The Windows Phone 7 platform provides a remarkable opportunity for Windows developers to create state-of-the-art mobile applications using their existing skills and a familiar toolset. For iOS and Android developers, this book provides the right level of content to help developers rapidly come up to speed on Windows Phone. Pro Windows Phone 7 Development will help you unlock the potential of this platform and create dazzling, visually rich, and highly functional applications for the Windows Phone Marketplace. For developers new to the Windows Phone 7 platform, whether .NET, iPhone, or Android developers, this book starts by introducing you to the features and specifications of the Windows Phone series, and then leads you through the complete application development process. You'll learn how to use Microsoft technologies like Silverlight, .NET, the XNA Framework, Visual Studio, and Expression Blend effectively, how to take advantage of the available sensors such as the location service, accelerometer, and touch, make your apps location-aware using GPS data, utilize the rich media capabilities of the Windows Phone series, and much more. Finally, you'll receive a full tutorial on how to publish and sell your application through the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Windows Phone 7 is a powerful mobile computing platform with huge potential for gaming. With "instant on" capabilities, the promise of gaming on the move is a reality with these devices. The platform is an ideal environment for .NET developers looking to create fun, sophisticated games. Windows Phone 7 Game Development gives you everything you need to maximize your creativity and produce fantastic mobile games. With a gaming device always in your pocket, as a phone always is, this is too good an opportunity to miss!

Pro Expression Blend 4 is for .NET developers and graphical artists who want to learn the ins and outs of the Expression Blend integrated development environment. You may know already that this tool can be used to build Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Silverlight, and Windows Phone 7 applications; however, this book will take you well beyond the basics and provide you with a detailed examination of key Blend topics, including workspace customization, graphics, layout, styles, themes, data binding, and the use of SketchFlow, giving you an excellent understanding of the Blend product and what it can do for you. Over the course of these eight chapters, you will learn numerous techniques to simplify the authoring of XAML using Blend. These include: Transforming a vector graphic into a custom control template with a few clicks of the mouse Generating complex animations using an integrated timeline editor Visually designing interactive data templates Creating prototypes (via SketchFlow) that can be transformed into production-level code Throughout Pro Expression Blend 4, you'll work with both Blend and .NET code to finalize fully-functional projects that will provide both valuable insights and a sound foundation for your future WPF and Silverlight projects. Each chapter will give you ample opportunity to build .NET software using Blend. However, this is not a programming book, per se. While some examples will require a manageable amount of C# code, this book is squarely focused on helping you gain mastery over the numerous tools, editors, designers, and wizards of the Microsoft Expression Blend IDE.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 handsets have injected a new vibrancy into the smartphone marketplace and provided bold new opportunities for the Microsoft development community. Now in its second edition, Beginning Windows Phone 7 Development has been written to help you identify those opportunities and to learn the skills you’ll need to harness them. It covers the very latest developments in the field, including the extended APIs offered in Microsoft’s automatic platform update, so you'll have timely, accurate information at your fingertips. Beginning Windows Phone 7 Development, Second Edition starts with the basics, walking you through the process of downloading and setting up the right development tools, including Visual Studio, Expression Blend, Silverlight SDK, and Windows Phone SDK. It then takes you step-by-step though the development process as you build and deploy a working application, complete with a sophisticated user interface. Finally, you'll receive step-by-step instructions on selling your applications through the Windows Phone Marketplace.

The Windows Phone 7 platform, now recently updated, provides a remarkable opportunity for Windows developers to create state-of-the-art mobile applications using their existing skills and a familiar toolset. Pro Windows Phone 7 Development, Second Edition helps you unlock the potential of this platform and create dazzling, visually rich, and highly functional applications for the Windows Phone Marketplace—including using new features like copy-and-paste and API improvements in the NoDo and Mango update waves. For developers new to the Windows Phone platform—whether .NET, iPhone, or Android developers—this book starts by introducing the features and specifications of the Windows Phone series, and then leads you through the complete application development process. You'll learn how to use Microsoft technologies like Silverlight, .NET, the XNA Framework, Visual Studio, and Expression Blend effectively, how to take advantage of the device's sensors with the location service, accelerometer, and touch, how to make your apps location-aware using GPS data, how to utilize the rich media capabilities of the Windows Phone series, and much more. Finally, you'll receive a full tutorial on how to publish and sell your application through the Windows Phone Marketplace. And in this second edition, learn quickly and easily how to take advantage of new API capabilities and HTML5 support right in your browser.

One step at a time, this text teaches all facets of mobile game development, from design through publishing via Microsoft's Marketplace. Top game development author Jonathan S. Harbour starts with the absolute basics, making Windows Phone game development accessible even to programmers who've never written a game before.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 handsets have injected a new vibrancy into the smartphone marketplace and provided bold new opportunities for the Microsoft development community. Take advantage of these opportunities with Beginning Windows Phone App Development, written specifically to help you learn the skills you’ll need to develop rich, functional apps for the Windows Phone 7 platform. Authors Henry Lee and Eugene Chuvyrov cover the very latest developments in the field—including the extended APIs offered in the new Mango platform update—so you'll have timely, accurate information at your fingertips. Beginning Windows Phone App Development starts with the basics, walking you through the process of downloading and setting up the right development tools, including Visual Studio,Expression Blend, Silverlight SDK, and Windows Phone SDK. It then takes you step-by-step though the development process as you build and deploy a working application, complete with a sophisticated user interface. Finally, you'll receive step-by-step instructions on packaging and selling your applications through the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Summary Usability Matters: Mobile-first UX for developers and other accidental designers gives you practical advice and guidance on how to create attractive, elegant, and useful user interfaces for native and web-based mobile apps. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Technology Just because a mobile app works doesn't mean real people are going to like it. Usability matters! Most mobile developers wind up being part-time designers, and mastering a few core principles of mobile UI can make the difference between app and crap. About the Book Usability Matters is a guide for developers wrestling with the subtle art of mobile design. With each expertly presented example, app developer and designer Matt Lacey provides easy-to-implement techniques that instantly boost your design IQ. Skipping highbrow design theory, he addresses topics like gracefully handling network dropouts and creating intuitive data inputs. Read this book and your apps will look better, your users will be happier, and you might even get some high-fives at the next design review. What's Inside Understanding your users Optimizing input and output Creating fast, responsive experiences Coping with poor network conditions Managing power and resources About the Reader This book is for mobile developers working on native or web-based apps. About the Author Matt Lacey is an independent mobile developer and consultant and a Microsoft MVP. He's built, advised on, and contributed to apps for social networks, film and TV broadcasters, travel companies, banks and financial institutions, sports companies, news organizations, music-streaming services, device manufacturers, and electronics retailers. These apps have an installed base of more than 500,000,000 users and are used every day around the world. Matt previously worked at a broad range of companies, doing many types of development. He has worked at startups, small ISVs, national enterprises, and global consultancies, and written software for servers, desktops, devices, and industrial hardware in more languages than he can remember. He lives in the UK with his wife and two children. Table of Contents Introduction Part 1 - Context Who's using the app? Where and when is the app used? What device is the app running on? Part 2- Input How people interact with the app User-entered data Data not from a user Part 3 - Output Displaying items in the app Non-visible output Part 4 - Responsiveness Understanding the perception of time Making your app start fast Making your app run fast Part 5 - Connectivity Coping with varying network conditions Managing power and resources

This book will provide you with a comprehensive guide to developing games for both the Windows Mobile platform and the Windows Phone using the industry standard programming languages C# and VB .NET. You will be walked through every aspect of developing for the Windows Mobile platform—from setting up your development environment for the first time to creating advanced 3D graphics. Finally, you’ll learn how you can make your applications available to others, whether distributing for free or selling online. Using extensive code samples throughout, you’ll gather all the information needed to create your own games and distribute them successfully for others to enjoy. Aimed primarily at C# developers, almost everything in the book can be used in VB .NET too. For those areas where this is not the case, workarounds are suggested so that VB .NET developers are still able to use the techniques described.

A step-by-step guide.This book is for all game developers, designers, and hobbyists who want to create assets for mobile games