developers

Every now and then we feature apps whose prices are going down for a small promotional period.  Obviously, in general people seem to like free stuff. But how much?

Well, I have an app called FFFFound in the Windows Phone Marketplace, which has been mentioned here on WPCentral a few times.  It's has quite a niche target market, and because of that doesn't have many users.  So before going into numbers, you need to realize that this is an app that not too many people actually want or need.  BUT for the few who are looking for something like this, they love it.  Because the users who have reviewed it have made it quite clear that they love the design, I wanted to get it into more hands.

Good news for your shutterbugs out there, Aviary (Aviary.com), a photo-editing startup company will be releasing an SDK within the next two months for Windows Phone. The company specializes in image enhancements and providing effects for on-board photo editing on mobile phones. The system is already available on iOS, Android and web applications, so Windows Phone seems like the next logical step.

The company's decision was partially driven by Nokia's focus on photography, especially their use of Carl-Zeiss lenses. According to Paul Murphy, a vice president at Aviary, “At a hardware level they’ve just done everything right".

Interestingly, Paul Murphy is also an ex-Microsoftie and used to work under current Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, so we imagine having some of those connections played a roll too. The SDK will be free to anyone for all Windows Phones but will be first "showcased" on Nokia to show the potential of their software. While the SDK is free, the company brings in revenue by offering more premium features at a cost to developers. Finally, the company has close to 400 partners which they hope to leverage in getting more Windows Phone photo apps created.

Good news all around and we look forward to seeing Aviary tech in future software packages from devs.

Source: GeekWire; Eiffel Tower image via Shutterstock; Thanks, Stephen M., for the link!

Students at the Department of Computer Science and Telecommunications of Larissa Institute of Technology (TEI) in Greece were invited to participate in a Windows Phone app development contest earlier this year. Sponsored by both Microsoft and Nokia, the event saw students compete against one another for the grand prize, which were two Nokia Lumia 800s.

The winners of the contest were as follows:

• Escape From Heaven ($0.99/79p) is an interesting indie game that puts the player in control of a hedgehog that is attempting to escape from heaven.
• Ο.Σ.Ε (free - Greek) aids those who desire to use the public transport networks in Greece with live maps of train stations, details and more.

The remaining apps are the work of the runner-ups, who all received a free Windows Phone (HTC or LG) each (note that some of these apps are in Greek).

• Κρεμάλα
• SaveKenny
• Lucky Ball-Aki
• NewsPapersViewer
• MediCal
• KOK

For more information on the event, apps and winners, head on over to the website (link below). It's worth checking out for the design of the contest website, which makes use of Metro elements. With all the trouble that Greece is in with regards to economics and unemployment levels, it's fantastic to see young aspiring developers produce such fine works.

Source: TEI of Larissa, thanks Sofokis for the tip!

Now that Nokia's Lumia 710 and 800 have made it to the Czech Republic, Microsoft and Nokia have teamed up to try to spark up some developer interest in them.  In a new contest, they will be awarding Lumia 800s to the first 100 developers who get three apps to the Marketplace and total fifty downloads.  The contest has been running since February 1 and will continue until May 31, or until the 100 phones have been given out.  

Early reports are that Nokia sales have been pretty strong since coming to the Czech Republic.  The combined effort by Microsoft and Nokia to market their products to both consumers and developers alike seem to be paying off.  Hopefully, the strategy proves to be successful in other parts of the world as well.

Source: MobileMania; Thanks for the tip, Michal!

We mentioned Visual Studio Achievements for Windows Phone just over a month ago. The pet project by developer Den Delimarsky picks up where Microsoft's Channel 9 left off. In short, these are achievements...but for developers! And now you can track them easily on your Windows Phone, thanks to Den's app.

Nerd alert!

Having said that, the app itself is pretty awesome with the ability to track your achievements as well as sharing and comparing your scores to others for ultimate bragging rights.

Read more on Channel 9's Visual Studio Achievements here and read more at Den's blog over yonder.

Grab the free app here and now in the Marketplace.

Starting January 31, Microsoft's Windows Phone 30 to Launch challenge will see developers building creative and beautiful apps in just 30 days. Four winners of the competition will receive an awesome entertainment package prize sporting a 3D HDTV and Kinect.

Unfortunately, before you get all excited and prepare your best app ideas, this competition is open for U.S. residents only. The challenge will begin on January 31st when the official rules will be published. Head on over to the 30 to Launch website to sign up and be sure to check out app development events.

Source: 30 to Launch

If you haven't checked it out already, then you should head over to our developer forum. It is one of the newer sections in the growth of the forums. And it's not just for developers!

The default Metro look on Windows Phone 7 is certainly beautiful, but is not for everyone. So if you're looking to change the look of your device, then go take a look through all the different themes that our users have created, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Next up, would you like to beta test some applications/games? You will not need an unlocked phone, and it's a good chance to try out new products before the rest of the world. Also, if you are a developer why not request some testers in the forum. It always helps getting a second pair of eyes on your work.

• MiniCraft is a small crafting game ported for a game Notch made.
• Chromatic is an online multiplayer shooter that we featured yesterday.

Then, for you more adventurous individuals, we have the Software Development and Hacking section where you can get help with a potential problem with Zune/Chevron or maybe just post screen captures of your WP7.

Finally, if you need help getting started with WP7 dev or want to take advantage of a great offer for free app translation to Swedish then go on over to the developer section.

The Fast Track to the Mobile App contest was recently held by Core77 allowing aspiring mobile app designers to create mockups of their ideas and submit them. In December of last year the winners were announced and told to go forth and develop! The winners and finalists were given the choice to either develop their own app or choose from a list of developer bio's provided by Core77.

The 5 winners were each given the following prizes to kick-start their development:

• Free Windows Phones
• XBox 360 (with Kinect)
• 1-year App-Hub subscriptions
• App Development Deal (with revenue sharing options) to bring your design to life

A month later and they have posted an update detailing the progress of two of the winners and the processes that they have gone through to get where they are.

It remains to be seen what the other 3 winners have been up to, but for now, Social Mints and Cash Hound look quite interesting.

Hit the source link to read the full article.

Source: Core77

If you happen to be in the UK and near London on January 31st then this might just interest you. The Windows Phone User Group (an independent group dedicated to helping developers interested in the Windows Phone platform) are having another monthly meeting just next to Liverpool Street station.

This month they have Alan Mendelvich of AdDuplex providing a guide to monetizing apps on the Windows Phone platform, as well as demonstrations, socializing and beer. This all sounds excellent to me so I've decided to join this month's meeting as well, if you want to come along an say hi, you can register for free at the source link.

Source: Windows Phone User Group