Windows Phone may be the newest smartphone development platform, but it has already taken significant market share and poses a big competitive threat to iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry. While market share is still comparatively smaller, it won't take Microsoft long to at least come to parity, if not to exceed, the market share of the other three major players.
A big advantage of Windows Phone is simply the familiarity of the interface. With Microsoft being the dominant platform for operating systems and productivity software, there is a comfort factor that the others cannot approach. Like other development platforms, Windows Phone lets developers create business and consumer applications to run on a Windows Phone.
It is built using existing Microsoft tools, including Expression Blend, Silverlight, Visual Studio, and the XNA Framework. While the XNA Framework is used for loop-based games, Silverlight is more appropriate for event-driven app development. As a result, developers who are already steeped in Microsoft technology will have no trouble getting started creating apps for the Windows Phone without having to face a learning curve.
An advantage to the end user is the runtime services on the device, which can be used to gain access to cloud-based services including Windows Azure or Xbox LIVE. It does offer end users the opportunity to enjoy very feature-rich applications with a familiar interface, as well as support for data across multiple devices. For developers, Microsoft Phone offers a strong developer portal, as well as an application marketplace to make it easier to market commercial applications.
From a developer perspective, there are four separate components, starting with the Runtime-on screen which includes the Silverlight and XNA Framework. This area includes a protected sandbox. Second, the toolset that includes Visual Studio and Expression blend, for quickly creating apps. Cloud Services include Windows Azure, Xbox LIVE, and notification and location services. And lastly, portal services give developers an easy workspace for registering, certifying, and marketing their apps. This also includes a business intelligence section, which gives developers in-depth reports about their apps.
Developers will find Windows Phone application development easy, particularly since it does not incorporate any new languages, rather, it just relies on existing frameworks adapted for the smartphone. Developers can program with C# and the.NET framework.
The rich and familiar development environment means that app developers will be able to create very useful and convenient apps for end users, that leverage an attractive feature set. Some of the newest up-and-coming features on the Windows Phone include the ability to copy and pasate text between emails, text messages, web pages, and Office Mobile. Users will also find that response time for all apps and games is very good, and that the marketplace offers an impressive set of apps for quick download.
Zdenek Hejl is specialist at Memos Outsourcing. Memos Outsourcing is custom software development company based in Prague and Minsk, Belarus. If you demand quality custom mobile application development at affordable price please contact us.
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