For those of you, who’ve been waiting for the Windows Phone 8 Software Development Kit for some time now, there’s a good news: it’s finally here. Microsoft on October 30 announced the availability of the Windows Phone 8 SDK at its Build 2012 developer conference, along with the official unveiling of the Windows Phone 8. The much-awaited SDK will allow developers to build apps for the smartphone avatar of the hot and new range of Windows 8 operating system.
Until the release, Microsoft was criticized by developers worldwide for not making the SDK available well before the official launch of the Windows Phone 8 OS. Microsoft attributes the delay to one of their strategies, which required the ‘key features’ of the new platform as well as the partner devices, to be kept confidential until the product was officially launched. However, industry reviewers feel that there isn’t anything that exclusive in the platform which could force such a strategy. One of the most pleasing news for existing developers is that apps meant for Windows Phone 7 will work fine in the new platform, while Windows Phone 7.5 will get an update to the 7.8 version of the OS; though no official announcement about the updates were made in the event.
The SDK is now up for download and provides resources to developers in two forms. It provides the developers with a stand-alone IDE, along with the option of using it as an add-on for their existing installation of Visual Studio Professional or up. It also provides a complete set of emulators and other resources, designed specifically to enhance the experience of developing Windows Phone 8 apps.
Some important features like native C++ code support and overall compatibility with the Windows 8 SDK have been introduced, which effectively boils down to some major relief to the developers, as they can now deal with identical APIs for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Moreover, this allows them to create and monetize their apps in the desktop windows market as well, with minimal amount of tweak-ups. In addition, many new updates like advanced camera API, Speech API, In-App purchasing API is also available with the brand new SDK.
Talking about the installation requirements, Microsoft has chosen to go the ‘Apple way’ this time around, requiring the developers to have at least 64-bit Windows 8 Pro installed on their PCs in order to use the SDK, in addition to a minimum of 4GB of RAM and 4GB of storage. One of the interesting new additions is the “Microsoft Advertising Ad Control for Windows Phone”, which is incorporated with the Windows Phone SDK. This makes it possible for developers to monetize applications and games in case they sign up for Microsoft Advertising.
In addition to the many enhancements in the new SDK, the common Windows core and the common API set is being looked upon as one of the most compelling features to exploit by the developers. If you feel like discovering more about the possibilities, you should drop it at the new Microsoft Windows Phone dev center, which is the new dedicated platform meant for Windows Phone developers.
