Every Developer, Now a Mobile Developer!

An article from Manish on GZip message encoding for WCF applications written using .Net Compact Framework

2008-12-26T21:20:00Z

Manish is a Sr. Program manager in our NETCF Part of the Mobile Developer Group ; he recently wrote up an article on the using GZip encoding for WCF application for .NETCF. So take a look at his blog on http://blogs.msdn.com/maagniho/archive/2008/12/24/gzip-message-encoding-for-wcf-applications-written-using-net-compact-framework.aspx which has the sample and sources for it.

Happy Holidays !

Amit Chopra

A new look for the Smart Device Forums

2008-12-12T03:48:14Z

Just saw a mail from the Forums teams that our Smart Device forums are now migrated to the new Forums platform. Makes it a lot easier to use and navigate.

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/smartdevicedevelopment/

Do check them out. The forums are quite actively participated by our team, our MVPs and our device development community.

Thanks

Amit Chopra

NETCF Applications – Start-up policy and Configuration options

2008-12-02T08:23:00Z

In this post , the .NETCF Team discusses the existing start-up policy, configuration options and the change that we are planning to bring in the next release to seeks inputs from the .NETCF developer community.

In CF 3.5 and earlier, by default, Vn application runs against Vn if Vn exists on the device. It can be promoted to Vn+ to take advantage of performance improvement or bug fixes using an app config file.

We are planning to change this default behavior in the next release. We are proposing that the Vn application runs against Vn+ where Vn+ is the latest and greatest CF runtime version present on the device with the compatibility mode of Vn. This way the applications don’t have to repackage with configuration changes on newer versions to get the benefits on the new release and at the same time, the app would continue to run with the compatibility mode with which it was built so there are negligible chances of app compatibility breakage.

Flowchart representation of proposed start-up policy

Scenarios:

1. Vn Application on Vn

Be default, Vn application will run against Vn if Vn is the highest version present on the device

2. Vn application Auto-Promoted to Vn+

By default, Vn application will get promoted to Vn+ with Vn behavior if Vn+ is the highest version present on the device and would run in Vn compatibility mode.

3. Vn application restricted to Vn

There will be likely cases, though hopefully few, in which a Vn application will not work on Vn+. In these cases, the customers would want to use application configuration files to limit the application to run on Vn only.

4. Vn application promoted to Vn+ with Vn+ behavior

When a Vn application runs on Vn+, the default behavior is that it runs with Vn coercions. The customer can configure the compatibilityVersion in the app config file to make the application run with Vn+ behavior.

There may be situations in which a Vn application desires Vn+ behavior (such as when bug was fixed in Vn+ and the application writer desires the bug fix even though we coerce it for Vn apps). This, admittedly, is a less likely scenario as if an application writer is aware of Vn+ behavior; they will likely be using Vn+.

It is, however, possible that someone will write a Vn application that makes use of a Vn+ component which relies on Vn+ behavior. This scenario is indistinguishable from the previous from a runtime perspective but is far more likely from a customer perspective.

5. Vn+ application demoted to Vn

This is not a supported scenario, as Vn+ assemblies will not execute on the Vn runtime due to changes in metadata and compiler versions

How to configure the runtime and app compat behavior:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb629366.aspx

Disclaimer:

The new changes in the startup policy are not frozen and the intent of the post is to reach out to the community to get their feedback. Please do share your feedback at comments to this blog.

The .NETCF Team

Checkout these two articles

2008-11-26T01:50:59Z

Both of them are an excellent read for the Mobile Developers.

Application Architecture Guide for Mobile Applications

Chapter 19 focuses on Mobile.

http://www.codeplex.com/AppArchGuide/Wiki/View.aspx?title=Chapter%2019%20-%20Mobile%20Applications&referringTitle=Home

Building Graphically Advanced Applications with the .NET Compact Framework 3.5

http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/dd279543.aspx

Giorgio, along with the support of Marco Bodoira, Embedded Consultant at BEPS Engineering, built a sample solution to show how to use the .NET Compact Framework 3.5 and Windows Mobile’s APIs to create “graphically advanced” applications.

Thanks

Amit Chopra

Let’s review the PDC Silverlight 2 for mobile demos

2008-11-04T03:58:59Z

During our talk @ PDC we showed a number of demos aimed to high light the core value proposition of Silverlight 2 for mobile. Let me just walk through these quickly and re-iterate some of the key points on each of them.

Mobile Visual Studio : Clearly everyone enjoyed this little spoof we did to bring out that hidden geek in everyone. We walked through the entire Start to Debug experience of what Visual Studio running on mobile would feel like.

The idea here was to emphasize that mobilizing your apps is not about Miniaturizing. A lot more thought needs to go into build apps that look and feel nice on the mobile devices.

And Yes this app was created using Silverlight for mobile and was running on the IE Browser on a Windows Mobile 6.1 Samsung Omnia Device that we used for all the other demos as well.

Hello World + The ALT+F5 experience : showed our commitment to making the debugging experience of a mobile developer really easy. We call it the First Class Experience for Debugging Silverlight on Mobile.

Since Silverlight runs on the browser, just pointing the browser of your mobile device is all it takes to launch the apps from your mobile device but we even take this a step further and provide a much easier option by which simply pressing ALT+F5 would launch your device or emulator, connect it to your Silverlight Page and attach the debugger to the code behind.

This demo also showed a very important aspect of the consistency of the runtime. We created the project once and it worked exactly the same way on the desktop browser and on the mobile browser.

Hello “Duck”

Not just do we make it easy for Visual Studio developers, in the next demo we showed how assets created in Expression Design can be used exactly in the same way on mobile and how well simple animations and storyboards work on Mobile.

The next of demos were then aimed at showing how Silverlight for mobile addresses some of the existing pain points developers face.

Baby Smash:

If you have ~2 year old at home and have not tried this, you are really missing some fun! http://www.hanselman.com/babysmash/ We talked to Scott a few days before his talk at PDC and were wondering how best to show this on a mobile device. Yes I love this idea because I have a 2 year old constantly wanting to play with my phone.

So in this demo we showed that all the XAML and other assets they had created for the desktop version just worked on mobile and all we had to go was to build the experience of how we want to present the app on mobile.

The slot machine

This demo focused on how developer should think about delivering the right content based on the device that is viewing this content. With XAML and it’s Scaleable Vector graphics capabilities, many of the apps will scale well to fit the available real estate on the device; however if you want to be in full control of what gets displayed, the Browser sends a wealth of information to the server and by reviewing that, you can redirect the client to the page that is optimized for that experience.

Connect 4:

Navigating between pages in a application is always an interesting issue for developers. We used a simple game to highlight what such a work flow could look like. In addition to this, we had also used a fairly powerful algorithm for game solving that we written for the desktop and we could see how well it worked even on the mobile. An Yes Giorgio won, he know how to :-)

The Guitar:

This demo shows how very amazing UI and experiences can be built using Silverlight. We also played Chords as we gently brushed our fingers on he screen of the device.

Dancing Amit

This was a demo that we included to show that not only can you play audio with ease, playing video is also extremely easy. Hence the use of a TV like screen with a “behind the scene”” footage of what goes on in the speaker prep room. While everyone is working hard on their decks and demos, the “geek” Amit is having good time.

Learning to Dance

The previous video did expose that the dancing gene is clearly missing and hence he need helps. We then used this demo to A) teach Amit to Dance b) show our developer how various input models can be used on the same app. In this simple learning to dance demo, we should how animations need to be hooked up to create these effects as well as using Gestures, Mouse and D-Pad inputs to control the application. While I didn’t see much improvements in my dancing skills, there were certainly some good insights on inputs models that I learned from this demo.

My daughter plays a very similar games (like a dance pad) and we felt this would have good sample to showcase challenges with Inputs models.

The Painter

Clearly my favorite in terms on mobile design and features. Giorgio made this Paint application that you can use your fingers to draw with. He also uses this app to highlight the design principles of how mobile UI should be made and where menu and where the apps main surface should be placed.

The Picture Brower

By far the most complex in terms of coding, this demo used core networking using WebClient APIs to make calls to a webserver to get pictures and then present them in a very neat form that look nice on a device. Again showing the parity of code for Silverlight on mobile.

As a developer the message I take away with Silverlight on mobile is that , I have the power of using XAML to make very Rich UI and the power of .NET behind it to write as complex code as I want, coupled with that fact I don’t need to deploy you apps - so what I can develop with Silverlight of mobile now is limited by our own imagination !

Please visit http://silverlight.net/learn/mobile.aspx for more details and FAQ and this is the page we will also update once we have the public CTP available next year.

Regards

Amit Chopra

Our PDC Talk on Silverlight 2 for mobile..

2008-10-30T03:44:49Z

is available for viewing at http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/PC10/

I’ll share more details about the demos we showed and highlight some of the key takeaways from each once I get back to Office on Friday.

Thanks

Amit

Meet us @ PDC !

2008-10-21T20:40:00Z

Giorgio and I will be presenting a session on Silverlight for mobile at PDC next week.

Microsoft Silverlight 2 for Mobile: Developing for Mobile Devices

Wouldn't it be super cool if the Silverlight apps you build for the desktop can now run on Millions of Mobile Devices ? If you have been building Silverlight applications and are wondering how to extend them mobile devices, this is just the right session for you. In this session, filled with some very cool demos you will not only learn how to extend your existing Silverlight 2 applications to work on Windows Mobile but also learn how to build rich mobile Silverlight apps that play media, handle simple gestures, have cool animations, and communicate to web services. We will also talk about tooling enhancements in Visual Studio that support Silverlight app development on Windows Mobile, what to consider when delivering eye-popping UI on mobile, and help you understand the key differences from developing Silverlight apps for the desktop.

Tue 10/28 | 3:30 PM-4:45 PM | 408B

If you are coming for PDC, please do join us for this talk ! Trust me you will really enjoy it !

Thanks

Amit Chopra

Been a little quiet ?

2008-10-03T07:53:18Z

And yes a few of our blogs readers noticed it too. While a few interesting blog posts are on their way in the next few weeks, will give in quick update on what I have been up to.

My last blog talked about my trip to TechEd 2008 Developer. I recently made a trip to Sydney, Australia also for the TechEd event and had an opportunity to talk about Silverlight for mobile to a number of developers.

And for last few weeks getting ready for our talk on Silverlight for mobile along with Giorgio http://blogs.msdn.com/giorgio/ at PDC 2008.

And as I wrap up the blog for tonight, I am busy reading this excellent article on how to Build Mobile Experiences

http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/cc964299.aspx

Enjoy !

Amit Chopra

Tech*Ed 2008 Developer Recap

2008-06-13T21:24:44Z

Other than Bumpy (and late) flights in and out of Orlando, Tech*Ed 2008 Developer was a fantastic experience for me.

While I have been to at least 4 Tech*Ed Events in the past 7 years, this one was special because we had a huge Mobility Focus at this Event.

We had a device bar showing off 23 of the newest Windows Mobile 6.1 phones and ruggedized devices plus we had a surprise showing of the new HTC Touch Diamond. We had demo stations where our expert staff could take developers on deep dives of Silverlight for Mobile, the Mobile Line of Business Accelerator 2008, and Visual Studio 2008 for Devices.

The overall developer enragement for us was much higher that the MEDC Events we have been used to in the past. It was really exciting to see so many developers coming up to take a sneak peak at some of the very cool Silverlight for mobile early prototypes that we were showing at the Booth. And Loke as usual did a fantastic job with the 2 sessions he delivered around Silverlight for mobile.

In addition to the few Applications we had Shown and MIX08 earlier this year (Weatherbug and MixR) we also had a proof of concept (POC) Silverlight for mobile app for John L. Scott Real Estate developed by Microsoft partner, Dr. Neil Roodyn, with the assistance of Loke Uei Tan from the Windows Mobile group.

Next Stop is @ PDC 2008. I'll be there. Will you ?

Amit Chopra

Next Week @ TechEd 2008 Developer

2008-05-30T23:24:00Z

If anyone our blog readers are planning to be at TechEd Developer, please drop by at our Product Booths (Visual Studio and Silverlight) to say Hello ! (and of course you can also ask questions :-) )

Amit Chopra

Another Cool Silverlight App running on Mobile

2008-05-21T09:18:00Z

Yesterday at the Advertising Leadership Forum we showed an App Running on Silverlight for Mobile. It's call Fight The flavor based on the Rocks game done by Vertigo.

Check out the small video posted by Jeremy Cath on this site.

This was done using the same set of bits that I used for our demos at MIX.

Thanks

Amit Chopra

Crash Course in Developing Applications for Windows Mobile.

2008-05-14T21:55:00Z

[May20th] This is now available for viewing online and download from the same link

Between now and TechEd 2008 we are planning to host a 5 part Webcast on Building Applications for Windows Mobile.

The first one is scheduled for this Friday (16th May). You can find the details on this link.

I would consider this Webcast series very useful for those of you wanting to get a jump start on Windows Mobile Application Development.

Amit Chopra

It's on ! - AT&T Game Development Contest for Windows Mobile

2008-05-14T21:43:19Z

This just got my attention so wanted to share with readers of our blog who are interested in building some cool games for Windows Mobile. And yes there is Prize Money :-)

Check out the contest Registration Website for additional details ! Go fire up Visual Studio and build a great game. Good Luck!

Amit Chopra

CH9 Video showing new features of .NET Compact Framework 3.5

2008-05-11T02:50:44Z

I couldn't make it to live WE-DIG Talk done by Paul Yao last week in our campus, but this afternoon, got a chance to view this online version of the talk posted by him on Channel 9

This talk gives a very good overview of some of the new Features of .NET Compact Framework 3.5 and has has also built some really short and crisp demos to explain these features very well.

Amit Chopra

An Excellent Lineup of Mobile Development Sessions at Tech*Ed

2008-05-05T21:52:39Z

I was going through the list of sessions at Tech*Ed this morning. There is an excellent line up sessions focused towards Mobile Application Development this year. Most of the break out sessions are Level 300 or higher which means a lot of technical depth in the sessions.

The currently available sessions list is on https://www.msteched.com/dev/public/sessions.aspx

Listed here are a few that are based around technologies and products that are delivered directly by our group.

Mobile Web Design with XHTML and .Mobi Standards Darren Flatt
Maximizing the Usability and Compatibility of Your Mobile Microsoft Visual C++ Application Luis Cabrera-Cordon
Windows Communication Foundation on Devices Nickolas Landry
Advanced Object-Oriented Data Access with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 3.5 and Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5 Rabi Satter
Microsoft Silverlight UX for Mobile Devices Loke Uei Tan
Peer-to-Peer Windows Mobile Software Douglas Boling
Unit Testing for Devices: The Holy Grail, or Something to Use in Your Day-to-Day Work? Maarten Struys
Sharing Assets between the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework and the Microsoft .NET Framework Daniel Moth
An Introduction to LINQ on Devices Dan Fergus
Developing for the Windows Mobile 6.1 Home Screen Mike Francis
Microsoft Silverlight on Mobile Devices Loke Uei Tan
Mobilizing Your Web Applications with Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile and AJAX Jim Wilson
What's New in the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 3.5 Paul Yao
Creating a Compelling and Attractive UI When Developing for Windows Mobile and the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework Alex Yakhnin
Building Custom Sync Providers for the Microsoft Sync Framework Andy Wigley
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition Ultimate Performance Tuning Darren Shaffer

Thanks

Amit Chopra