Tag Archives: Windows 8

Windows 8 (Windows Phone 8, iOS) and Windows Azure better together

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More often than not when working with customer building mobility solutions (may it be enterprise or consumer) there is a need for a backend. That backend could be as simple as set of web services exposing CRUD operations on the underlying data store. Or it could be much more complex set of services running business workflows integrated with relevant identity providers. Ability to send push notifications is generally required as well.

Although the project on hand is mobility focused with client app development there is an inherent requirement for scalability, reliability etc. for the backend as well.

This is exactly where Windows Azure comes in with its Mobile Services. It offers very simple and easy to use data services, user authentication capabilities, push notification mechanism as well as batch jobs in the (Azure) cloud. Key words here are “simple and easy  to use”.

WindowsAzureMobileServices

To that end I would like to point you to Windows Azure Mobile Services page. Do try out the tutorials and resources page and go through some of the common scenarios to see how best you can use these capabilities when building apps for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and iOS platforms.

If you like what you see then you can get a free Azure trial account that amongst other things gets you 10 mobile services for free!

For more detailed learning resource on Windows Azure we recommend you to download Windows Azure Training Kit.

PS: Support for Android is coming soon!

Windows Azure Mobile Services Update (New Features)

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Last week Microsoft announced updates to Windows Azure Mobile Services which allows developers to take advantage of the cloud to build and deploy modern apps for Windows 8 and iOS. Whether you are a developer building for the Windows Store, Windows Phone 8, iPhone, or iPad, Mobile Services provides an easy, streamlined process for backend elements like storing structured data, configuring user authentication via Windows Live, Facebook, Twitter, and Google, and incorporating push notifications.

Developers will benefit from Windows Azure Mobile Services in the following ways:

· Rapid Development: configure a straightforward and secure backend for Windows 8 and mobile applications in less than five minutes.

· Create modern mobile app with built in support and new added capabilities:

o Scheduled Scripts: run a server script on a pre-set schedule or on-demand which enables several key scenarios including:

§ aggregating data from Twitter, RSS feeds, or any external web services

§ executing background code efficiently, such as process/resize images, performing complex calculations, or sending emails

§ schedule sending push notifications to customers to ensure they arrive at the right time of day

o Command-line support: use the Windows Azure cross platform command line tools to easily create and manage mobile services

o Availability in Europe: create Mobile Services in the North Europe region in addition to the US East and US West regions

Call to action: Visit WindowsAzure.com to access Mobile Services either by logging into a current Windows Azure account or sign up for the free Mobile Services trial.

Get started with 10 Mobile Services for FREE

Windows App Certification Kit (aka WACK) Update for Windows 8

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Recently I have seen a lot of partners and developers submitting store apps without testing them with the latest version of WACK tool. This post is just a reminder that please update the WACK tool to its latest version i.e. 2.2.

When you run your WACK tool, it should prompt you to update the tool to the latest version (as shown below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please don’t ignore it as the latest version of tool as the latest version offers the following important enhancements:

  • Optimized binding references (when using bindings, WinJS.Binding.optimizeBindingReferences should be set to TRUE in the app’s JavaScript to optimize the memory usage).
  • Branding validation (apps should not use the default icons generated by Visual Studio or included in the SDK samples).
  • Private code signing (remove any private code signing keys, such as .pfx files, from the package).

Also note that to test your Windows 8 app on Windows RT, you can download a separate WACK tool here.

For more details and latest updates for WACK visit MSDN.

Windows 8 Platform Presentation at Microsoft Campfire

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I had a great time presenting on Windows 8 platform at Microsoft Campfire last month. What made it even more special was the presence of our new colleague Bruce Wang (who joins Microsoft Singapore as a Senior Developer Evangelist).

I tried to be funny but my jokes werent good enough to make audience really laugh. But I think overall it went well. The good thing is that it was captured on video so you can see it for your self.

 

Let me know how you like it…