This week we launched a new format designed to create interactive and panoramic adverts within applications the following verge article is nice summary.

As part of the opportunity of developing advertising as a monetization option I wanted to share some guidance on including advertising in general.

1.  Download and read the Ads 101.

2. Designing a good advertising user experience

Follow these guidelines when designing your app for ads.

• Integrate ads into your design Create a coherent experience by integrating advertising into the original design and content layout throughout your app. Keep in mind how much space to allocate at the top level versus leaf levels.
• Pick complementary ad formats Choose ad formats that make sense for your app. There are many ad formats available, and not all of them may engage your users or offer a seamless experience.
• Pick complementary ad size and placement Select ad sizes and placement that complement the design of your app, adhere to industry standards, and are in high demand by potential advertisers. For example, if you are using the grid layout, consider using the 250x250 ad size to keep the ads within the grid. If the ads don’t fit, consider create a separate cluster. For more examples of ad sizes, see the Microsoft Advertising SDK for Windows 8.
• Design for all view states Consider how the ad real estate changes based on your view state (landscape, portrait, and snap view).
• Be thoughtful about local ads Decide whether you want to offer location-targeted (local) ads.
• Include keywords Include keywords that help categorize your app for potential advertisers interested in a specific audience.
• Use well-established metrics Consider the two key metrics for monetization, CPM (cost per thousand impressions) and fill rate (how many impressions yield an ad) when you enable advertising. Many consider CPM * fill rate to be the optimal monetization solution.

3. Examples of advertising placement that was designed for the specific app layout and view state.

Full screen grid layout

Snap view  

4. Ensure you don't inappropriately use of advertising

There are specific requirements around the inappropriate use of advertising described in the Windows 8 app certification requirements. Adhering to these requirements helps you serve ads in your app without damaging the user experience.

Here are some quick tips

• Your app must not display only ads. If your app includes or displays ads, it must provide additional functionality beyond the ads.
• Ads in your apps must comply with our content policies. Our content policies are described in section 5 of the Windows 8 app certification requirements. Windows Store apps are appropriate for a global audience.
• Your app must not use its tiles, notifications, app bar, or the swipe-from-edge interaction to display ads.
• Your app must let users complete primary tasks within the app without redirecting the user to a website or other app. Apps must do more than open a website or mimic the behavior of a website.
• Ads must not execute program code that doesn't come from the ad provider.

5. Choosing an suitable Ad Provider

Ask these basic questions to help find the best ad provider for your app:

• Does the ad provider adhere to the Windows 8 app certification requirements?
• Does the ad provider offer ad quality that is commensurate with the quality of your app?
• Does the ad provider support Windows 8-compliant behaviours?

6. Use the right tools for the Job.

Microsoft Advertising SDK for Windows 8

7. See how others are running Ads in Apps and the resources and support available

Lots of resources at http://adsinapps.microsoft.com/

8. Follow good Examples

Developing Games for Windows (PC/Tablet), Web, and Windows Phone

Microsoft Studios mission is to pioneer hit innovative experiences that deliver on the promise of Microsoft Gaming Platforms. Microsoft Studios has multiple initiatives available for Xbox LIVE enabled games around Windows (PC/Tablet), Web, Windows Phone, and Xbox LIVE Arcade platforms.

Game App Hub

Get the free tools to make games and apps for Windows (PC/Tablet), and Windows Phone at the Apps Hub. Connect with other developers on the forums, then submit and sell your own apps and games on Windows Phone Marketplace and Xbox LIVE Indie Games Marketplace.

Get the tools free at the App Hub website.

Additional Resources

FAQs for Developers

Microsoft’s submission policy

Kinect Game Development on Windows

The Kinect for Windows sensor and SDK give you the tools you need to develop innovative applications that harness speech and human tracking. Now, the power is in your hands to enable people to interact with technology in completely new and exciting ways. If you would like to learn more about Kinect for Windows please visit us at www.microsoft.com/en-us/kinectforwindows/.

Xbox LIVE Arcade Game Development

Xbox LIVE Arcade offers downloadable high-quality games through Xbox LIVE Marketplace with the ability to create connected experiences across multiple Microsoft platforms (Xbox, Windows (PC/Tablet), Windows Phone). If you are interested in working with Microsoft Studios, please feel free to contact Xbox LIVE Arcade Business Development at arcade@microsoft.com.

Find out more about developing Arcade titles.

Xbox LIVE Web Game Development

The Xbox LIVE Web Game platform allows you to distribute free-to-play web games on Xbox.com and Bing which include Xbox LIVE integration and the ability to create connected experiences across multiple Microsoft platforms (Xbox/Windows (PC/Tablet)/Web/Windows Phone). If you are interested in working with Microsoft Studios, please feel free to contact Xbox LIVE Web Business Development at webgames@microsoft.com.

Xbox LIVE on Windows Phone Game Development

The Xbox LIVE on Windows Phone Game Marketplace features a select portfolio of games for next generation smartphones, which include Xbox LIVE integration and the ability to create connected experiences across multiple Microsoft platforms (Xbox/Windows (PC/Tablet)/Web/Windows Phone).  If you are interested in working with Microsoft Studios, please feel free to contact Xbox LIVE on Windows Phone Business Development at mobilegames@microsoft.com.

Xbox LIVE on Windows (PC/Tablet) Game Development

The premier source for all-up entertainment, the Xbox LIVE on Windows (PC/Tablet) Game Marketplace features the best game, video, and music experiences with Xbox LIVE integration and the ability to create connected experiences across multiple Microsoft platforms (Xbox/Windows (PC/Tablet)/Web/Windows Phone).  If you are interested in working with Microsoft Studios, please feel free to contact Xbox LIVE on Windows Business Development: at windowsgames@microsoft.com.

For more details on developing for Xbox Live and Xbox360 see http://www.xbox.com/en-US/developers/home

Students with a valid academic email address can now save 10% when they purchase any Surface RT device through Microsoft Store!

The offer is available for students, faculty and staff, and requires verification of eligibility using an .ac.uk email address. The discount is only valid until 31st October 2013, so get in quick to be sure you don’t miss out!

For full details of the deal, head over to the Surface website.

When you’re looking at buying a new device it can be really hard to compare each device with one another without flicking between multiple tabs in your browser. The Windows team here at Microsoft have now made it easy, with their new comparison site for tablets.

The site gives you the option to compare some of our favourite Windows 8 tablets, including our very own Surface RT, against the iPad, showing you all the key specs you want to know such as battery life, weight and the ever important price.

In addition, you can find out about a few of the features and functions that each tablet provides, such as the Office suite, free cloud storage and printing capabilities.

Whether you’re in the market for a tablet, or are just interested in seeing the difference in available devices, check it out!

No matter whether you’re targeting iOS or Android, PC or Windows Phone, Windows Azure has the tools. Use our services to build community sites. Let users sign in with Facebook, Twitter, Google, or Microsoft accounts. Build an app from the ground up, or host a game you’ve already created. Explore and try (for free!) and see if we’re a match for your cloud computing needs.

Windows Azure allows game developers to focus on development and scale in the face of unpredictable demand. These resources showcase how real-life game developers are benefiting from Windows Azure.

Quotes from developers

“With Hadoop on Windows Azure, we can mine data and understand our audience in a way we never could before. It’s really the BI solution for the future.” - Mark Vayman, Lead Program Manager, Halo Services Team

“We can continue to work with the development language we know, and we are able to scale up when demand is high. It used to take us a week to set up a computer to run the game; this now takes only 10 minutes." - Vincenzo Tinebra, Cofounder of Waappy

Videos  

Case Studies

Halo 4 Developer Gets New User Insights from Big Data in the Cloud

Game Developer Uses Windows Azure to Reduce Costs, Meet Demand

Game Developer Reduces Costs and Achieves On-Demand Scalability with Windows Azure

Online Game Studio Minimizes Costs, Enhances Margin with Windows Azure

Application Developer Enhances Agility and Reduces Risk with Cloud Services

Game Developer Meets Demand and Prepares for Success with Windows Azure

Combat in the Cloud: Game Designer Launches Global Online Game on Windows Azure

Pottermore, Based on Hugely Popular Harry Potter Books, Uses Windows Azure to Scale Up to 1 Billion Page Views in First Two Weeks

Meet the ‘Plumbers’ Powering ‘Halo 4’ Infinity Multiplayer

Social Game Developer Enjoys Lower Costs and Improved Scalability with Windows Azure

MobileBits Makes It Easy to Deploy Games on Multiple Devices and Platforms

The UK students game competition Dare to be Digital 2013, is now LIVE.

I recently had a trip up to Scotland to meet with Elaine Russell programme manager for Dare to be Digital to be introduced to the 15 teams from all around the world who have come together for the next nine weeks to build new and original games. Their final task with be to demo the titles to thousands of families, friends, gamers and industry judges at the four day ProtoPlay event, taking place at Abertay in Dundee. The 15 Teams are the most diverse ever, with teams from China, England, India, Ireland, Norway and Scotland, developing projects for platforms including Android phones and tablets, iPad, iPhone, Ouya, PC and Xbox 360. 

The three winning teams from Dare to be Digital, will then go on to compete for the prestigious BAFTA Ones To Watch award.

This year, mentors and judges are from Lift London (Microsoft), Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Sega Europe, Codemasters, Reflections Ubisoft, Denki, Jagex,  Ninja Kiwi, Outplay Entertainment, Ruffian Games, Tag Games and Cobra Mobile

The very best of luck to all of the teams.

You can keep track of the whole Dare competition online,

Dare to be Digital website, Facebook page and Twitter account

Also check out this interview with last years winner here

This is the first of a three-Jump Start series tailored for those interested in a demo-heavy learning experience introducing Microsoft’s Big Data solution set.

Live Event Details

17:00 BST Friday, 21 June 2013 END 22 Jun, 01:00

Register Now

Microsoft Technical Evangelist Saptak Sen will start with setting up and loading data into Windows Azure storage and a Windows Azure HDInsight cluster. After covering Windows Azure Data Management concepts (e.g., SQL Machines, SQL Databases, Tables, Blobs), they will demonstrate using Hive to query Hadoop data using HiveQL commands and walk through how Hive leverages the entire Hadoop cluster.

Finally, they will explore ways to pull data from HDInsight and other sources into Excel using tools like PowerPivot, Data Explorer, Power View and Geoflow to visualize data models with self-service analysis.

Course Outline

- Windows Azure Storage
- Windows Azure HDInsight
- HDInsight Hive Console
     - Create external table statements
     - Table partitions
     - Select statement syntax
- Hive ODBC driver for connecting to ODBC consumers like Excel
- Data Explorer Excel add-in
- Excel PowerPivot and Power View
- Windows Azure Marketplace, SQL Server and Windows Azure SQL Database
- Geoflow Excel add-in

For more details on Azure in Education see http://www.windowsazure.com/education

Windows Azure Jump Start? Is now available on demand on Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA). This free, expert-led course will help you understand how to use Windows Azure Infrastructure Services, such as virtual machines and virtual networks to migrate, extend, run, manage, and monitor common workloads in the cloud. Watch it now.

Join Microsoft for this one day FREE event in central London on the 20th of June.

Lean how Windows Azure can be used in curricula, support research endeavours, and enable student projects. Institution administrators can explore how to use Windows Azure for infrastructural and application needs.

Agenda
8.30 - 9.00 Arrival
9.00 - 9.10 Welcome to UCL
9.10 - 10.00 Welcome to Windows Azure - Rob Frazer Microsoft, Cloud CTO
10.00 - 10.15 Morning Break 
10.15 -11.00 Windows Azure in Academia - Ashwin Karuhatty Microsoft, Director of Academic Programs
11.00 - 12.00 Windows Azure PaaS, IaaS, SaaS - Carlos Oliveira http://www.shapingcloud.com and Windows Azure User Group http://ukwaug.net/
12.00-13.00 Lunch Break (Lunch will not be provided)
13.00 - 13.50 Windows Azure Pop Up Labs - Steve Plank Microsoft, Azure Technical Evangelist
13.50 - 14.00 The Windows Azure Prime Challenge
14.00 -15.00 Windows Azure VM Depot - Steve Lamb, Microsoft Open Technology http://vmdepot.msopentech.com/
15.00 - 15.15 Afternoon Break
15.15 - 16.00 Windows Azure in Research - Kenji Takeda, Microsoft Research Connections
16.15 -16.40 Azure Q and A Panel Microsoft
16.40 Close

Register at http://azureineducation.eventbrite.co.uk

BAFTA is searching for talented newcomers in Film, TV and Games as part of a brand new initiative. In partnership with Burberry, Breakthrough Brits will showcase and support the next generation of creative talent.

• Applications open: 04 June
• Application Deadline: 08 July at 10am
• Jump to the detailed information
• Click to see answers to frequently asked questions
• Read the full terms and conditions
• Read the announcement press release

For more information on developing games for Windows 8 and Windows Phone see

http://dev.windows.com or http://dev.windowsphone.com and http://design.windows.com

Background to http://www.Appcampus.fi 

 
Appcampus.fi is a joint effort between Nokia and Microsoft  to build a new global mobile eco-system around the Windows Phone platform.

Nokia and Microsoft selected Aalto University as a partner to accelerate the development of the eco-system globally. Aalto University initiated the AppCampus program to foster the development of new self-sustaining mobile innovation ventures via education, entrepreneurship and research programs.  

The goal of the AppCampus program is to create a self-sustaining application development ecosystem that would organically generate new services and applications for Windows Phone and Nokia Platforms.  

Funding Available

Awards: 20,000 -70.000 euro per App/Game

Level 1 (e.g. 20kEUR)
• Relatively simple (standalone) applications.
• In calendar time we would expect this to be done in two months.

Level 2 (e.g. 50kEUR)
• Application which requires interfacing with some existing network (cloud) based service/media/information.
• In calendar time we would expect this to be done in three months.

Level 3 (e.g. 70kEUR)
• Application which includes the development of the network (cloud) service back-end, and interfacing with it.
• In calendar time we would expect this to be done in four months or more.

What support is provided?

Dedicated resources, coaching & Education, Product-oriented
Professional Software development, Process & Quality Assurance
Network & Marketing Support, Marketplace & Nokia Store

 What are the clauses?

IPRs remain property of the developers. NOT NOKIA or Microsoft
No Equity dilution.
No Revenue Share required.

Why are Nokia and Microsoft doing this?

Fostering Next level of UX & Entrepreneurial Innovation

So how do you get started?

Creating a Kick Ass Submission

Application should meet some(*) combination of the criteria:
1. Innovative, first-to-market app-concepts.
2. Differentiated, unique apps, not already available on competing
operating systems.
3. Support for key features and APIs of the platform as they
become available.
4. Demonstrated design elegance and technical quality.
5. Potential to drive momentum of the new ecosystems.  

Like what?

Innovative First-to-market app-idea(not seen before on any mobile platforms)
Differentiated/Unique Not already published in any mobile app stores
Key features/APIs Support key features and APIs of the platform
Convincing Overall Proposal Demonstrated design, technical, and business excellence
Popularity/Commercial value Potential for mass appeal and/or revenue generation

Use Features   

Live Tiles & Secondary Tile
Push Notifications
Nokia Maps/LBS
Try and Buy
Lock Screen (WP8)
In App Purchase (WP8)
Speech (WP8)
Deals/Wallet (WP8)
NFC (WP8)
Lenses (WP8)
App to App Communication (WP8, Nokia Music)

NB. Mere ports of existing applications or simple feeds of syndicated content will not be eligible for funding.

Resources

Blog http://appcampus.fi/blog  How to do a good submission follow a case example
Online submission: http://appcampus.fi    
FAQ http://www.appcampus.fi/faq
Application http://www.appcampus.fi/application