What Does Windows Phone 7 Need To Succed? Developers. Part 2 of 2
Following on from Part 1 of this series, if you are a developer and want to start producing applications for the new Windows 7 phone here are a few hints and tips.
Apps
Apple have so much control of its apps, denying many developers the opportunity to produce and forcing many users to jailbreak their phones. According to CNet News, only about 10 percent of iPhone applications retain an audience over time. After 20 days, less than 5 percent of those who downloaded an application are actively using it; the drop-off seems to be worse for free applications.
Android, takes no control of its apps, many are fake or illegal, causing users to be wary of purchasing any apps. DVD Jon, a famous hacker and pirate even noted that Google's management of the Android Market is too lax, resulting in too much piracy and hacking. DVD Jon said that “Google was doing far too little testing of Android apps in its store and it shows.”
Windows Phone Marketplace is still being defined, at the moment any developer can put forward a design and it will go through a moderation process before going live. Although similar to the Apple process, Microsoft is more flexible with types of apps yet is restrictive on code that won’t be beneficial to a user (i.e. if a user cannot turn the app off).
Development
To produce an app on the iPhone you will need a Mac and to learn objective C! Although Apple is allowing mono touch to be accepted, there are concerns from developers that Apple will do a u-turn and remove this route, as it has done so in the past.
Android applications are written in the Java programming language. The compiled Java code, along with any data and resource files required by the application, is bundled by the aapt tool into an Android package which is then downloaded onto a mobile device; pretty simple and allows anyone to produce an app, with no development guidelines.
Microsoft is taking advantage of anything it can, develop an app in Silverlight, Flash, XNA in visual studio, or use a Crossplayers such as phonegap and appcelerator to ensure your app is coded in HTML and JQuery. Developers who want to break into the world of Windows Phone apps will be encouraged by the new Metro UI – giving them the opportunity to develop hubs for the homepage and various apps.
Continued on the next page
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