In their on going effort to reach out to developers, Microsoft has released an update to their Windows Phone App Studio. Among the more notable improvements is the addition of new graphic elements such as icons and backgrounds. And the integration of SkyDrive, so that developers can access pictures quickly. Read on below for the more meaty details of the press release.
I’m pleased to tell you today that we’ve updated App Studio beta, incorporating feature requests and suggestions you’ve shared with us so far. We improved usability and performance, and updated the quality of the code generated. (And some bug fixes too!)
Look around in App Studio and you’ll see that the menu bar now makes it easier to navigate. We enhanced the navigation buttons and made it much easier to edit collections after an app is created. We added dozens of new graphics elements: icons, backgrounds, and stock images you can use to enhance and sharpen the visual identity of your app.
In response to your feedback, in this newest version, we’ve integrated with SkyDrive, making it easy to access your pictures. (By the way, did you know that if you make your collections dynamic we keep all of your data stored in the cloud, and you can edit them without creating a new version of your app?)
We’ve also made a ton of progress enhancing the Visual Studio project template and the code that it generates. Our goal is clean and lean code that’s easier to read and which speeds up the app creation process. I invite you to review the source code and Visual Studio project template to experience firsthand some of our App Studio updates: improved naming conventions for consistency across your project, simplified projects and app manifests, and pinch to zoom.
If you’ve created an app with App Studio that you think is ready for worldwide availability through the Store, we’d like hear from you – your ideas, learnings, and experiences. We want to help you reach potential customers, and help Windows Phone users find you! We’re also eager to find out how you are using App Studio for your local or personal apps, and what types of scenarios you still need to help with.
Love Windows Phone or hate it, at least Microsoft is working to try and make a better experience. I welcome all the improvements they can make, because if the competition thins out, the consumer loses. If you’re a Windows Phone Developer let us know what you think of Windows Phone App Studio in the comments below.
Last Updated on April 16, 2024.
