers and discovered that we currently have 92 applications in the marketplace. We want to break the magic 100 mark .

The Challenge: Finish, build and release your app in 7 days and be in to win a new HTC 7 Trophy Phone!

1. Contact Nigel Parker and if you convince me that you are based in New Zealand (e.g. give me a phone number for me to call you on) I’ll give you a token to get a free one year membership in the Windows Phone 7 marketplace. Do this first as it takes a number of business days to confirm your identity and access your account.

2. Download and install the phone tools (be prepared to have this process run in the background for up to an hour).

3. Build and/or finish that WP7 app that you’ve been working on or meaning to create!

4. Release it to the marketplace!

5. We will collect all the apps released into the marketplace by NZ developers (excluding Microsoft employees and their families) from today Monday 16th May until Monday the 6th June 2011 (the extra time is so you can get your account setup and activated and also enable you to fail certification a couple of times but still be able to enter the draw).

6. From the applications I get I will draw the phone winner at random and announce the winner here on the 7th June 2011. Good Luck!

If you are the sort of person that is short of ideas here are a few:

The Ian Randall – Because Ian told me he would build an app if he had a good idea.
- Title – Are the Warriors Playing?
- Launches a page with the word’s Yes or No in it.
- Check out Using Windows Azure for Windows Phone 7 Push Notification Support
- Push people a notification an hour before the warriors play their next game and the result of the game at the end.
The RSS App - Many NZ sites have RSS feeds available
- http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/feed/events/auckland/whatson/upcoming.rss
- http://rss.nzherald.co.nz/rss/xml/nzhrsscid_000000002.xml
- http://www.stuff.co.nz/rss/
- Check out the http://followmyfeed.net app generator

Check out Nigel Parkers 10 Hour Build of his WP7 Application: Group buy and daily deal sites are invading New Zealand in mass with every man and his dog is launching one. I figured it would be worthwhile building a simple REST service on an Azure Extra Small instance to act as an aggregator then build a WP7 mobile app to display all the deals together in one place.

The Process: The project took me under 10 hours from idea to delivery.

1. Earlier last year I built a couple of sample apps for Trade Me that used the REST based read only API that Trade Me created for the Windows Vista Launch Gadget back in 2007. I started with my source code from that WP7 project.
2. I built the .NET 4 WCF REST Service, and used BLOB storage serialization caching to speed things up.
3. I released my On Sale in Auckland application to the marketplace.

I got the Buzz:

After releasing the app (within my 10 hour self imposed timeframe) I was motivated to enhance the app and release another version that supports more cites in New Zealand and takes advantage of the panorama control. Enter On Sale in New Zealand, this app took 2 hours yesterday to build from my existing services and is currently being tested for marketplace release.

Getting Over the Line: I have noticed other kiwi WP7 apps getting close to shipping hopefully the chance of winning a new phone will push some developers to publish their apps. I’m looking at you @rushdigital.

Join the Revolution - Team One Buzz–2011 Imagine Cup Winners

ryan_tarak — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:27:08 GMT

2011 Microsoft Imagine Cup Festival - New Zealand

Now in our fifth year with the most successful competition thus far, the 2011 Microsoft Imagine Cup saw nearly 300 entries and over 1500 students engaged in a competition that has truly taken flight in New Zealand.

Each team gathered on the 12^th of April ready to deliver a presentation that would stun and excite the judges. Each team presented twice to a mix panel of 20 judges from industry, media, academia and Microsoft. Concluding the grueling presentations, each team had the opportunity to showcase their project to the public, to our customers, partners, supporters, family and friends.

Everyone was then invited to join us at the Finals Ceremony, where the top 4 teams were announced and presented again in front of a live audience and an elite group of judges whom then decided the ranking of the top 4 teams.

Team OneBuzz from the University of Auckland emerged as the victors following a series of 15-minute presentations before the six-judge panel. Focusing on tackling malaria with sophisticated technology that would identify areas of high risk and provide real time information to those concerned to act! Revolutionising The Fight Against Malaria !

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped make this a fantastic event! All the teams and mentors for making this an extremely outstanding event! The Microsoft Imagine Cup Crew of Student helpers on the day, 32 in total. Our key sponsors on the day, the ISOM Department and the Business School, University of Auckland. A big thank you to Red Bull for keeping the students on the go throughout the day!

Highlights from the Microsoft Imagine Cup NZ Festival below or check out our Facebook Page

Some Facts:

- 300 Software Design Submissions

- 1500+ Students competitors

- 800+ Attendees at the Festival

- 25 External judges

- 80 Student competitors, 60, Industry, Microsoft and Academic Mentors

- 32 Student Helpers volunteering on the day

- 150 Spot prizes including t-shirts and Movie Tickets

- Ben Hurley (NZ Comedian Hosting the event), DJ General Lee ( Hosting the after party)

- 200 Lunch Boxes, 500 Hot Dogs, 200 Pizzas and a whole lot of Red Bull (1000+)

- $20,000 In prize money won on the night.

- 8000+ Fans through the People’s Choice Award Campaign

- 550 Registered attendees for the Festival

- Top 4 Teams – 1^st Place – Team OneBuzz, 2^nd Place – Team MCG, 3^rd Place – Team SkyEye, 4^th Place – Team Kai



More than 800+ attendees packed the Auckland University Business School throughout the event	Each student was provided with a pair of ‘bang-bang’ sticks to show their support for their team

Celebrity MC Ben Hurley from TV3’s 7 Days	Our very own New Zealand Microsoft Imagine Cup

Panel of expert judges from industry, academia and local government	Microsoft Crew – The team of student helpers behind the event!

Around 800+ attendees rocked up to the event which kicked off with teams showcasing their idea.	Teams went all out decorating their booths including leaflets, giveaways and a full blown mascot!

Team OneBuzz Celebrate their win and take hold of the NZ Microsoft Imagine Cup.	20 Teams, Mentors, MS Crew – Class of 2011 – Microsoft Imagine Cup New Zealand

Everyone at the after party with DJ General Lee with HOT DOGS and Pizza provided getting ready for what to expect in New York	The Awesome New Zealand Imagine Cup Crew – Daryl Ooh, Melanie Barr, David Steele and Ryan Tarak

Check out some of the media releases on the top teams:

*Outlet*	*Date*	*Title*
TVNZ	13-Apr-11	Students buzzing over imagine cup win
National Business Review	13-Apr-11	Auckland uni students take out Microsoft Imagine Cup again
Breakfast	13-Apr-11	Imagine Cup winners
Computerworld	13-Apr-11	Anti-malaria app takes out Microsoft Imagine Cup
Business To Business	13-Apr-11	Auckland Uni Students Strike Gold again
Scoop	13-Apr-11	Auckland Uni Students Strike Gold again
Infonews	13-Apr-11	Auckland Uni students strike gold again at the 2011 Microsoft Imagine Cup
Waikato Times	13-Apr-11	Waikato pair make final
NZCS	15-Apr-11	http://www.nzcs.org.nz/newsletter/article/110
UOA	15-Apr-11	http://web.ece.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/home/news/template/news_item.jsp?cid=376741

Reserve your Seat at the 2011 Microsoft Imagine Cup Festival–12th April

ryan_tarak — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:27:38 GMT

2011 MICROSOFT IMAGINE CUP FESTIVAL

AUCKLAND, 12^th APRIL

Join us at the 2011 Microsoft Imagine Cup Festival and be inspired by our next generation of IT Professionals. This year you will have an opportunity to meet some of the most passionate and creative students building real technology solutions to problems we face today. Fighting mosquitos using lasers, using brain waves to control lights and appliances, and unmanned helicopters to help deliver aid, are just some of the innovative ideas you will see at this year’s competition.

The Microsoft Imagine Cup is a global student technology competition that encourages students to tackle the toughest problems facing the world today whilst applying the latest technologies. More than 1500 students have participated in this year’s New Zealand competition.

Attend the showcase for a vibrant marketplace style exhibition of the top 20 teams. Then watch the finals as the top 4 teams compete for the winning spot. Lastly, celebrate with the teams and network with the ICT industry at the Microsoft Imagine Cup Festival Party. There will also be over 100 spot prizes up for grabs, including 2 XBOX Kinects and a Windows Phone 7 Device, so reserve your seat today!

Come on down and support your local Teams.

Agenda

3pm – 4:30pm:	Showcase
5pm – 7pm:	Finals Ceremony Hosted by NZ Comedian Ben Hurley
7pm – 9pm:	Festival Party with DJ General Lee

University of Auckland Business School
Owen G Glenn Building
12 Grafton Road
Auckland, New Zealand
12 April 2011

Free to attend, register now.

Regards

The New Zealand Microsoft Imagine Cup Team

Latest Windows Azure SDK + Training Material

ryan_tarak — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 06:30:01 GMT

There is no better time to look into the Microsoft Cloud offering. Over the past four months there have been some great enhancements with the tooling support for Visual Studio 2010 and the features built within the Windows Azure Portal. Not to mention the continuous development to support both Java and php applications.

Microsoft have also released an extensive set of demos and hands on labs that will show you all you need to know to get started with building applications in the cloud or moving existing on premise applications into the cloud.

What will you find in this kit

Quick 10 minute demos
Extensive Walk through examples
Full source code
New features
- Windows Azure Silverlight Portal
- SQL Azure migration tool
- RDC into your Azure instance
- Third Party federation using App Fabric Services
- Windows Azure Connect – on premise + on cloud

Need an account – try the free introductory offer and take a test drive of the service for yourself.

Professional Developers Conference – Live from the Microsoft Redmond Campus this Friday!

ryan_tarak — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 01:16:01 GMT

The Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC) kicks off this Friday (29 October) morning and we would like to invite you to participate in this year conference LIVE in New Zealand. This year’s PDC online event will include live streaming of the keynote, as well as concurrent live streaming of all sessions. No registration is required. Join the live streaming and on demand sessions from the 29^th October. You can join us on the web or with the MS Communities User Group starting this Friday.

§ Watch Live or On-Demand on the web – The keynote kicks off at 5AM on Friday 29^th October and you can watch the sessions live and on demand from that time. Also, you will be able to watch the sessions on demand from the PDC site also.

§ Watch the Keynote & Highlights with your local MS Communities User Group – Join your local MS Communities User Group to watch the keynote and sessions highlights from this Friday onwards.

Since 1991, the Microsoft PDC has been the centre of Microsoft’s biggest platform announcements. This year will be no exception. So, make sure you join your local user group or on the web to watch the latest PDC announcements.

Free Visual Studio Training Event

ryan_tarak — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:34:20 GMT

Organisations involved in the development of software applications are facing reduced budgets, increasing expectations from the business, and many more challenges to remain competitive.
In this free ½ day session you will see a number of best practices for using Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server to help realise increased productivity and improved quality, while keeping project costs down.
Not to be missed for business decision makers who manage software development and testing teams, project managers, development managers, senior developers and testers or anyone interested in Application Lifecycle Management.
Wellington 27 October
Auckland 28 October

For more information and to register: Delivering Business Value with Visual Studio 2010

31 Days of Windows Phone 7 - Tutorials

ryan_tarak — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:52:42 GMT

Senior Developer Evangelist Jeff Blankenburg is posting a series of WP7 tutorials over the month of October.

Start developing your skills and get ready for the potential opportunities. Check out the details here: http://bit.ly/31daysofwp7.

The Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Challenge

ryan_tarak — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:58:46 GMT

Be one of the first in the world to jump on board the Windows Phone 7 platform! Build your own original application or game and get the chance to win one of the first Windows Phone 7 handsets in New Zealand*!

Plus, get recognized by the MSDN and TECHNET New Zealand channels for building a Windows Phone app. Developing a Windows Phone app is simple. Follow the simple steps below and give it a go. You can compete in one or both of the categories below:

NEW ZEALAND CATEGORY

TRADE ME CATEGORY

*Terms & Conditions Apply

Top 20 NZ 2010 Tech Ed Sessions

ryan_tarak — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:04:39 GMT

DEV305	Parallelize Your Microsoft .NET Framework-Based Applications with Parallel Extensions	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/DEV305	Ivan Towlson
DAT201	Enriching the Design of a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Services UDM	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/DAT201	Myles Matheson
SVR313	Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Performance Analysis: How You Can Get the Most out of Hyper-V	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/svr313	Ben Armstrong
FTF303R	Troubleshooting SharePoint. Tips from the Field - Repeat	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/ftf303	Troy Kirkland
SVR312	Opalis IT Process Automation: Introduction and Technical Overview	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/SVR312	Charles Joy
DAT306	Scalability Standouts - The biggest in the world and how they did it	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/DAT306	Nicholas Dritsas
INO204	Change the world One Beep at a time: The Story of the 2010 Imagine Cup NZ Team	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/INO204	Team One Beep
UNC307	Exchange Server 2010 SP1 High Availability Deep Dive	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/UNC307	Scott Schnoll
DEV401	LINQ Confidential: A Deep Dive Into How LINQ Works	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/DEV401	Ivan Towlson
WEB310	The Scaling Habits of ASP.NET Applications	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/WEB310	Richard Campbell
DATKEY	BI Keynote	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/DAT000	Donald Farmer
SVR215	Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2010, Part 1: Technical Introduction	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/SVR215	Jason Buffington
UNC311	Communications Server "14" Availability & Disaster Recovery	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/UNC311	Andrew Ehrensing
SVR315	Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2010, Part 2: Virtualisation & Disaster Recovery	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/SVR315	Jason Buffington
WEB311	The Scaling IQ Test: When Development and IT Pros Collide	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/WEB311	Richard Campbell
CLI314	Windows 7 AppLocker/Bitlocker: Configuration and Deployment in the Enterprise	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/CLI314	Alan Burchill
UNC306	Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Tips & Tricks	http://www.msteched.com/2010/Australia/UNC306	Scott Schnoll
SVR302	Hyper-V and Dynamic Memory in Depth	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/SVR302	Ben Armstrong
WEB302	Bringing the Web to Life with jQuery	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/WEB302	Jeremy Boyd
CLI311	Total Workstation Lockdown: Your action plan	http://www.msteched.com/2010/NewZealand/CLI311	Jeremy Moskowitz