Essential Windows Phone 8, Second Edition

Essential Windows Phone 8, Second Edition

by Shawn Wildermuth
Released May 2013
Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 9780133372564

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Book description

“Shawn has created a guide that is easy to read, up-to-date, and comprehensive–covering the entire application surface area for Windows Phone developers. Enjoy!”
–Jeff Wilcox, Senior Software Development Engineer, Microsoft

Essential Windows® Phone 8 is the definitive guide to creating powerful mobile apps with Microsoft’s dramatically improved Windows Phone 8 platform. Ten-time Microsoft MVP Shawn Wildermuth draws on his extensive experience teaching Windows Phone development, helping you to get started fast and master techniques that lead to truly outstanding solutions.

Updated throughout, this edition reflects new APIs and development best practices, ranging from new WinRT APIs to voice integration. It also contains a comprehensive new chapter on developing enterprise solutions for business.

After introducing the platform and its key improvements, Shawn dives directly into the essentials. Using realistic code, he illustrates today’s best techniques for delivering robust, well-performing apps. You’ll build a complete app from start to finish and then deepen your skills with increasingly sophisticated techniques.

From planning through delivery, Shawn guides you through the entire lifecycle, helping you make the most of Windows Phone 8’s valuable capabilities. Whether you’re a Windows developer going mobile or a mobile developer moving to Windows Phone, here are all the skills you’ll need.

Coverage includes

  • Setting up the WP8 development environment, including the emulator

  • Using XAML to fully control the look and feel of your app’s interface

  • Providing robust user interactivity through controls

  • Creating mobile experiences built around the real needs of Windows Phone users

  • Localizing your app for native languages and global markets

  • Utilizing vibration, motion, sound, the camera, or other hardware features

  • Supporting voice commands such as “Call Mom” or “Open Twitter”

  • Integrating features that use Contacts, Appointments, Alarms, the media library and hubs, and the lock screen

  • Storing data in simple files, caches, or a full-fledged database

  • Multitasking in the background without compromising performance

  • Implementing location-aware apps that can track where users are

  • Retrieving external data and assets via REST, Web services, push notifications, or Windows Live

  • Preparing your application for the Windows Phone Store

  • Building and distributing enterprise apps for your company’s internal customers

    •

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Dedication
    4. Contents
    5. Preface
    6. Acknowledgments
    7. About the Author
    8. Introduction [This content is currently in development.]
    9. Chapter 1. Introducing Windows Phone
      1. A Different Kind of Phone
      2. Phone Specifications
      3. Input Patterns
      4. Application Lifecycle
      5. Driving Your Development with Services
      6. Live Tiles
      7. The Windows Phone Store
      8. Where Are We?
    10. Chapter 2. Writing Your First Phone Application
      1. Preparing Your Machine
      2. Creating a New Project
      3. Designing with Blend
      4. Adding Code
      5. Working with the Phone
      6. Where Are We?
    11. Chapter 3. XAML Overview
      1. What Is XAML?
      2. Visual Containers
      3. Visual Grammar
      4. Images
      5. Transformations and Animations
      6. XAML Styling
      7. Where Are We?
    12. Chapter 4. Controls
      1. Controls in XAML
      2. Phone-Specific Controls
      3. Data Binding
      4. Windows Phone Toolkit
      5. Where Are We?
    13. Chapter 5. Designing for the Phone
      1. The Third Screen
      2. Deciding on an Application Paradigm
      3. Microsoft Expression Blend
      4. Blend Basics
      5. Phone-Specific Design
      6. Previewing Applications
      7. Designing with Visual Studio
      8. Implementing the Look and Feel of the Phone
      9. Where Are We?
    14. Chapter 6. Developing for the Phone
      1. Application Lifecycle
      2. The Phone Experience
      3. Localizing Your Phone Application
      4. Where Are We?
    15. Chapter 7. Phone Hardware
      1. Using Vibration
      2. Using Motion
      3. Using Sound
      4. Working with the Camera
      5. The Clipboard API
      6. Location APIs
      7. Voice Commands
      8. Speech Recognition
      9. Speech Synthesis
      10. Bluetooth and VOIP
      11. Where Are We?
    16. Chapter 8. Phone Integration
      1. Contacts and Appointments
      2. Alarms and Reminders
      3. Using Tasks
      4. Media and Picture Hubs
      5. Live Tiles
      6. Other Ways of Launching Your App
      7. Where Are We?
    17. Chapter 9. Databases and Storage
      1. Storing Data
      2. Storage
      3. Local Databases
      4. Where Are We?
    18. Chapter 10. Multitasking
      1. Multitasking
      2. Background Agents
      3. Location Aware Apps
      4. Background Transfer Service
      5. Where Are We?
    19. Chapter 11. Services
      1. The Network Stack
      2. Consuming JavaScript Object Notation
      3. Web Services
      4. Consuming OData
      5. Using Push Notifications
      6. Where Are We?
    20. Chapter 12. Making Money
      1. What Is the Store?
      2. Submitting Your App
      3. Modifying Your Application
      4. Dealing with Failed Submissions
      5. Using Ads in Your Apps
      6. Where Are We?
    21. Chapter 13. Enterprise Phone Apps
      1. Enterprise Apps?
      2. Registering Your Company
      3. Buying a Symantec Code Signing Certificate
      4. Installing the Certificate
      5. Application Enrollment Token
      6. Registering Phones
      7. Preparing Apps for Distribution
      8. Building a Company Hub
      9. Where Are We?
    22. Appendix: Implications in Upgrading Applications to WP8 [This content is currently in development.]

    Product information

    • Title: Essential Windows Phone 8, Second Edition
    • Author(s): Shawn Wildermuth
    • Release date: May 2013
    • Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
    • ISBN: 9780133372564