Had the first meeting of the year last night for the Orlando Windows Phone / Windows 8 Group and instead of going down the planned presenter lead meeting format it turned more into a "Town Hall" style with some good topics I thought I'd share. Where does everyone go to learn how to build or develop for Windows 8.1? As anyone who can use the web, you w ill find a number of popular blogs that have articles written on how to get started using this or that, including my own, but how relevant are they considering how fast Windows 8 development is moving and changing for that matter.  One attendee mentioned the LayoutAwarePage and how it was a...

I took a few moments to add custom URI launchers for my I'm Here app on Windows Phone so it could be used in Rob Irving's Car Dash app.  It was a really quick add to the app, however the one are I found to be a pain was testing it.  I actually had to write another phone app to test it. Not that it was a chore, just didn't consider that when I started, I made an assumption I could've just typed i the URI in Internet Explorer or mocked an SMS message like you can in iOS. If you have a Windows Phone App that offers functionality that other apps can use there is no reason...

This year started off with a nice surprise, an email with the subject "Congratulations 2014 Microsoft MVP!" I am humbled and excited, as this is the first time for me, and as always to be a part of such a great community. I enjoy the time I spend at community events, speaking to other developers and hearing their challenges, ideas and what great projects they are working on. ASP.NET is the category of my award, and although most know me for some the Windows Phone work I have done; Web API, MVC, and JavaScript/TypeScript is where I have spent a majority of my time. Mobile is as much about the back end services as it is about the...

Why Windows Phone? This is not a new question, but a question or topic that I get involved a lot.  Why do you have a Windows Phone? Why do you build apps for that platform? You should be learning Java and Objective C and putting your apps on iOS and Android; that's where the users are. That is the message from the media, family, tech pundits and co-workers. And the numbers say that as well; the latest report shows that Android holds a ridiculous global market share of 80%, Apple with 12% and Windows Phone at 4% respectively.  So why should I build an app for Windows Phone first? Its about visibility. Visibility Apple has more than 1...

Nokia, through its DVLUP program, is putting on DVLUP day in various cities from Nov. 16 - Dec 6.  I'll be in Tampa on the 16th of November presenting Azure Mobile Services. I'll give an overview of: Getting Started Push Notifications Visual Studio 2013 Tools for Azure General Q & A I will also be around all day if you have any questions about Portable Class Libraries or Advanced features of Azure Mobile Services such as complex data types, authentication, etc. Event Summary Spend a day with two of our top Nokia Developer Ambassadors, Bill Reiss (@billreiss) and Atley Hunter (@atleyhunter). Together, Bill and Atley will guide you through the process of publishing your apps to the Windows Phone...