Professional Windows 8 Programming: Application Development with C# and XAML

INTRODUCTION

IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY that Microsoft announced at its first annual BUILD conference the upcoming game-changing operating system: Windows 8. In the Microsoft world for the first time, Windows 8 was to provide an operating system that could create an ecosystem of apps that ran among phones, desktop computers, and tablets. Developers would be closer to writing an app for one device and, with few-to-no modifications, having it run on additional devices. Now that Windows 8 is finally here, it’s time for you, the developer, to get on board and understand some of the vast changes involved in creating Windows-based apps. Professional Windows 8 Programming is designed as your guide to all the changes and to get you on the fast track of developing your own apps for the new Windows Store.

In this book, you learn all about the new development features of Windows 8 and how best to use them in apps for both the PC and tablet. You see how to use XAML and C# to create a new style of app that emphasizes content rather than chrome. Windows Store apps are different from traditional Windows desktop apps because they run full screen and without all the traditional menu systems that have historically taken up valuable screen real estate. In addition to a new style of app through the new WinRT development platform, Windows 8 gives you easy access to various hardware features such as sensors and geolocation. This book walks you through making use of these new features in your own apps. ...