Today at CES in Las Vegas, Flickr and Microsoft previewed the first Flickr applications built specifically for Windows Phone 7 and Windows 7 Slates. Supported by a Windows Azure back end, these applications will provide a sleek user interface and unique inter-connectivity between devices. With these applications, Flickr - one of the best online photo sharing communities in the world - is making it even easier for users to organize and share their photos anytime, anywhere.

The Flickr Applications for Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 will feature embedded connected-device synchronization for sharing content between the two device types - built by leveraging RSS feeds as well as the Windows Azure platform. The state of the application will be stored in the cloud, facilitating a seamless consumer experience across Windows Phone 7 and Slate devices. Regardless of  the device the consumer is using to access Flickr content, the consumer will see the same context, the same photo and same state of the application.

Other benefits of building on Windows Azure include:

• Windows Azure provides a Platform as a Service (PaaS) approach for Flickr with a scalable, incremental extension of functionality on top of their well known API.  This complements Yahoo!'s cloud technology.
• The managed platform aspect of Windows Azure's PaaS offering allowed Flickr additional agility and flexibility when experimenting with new features.
• Windows Azure integrates well with Microsoft development and testing platforms.

These applications are another example of how cloud technology and Windows Azure are enhancing mobile consumer experiences. The Flickr apps will be available for download January 31, 2011. Click here to learn more.

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