Contents tagged with Windows Phone
Everything You Wanted to Know About Mango in a Single Post
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Developer Evangelist, Dave Isbitski, has compiled a list of everything you wanted to know about the forthcoming update to Windows Phone (aka “Mango”).
Among my favorite enhancements is the new emulator, where you can simulate motion to test out any accelerometer code without having to deploy to a device.
Abolade Gbadegesin on Mango
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.More “Mango” goodness today: Abolade Gbadegesin takes us Inside Windows Phone "Mango"
From Channel9:
There have been a lot of positive reviews of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS release, code named "Mango." This release is a big one. It contains over 500 new features, is full of improvements - from the core OS to the performance of UI scrolling - and "Mango" puts the user in control of almost everything the system has to offer.
"Mango" represents some impressive engineering. Since this is Going Deep, we are necessarily interested in the system-level improvements inside the Windows Phone operating system (in addition meeting a key engineer behind it).
Public Sector Apps for Windows Phone 7
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Curious as to how Windows Phone 7 applies to the public sector?
Well, wonder now more: here’s a list of all the Public Sector Apps for Windows Phone 7 on the Marketplace.
Apps are further broken down into categories:
- Education
- State & Local Government
- Federal
- Health and Life Sciences
![clip_image001[6]](http://www.franksworld.com/blog/Media/Default/Windows-Live-Writer/Public-Sector-Apps-for-Windows-Phone-7_F64C/clip_image001%5B6%5D_thumb.png "clip_image001[6]")
Much to my delight, my Area Code Look Up app made it into the top 25 list!
And no, I had nothing to do with that selection: it’s based on ratings and download rankings.
To see what all the fuss is about: get the app today by following this link or use the tag below.</ShamelessPlug>
SketchFlow for Windows Phone 7
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.If you’ve heard me talk about the wonders of SketchFlow, then you know I’m a big proponent of prototyping.
In fact, since its release in 2009, I’ve used SketchFlow on every project I worked on with the exception of two.
In both cases, I came to regret not using SketchFlow.
One case was due to political considerations at the client. It was made clear to me that they had no interest in using it. The other case was for my Area Code Look Up application, which I thought was too small to justify a prototype.
Now that there’s a Sketchflow template for Windows Phone applications, you can (and should) prototype any projects. The time you spend prototyping and working out any issues and finding ambiguities in requirements will be well worth it.
What’s nice about the template, is that it includes the three hardware buttons, the home screen, the app screen, and the search screen. This makes the prototype a little more “real” feeling.
Naturally, the templates include the styling and fonts that make the prototype look hand drawn and rough.
It’s a nice subtle reminder to clients that this is just a sketch.
Metro Design Language at Ignite Tampa Bay
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Here’s a great video from the Ignite Tampa Bay event on the Metro Design Language.
Excellent Mango Overview Video
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Here’s a great overview video of Mango.
My Latest Windows Phone 7 App: Texts From Last Night
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Late last night, I received an email telling me that my “latest” Windows Phone 7 app has been approved and published to the Marketplace. [direct link]
I put the word latest in quotes, since this app was really the first major WP7 app I started writing.
In fact, I even mentioned I was working on it when I gave the keynote at the 2011 NoVA Code Camp last December.
The app is a native WP7 app for Texts from Last Night, which has a “unique” sense of humor and schadenfreude.
The site and its irreverent content is best explained on their about page:
Texts From Last Night (TFLN) was founded in February 2009 by two friends for reasons that may or may not include: the tendency to press send more easily as the night turns to morning, friends' social habits, disgraced government officials, exes, law school, closing down bars and leaving tabs open, general debauchery and/or a common disgust for all the negativity surrounding the 'sexting' phenomenon.
We prefer texts, not conversations. We reserve the right to post portions of conversations without duplicating the entire thing. It's not because the entire thing isn't funny, but the funniest texts are those we can all relate to, so without the context of the conversation, they become really funny.
Basically, you’ll either find the content on TFLN horrible or horribly funny (or somewhere in the middle).
What I found intolerable is that there was no app for Windows Phone, despite there being one for Blackberry iOS, and Android. Interestingly enough, only the iOS and Blackberry apps are “official” apps.
The Android one was created by a fan and thus began my inspiration for “Project TeFLoN”.
We’ll either find a way or make one. –Hannibal
I poked around the site a bit in the hopes of finding a nice little Web API, since that’s how things should be built these days. Sadly, there wasn’t one that I could find.
I even tried packet sniffing from my old Android phone. No luck.
This wasn’t going to be quick or easy.
Our goal was to create a site that was revealing in nature while concealing the identity of everyone involved. This is why we only ask for an area code to accompany your text messages.
It turned out that to built out TFLN, I needed a fairly robust database of area codes. This was the first problem I tackled, since API or no API, it had to be done.
I’ve Got Developers in Different Area Codes*
*With apologies to Ludacris,
As I started building the app, I quickly realized that an area code look up program would be a handy reference app. It was also an order of magnitude easier to build and would be publishable before the end of December.
This was the demo app I showed off at the NoVA Code Camp keynote on December 10 and made it onto the Marketplace by the 16th. My first published app turned out to be quite popular and has been a great demo app for presentations and for the resume.
Keep on Keeping On
I’ve had a somewhat functional version of the app since December, but it wasn’t exactly production quality.
Since I work on the app in my spare time, and spare time gets pretty rare around the holidays, the new year, and changing jobs, it got postponed.
Eventually, a bit of insomnia inspired me to wrap up the project by finding a nice clean way to scrape the comments. (More on this in a future post.)
With the final technical obstacle out of the way, on July 14th, I submitted TFLN for approval. Much to my shock, it was rejected due to “offensive language.”
I was taken aback, but had gone too far to be stopped now. A few days later, I had coded up a language filter, tested it thoroughly, and made sure it was on by default.
The second time around, the app was rejected for “digitally modified screenshots.” I had blurred out a bad word in one of the screenshots.
Needless to day, I was overjoyed when I finally received the approval email and saw my “little project” available on the Marketplace.
You may be thinking, “wow, that was a lot of work for two little free apps.”
True, but I learned an enormous amount during the process and now have several reusable libraries to build more apps. In fact, two more are in the works. One of these apps was written in about 15 minutes, because of all the heavy lifting I already did in one of the base libraries.
That same library set is also being used by a local MVP to build out another app and will likely end up on CodePlex.
Last November, when my old roommate from Richmond showed me the TFLN web site, I knew I had to bring it to WP7. I had no plans to build a library set or an area code database, but through various twists and turns, one idea turned into several.
The moral of the story is to keep pushing your ideas, but be flexible enough to adapt them to fill other needs. You may be surprised where you end up.
Enough talk, check out the app that started it all:
Texts from Last Night WP7 App Quite Popular
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.My Texts from Last Night app for Windows Phone has been well received, ranking #51 in the Entertainment category and #309 in the marketplace overall.
It’s also received three 5 star ratings and this review from WPCentral.
While it doesn't feature any way to pass on or favorite interesting messages, the super-minimalist-Metro layout is simple and to the point, especially for such a basic site as TFLN. We do dig the ability to go by area code and read comments on each message and the price is right, so we don't have too much more to say on it.
Great feedback and I’ve already got some improvements in the works.
Speaking of Traffic
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Speaking of traffic in the DC area, I just submitted an app called “DC Traffic” that should be available next week.
It won’t be on the Marketplace for Terrible Traffic Tuesday, but here’s a sneak peak.
Free eBook: Building Windows Phone Apps: A Developers Guide
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Download Building Windows Phone Apps: A Developer’s Guide
This free ebook is a community effort to collect useful information about creating apps on the Windows Phone platform. [Download]
From the blog post:
For more details on this publication and its authors see Mike Ormond's Blog, please feel free to use this book with students and your courses also if you have any comments suggestions or ideas for additional chapters or content please post your feedback on Mike’s Blog.
[found via Microsoft UK Faculty Connection blog]
Dream Symbol Dictionary App
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.I’ve got another app on the WIndows Phone Marketplace: Dream Symbol Dictionary.
It’s free and ad-supported. Download it today and the next time you have a weird dream about cyborgs in lederhosen drinking diet soda, you’ll maybe get some insight into what your subconscious is trying to tell you.
4 Easy to Remember Links
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Have you ever found yourself in polite conversation and of how to start developing in a certain technology comes up?
Or Have you ever wanted to share SDK downloads without having remember cumbersome URLs?
I have* and that’s why I created easy to remember, copyable, pasteable, and shareable URLs to the most commonly sought after Microsoft tools.
Feel free to use and share:
Azure SDK Download:
Free Windows Azure Platform Trial Download:
Phone SDK Download:
WebMatrix Download:
* – You may scoff at me, but I am brimming with Geek Pride
Windows Phone in the Public Sector
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Here are the slides from my talk at yesterday’s Windows Phone Camp in DC.
Windows Phone Public SectorView more presentations from Frank La Vigne.
Tango on Mango
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Tango is a iOS/Android video calling application that has now come to Windows Phone 7.5 (aka Mango).
It’s now available for free in the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Windows Phone Starter Kit for Podcasts
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Fellow developer evangelist Dani Diaz has put together this Windows Phone Starter Kit for podcasts.
It’s a great way to learn how to program Windows Phone Mango and create an app for your own (or favorite) podcast.
Silverlight DC Meeting On the XNA Framework and Windows Phone 7
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.This Thursday, Jan 19 at 7PM, the CapArea Silverlight SIG presents Franklin Balaquer on XNA on Windows Phone.
The XNA Framework and Windows Phone 7 - Franklin BalaguerThursday, January 19, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Abstract:
XNA Game Studio and the XNA Framework are designed for cross-platform gaming scenarios with support for Windows Phone 7, Xbox 360, and Windows-based PCs. This allows you to target more platforms from the same code base. XNA Game Studio includes the XNA Framework, a set of managed libraries designed for game development based on the Microsoft .NET Framework.
In this workshop, I will go over some free resources available to help you create your own Windows Phone 7 game and then sell it on the WindowsPhone MarketPlace. I will also touch on the basics of XNA (drawing a sprite, handling of input touch, playing sounds, and game state management). Lastly, I will discuss the certification process for getting your game approved and placed on the MarketPlace.Bio:
Franklin Balaguer is U.S. Air Force veteran. He spent 8 years in the Air Force managing vehicle fleets at various bases in the United States and while deployed overseas. Frank got his start with computers writing programs to automate tasks and processes everywhere he encountered them. While in the Air Force, he also acquired several certifications including the Microsoft Certified System Engineer, which help him land a job at Accenture. Frank has been with Accenture for the past 11 years helping to write and deliver software to thier clients.
Two Great Upcoming Windows Phone Webcasts
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.My team at Microsoft is teaming up with ComponentOne to deliver a series of webcasts to demo how easy it is to build Public Sector mobile solutions on Windows Phone.
- Session I: Fast Track Your First App
- Session II: Give Your Apps Some POP
Be sure to register today.
[found via Joel Reyes]
Update Posted to My TFLN Windows Phone App
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.I just posted an update to my Texts From Last Night application that clears up an ugly text encoding issue.
Version 1.3 should be available in a few days.
Thanks!
Fast Track Your App at the Metro Accelerator Lab Next Week in Chevy Chase
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.Do you have an app idea? Are you working on an app and you’ve hit a wall, then come to the Metro Accelerator lab next week at the Chevy Chase Microsoft office.
Seating is limited, so register now.
Please join us for a special, event that you simply don't want to miss – the Metro Accelerator Lab. This is your chance to dig deeper into the latest versions of Windows (code name: Windows 8) and Windows Phone and gain all the knowledge you need to immediately start (or finish) building beautiful, fluid and immersive Metro style Windows and Windows Phone applications.
In this FREE, three-day developer event, you’ll get expert help building, testing and deploying your Metro style apps, as well as guidance on how to make money in the Marketplace. Experience step-by-step advice from Microsoft and community experts and one-on-one technical assistance. Come for an hour, or all three days. Bring that app you've been tinkering with, or a new idea that you're eager to build and we’ll help you get well on your way to releasing that killer app to the world.
We'll also help you understand the steps needed to get your Windows 8 Metro style app into the Windows Store.
We’ll have Windows Slate and Windows Phone devices available on site so you can see exactly how your app will run. And of course, there’s always a chance we’ll have a few to give away during the course of the event.
Agenda (subject to change)
- 9:00am: Arrival and Registration
- 9:30am - 1:00pm: Open Lab; 1:1 Meetings
- 1:00pm - 3:00pm: App Pitches & Giveaways
- 5:00pm: Closing Remarks/Event Ends
Seating is limited and registration is not guaranteed. Secure your spot today!
Prerequisites
You must bring a laptop/notebook computer for development loaded with these prerequisites:
Register at http://aka.ms/MetroLabCC.
Windows Phone Cameo in a Music Video
Parts.Common.Body.Summary.cshtml – The template for summary of a content item's body.A Windows Phone 7 makes a cameo appearance in the music video for “We Are Young.”
![clip_image001[6]](http://www.franksworld.com/blog/Media/Default/Windows-Live-Writer/Public-Sector-Apps-for-Windows-Phone-7_F64C/clip_image001%5B6%5D.png "clip_image001[6]")
