Pro Windows Phone App Development

Pro Windows Phone App Development

Released December 2011
Publisher(s): Apress
ISBN: 9781430239369

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Book description

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.

What you'll learn

  • The specifications and capabilities of the Windows Phone series and how to harness that power in your applications

  • To understand its relationship to Silverlight, .NET, the XNA Framework, Visual Studio, and Expression Blend and how to use those tools most effectively to develop Windows Phone apps

  • How to develop applications that take advantage of the available sensors, such as location service, accelerometer, and touch gestures

  • How to develop rich media applications that harness the graphics capabilities of Windows Phone models

  • The correct way to design and develop Windows Phone 7 applications utilizing the Model-View-ViewModel architecture

  • The process of publishing your application to the Windows Phone Marketplace

Who this book is for

If you're a .NET developer, this book is primarily for you—you're eager to learn how to use your existing skills to develop for the new Windows Phone 7 platform. If you're an iOS or Android developer, this is an ideal guide for you to learn how to expand the market for your existing applications. This does assume some knowledge of C#, managed code in general, and a basic level of familiarity with Visual Studio. And if you're a proficient Windows Phone 7 developer, get up to speed quickly with the new API endpoints and HTML5 browser support in the Mango update.

Software developers proficient in other languages will also find this book helpful to get up to speed with developing Silverlight- and .NET-based Windows Phone applications.

Table of contents

  1. Title
  2. Dedication
  3. Contents at a Glance
  4. Contents
  5. About the Author
  6. About the Technical Reviewer
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
    1. Who This Book Is For
    2. How This Book Is Structured
    3. Prerequisites
    4. Downloading the Code
    5. Contacting the Author
  9. CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Windows Phone and Marketplace
    1. Why Should I Care?
    2. The Mobile Market
    3. Current Microsoft Developers
    4. Non-Microsoft Developers
    5. Windows Phone Platform Overview
    6. Windows Phone 7.5
    7. Windows Phone Developer Tools
    8. Silverlight Tools and Framework Overview
    9. XNA Game Studio and Framework Overview
    10. The Windows Phone Marketplace
    11. Conclusion
  10. CHAPTER 2: User Interface Development
    1. UX Performance Improvements
    2. Designing for Windows Phone
    3. User Interface Development in Visual Studio 2010
    4. .NET Framework for Silverlight
    5. User Interface Development with Expression Blend 4
    6. Animation Fundamentals
    7. Application Layout
    8. Windows Phone 7.5 User Experience Enhancements
    9. Conclusion
  11. CHAPTER 3: Handling Input on Windows Phone
    1. The Keyboard
    2. Touch Input
    3. Accelerometer
    4. Location
    5. Microphone Input
    6. Compass Sensor
    7. Gyroscope Sensor
    8. Motion “Sensor”
    9. Camera Sensor
    10. Conclusion
  12. CHAPTER 4: Windows Phone Data Persistence and Networking Programming Model
    1. Application Data Persistence
    2. Local Database
    3. Web Browser Control
    4. Asynchronous Programming
    5. Connecting Windows Phone to Services and Feeds
    6. Sockets
    7. Bing Maps Control
    8. Application Execution Model
    9. Conclusion
  13. CHAPTER 5: Integrating with the Windows Phone Platform
    1. Device Information
    2. Tasks
    3. Clipboard
    4. Alarms and Reminders
    5. Contacts and Calendar
    6. Conclusion
  14. CHAPTER 6: Windows Phone Advanced UI Development
    1. The Model-View-ViewModel Architecture
    2. Silverlight for Windows Phone Toolkit
    3. Creating Transitions and Interactivity
    4. The RichTextBox Control
    5. The Microsoft Advertising SDK
    6. Conclusion
  15. CHAPTER 7: Advanced MVVM, Services and App Connect
    1. Advanced MVVM
    2. Encryption Services
    3. Working with Images on Windows Phone
    4. The Windows Phone Media Library
    5. Working with Video and Audio Media
    6. App Connect -Extending the picture Hub
    7. App Connect - music+videos Hub Integration
    8. App Connect – Bing Search Integration
    9. Conclusion
  16. CHAPTER 8: XNA Framework for Games and Applications
    1. Xbox LIVE Gamer Services
    2. Alien Shooter
    3. From Demo to Game
    4. AlienShooter Game Structure
    5. AlienShooter Game Play
    6. XNA and Silverlight Composite Rendering
    7. Conclusion
  17. CHAPTER 9: Advanced XNA Framework Development
    1. AlienShooter Enhancements
    2. 3D Game Development
    3. 3D Augmented Reality
    4. Windows Phone Profiler
    5. Conclusion
  18. CHAPTER 10: Building Top-Rated Applications for Windows Phone
    1. Design First
    2. Use the Right Architecture
    3. Code for the Best User Experience
    4. Globalization and Localization
    5. Live Tiles API
    6. Multi-Tasking and Background Processing
    7. Microsoft Push Notification Services
    8. Conclusion
  19. Index

Product information

  • Title: Pro Windows Phone App Development
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: December 2011
  • Publisher(s): Apress
  • ISBN: 9781430239369