Microsoft is changing up how developers get resources for Windows Phone and Windows 8. In fact, they're actually merging developer resources for Windows and Windows Phone. That's not all, they're adding twenty one new payout markets and highlighting the new Kinect for Windows 2.0 SDK. Details on all changes below.
New unified developer resource for Windows Phone and Windows 8
Wanted to grab the developer resources for Windows Phone? Microsoft had a site, dev.windowsphone.com, that was one your one-stop shop for all things Windows Phone development. Now that site redirects to dev.windows.com. This new site will be where developers get resources for making Windows Phone and Windows 8 apps.
This isn't just simple web redirect, instead you'll now find a unified site with content and guidance for both platforms. Here are some highlights of the changes:
- Unified documentation: You'll now get a comprehensive, combined documentation set to help learn app development for Windows devices across phone, tablet and PC.
- Single location for code samples: Code samples will now be on the new dev site, the difference is that they are now easily accessible directly from one Dev Center page
- Single location for developer forums: The Windows Store apps and Windows Phone developer forums have been merged into one set of forums.
The dashboards for Windows Phone Store and Windows Store haven't merged yet and remain separate. You'll select which one you want to enter when you click on the Dashboard, but can switch between them using the left-hand navigation pane.
Kinect and Windows Store opportunity
Microsoft also highlighted a new developer opportunity with the Kinect for Windows 2.0 SDK. Apps created using the new SDK may be released to the Windows Store once the final, RTM version of the SDK is available later this year. In the meantime, developers are encouraged to download the public preview of the SDK to get an early start on development.
New payment markets
Starting this week, the number of markets that developers can submit paid apps has been increased. Here's a list of the 21 new payout markets available for developers in the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Comoros, Dominica, Fiji Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
The new total of available markets for Windows Phone and Windows 8 developers to earn revenue is now up to 149.
Source: Microsoft
