Brandon Watson, Director of Windows Phone 7 announced that the Windows Phone Developer Tools will go final on September 16. The announcement was made on Channel 9 at Windows Phone 7: News for Developers.

The final tools will likely have some minor breaking changes from the Beta tools, so you may have to fix some bugs that arise. The final tools will also include several highly requested Silverlight controls to make it even easier for developers to deliver high quality Windows Phone 7 experiences. These include the the panorama, pivot and Bing maps controls.

See A Developer’s Roadmap to Windows Phone 7 Launch Timing on the Windows Phone blog for more information..

Getting Started on Windows Phone 7

Large or small, all developers will have equal opportunity to capitalize on the first mover advantage of having their apps or games ready at launch. In order to do that, there are a few things developers will need to do:

1. Register at the marketplace today
2. Finish you application or game using the Beta tools
3. Download the final Windows Phone Developer Tools when released on September 16
4. Recompile your app or game using the final tools
5. Have your XAP ready for ingestion into the marketplace in early October when it opens.

Free Developer Training

• Windows Phone 7 Jump Start delivered by two of our MVPs, Andy Wigley and Rob Miles
• Windows Phone 7 Developer Training Kit
• XNA Creator Club announced today a new set of educational materials
• Windows Phone 7 in 7 Minutes.

Free Developer Assistance, Marketing Support

Microsoft Platform Ready (MPR) is designed to give you what you need to plan, build, test and take your solution to market. We’ve brought a range of platform development tools together in one place, including technical, support and marketing resources, as well as exclusive offers. With MPR, you can:

• Access training and webinars to help you get compatible.
• Test your application with online resources and testing tools.
• Utilize marketing toolkits including customizable templates for email, letters and presentations.

Sign up today for MPR for Windows Phone 7 at Microsoft Platform Ready.

Bruce D. Kyle
ISV Architect Evangelist | Microsoft Corporation