Office Professional 2010 Microsoft touts 300,000 W

As Microsoft methods its drop Windows Phone 7 start, its evangelists are functioning overtime to try to develop momentum for the platform.
Microsoft officials are announcing on August 23 that there have been 300,000-plus downloads with the beta with the Windows Telephone 7 developer tools to date. They mentioned the last version of the equipment might be out September sixteen, but stressed that these thinking about composing games and applications utilizing the XNA Framework and Silverlight don’t need to wait for that ultimate.
“Of course,Office 2007 Key, the last instruments will have some minor breaking changes from the Beta instruments, so developers may have to fix some bugs which arise,” acknowledged Brandon Watson, a Director in Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business,Office Professional 2010, in a new post to the Windows Phone Developer blog. “The last resources will also include several highly requested Silverlight controls which will make it even easier for developers to deliver high quality Windows Telephone seven experiences. Also in the September 16th final release,Office 2010 Key, the panorama, pivot and Bing maps controls will all be available to drop into programs,” Watson added.
The latest version with the Windows Phone seven Developer Tools beta, released in July, included test builds of Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Telephone,Microsoft Office 2007, Windows Phone Emulator, Silverlight for Windows Telephone, Expression Blend for Windows Telephone and XNA Game Studio 4.0
Watson, for these who haven’t bumped into him at various Microsoft shows and events, is the guy who heads up Windows Telephone developer marketing and field and sales readiness for developer engagements. He formerly worked on the technical marketing team for Server and Tools, focusing on developer platforms for Windows Azure and .Net. (He’s also founded a company that developed online-safety solutions for kids, and was a principal with Soros Private Equity Partners,Microsoft Office 2007, in between his stints at Microsoft.)
“There are half a million Silverlight developers out there, and two million C# programmers,” Watson told me during a meeting I had with him recently at a Microsoft event. “The message is write once, optimize anywhere.”
He stressed that Windows Phone seven and its ecosystem is “built by developers, for developers.”
“We’re listening to developers about what they want and are being very open and transparent about what we’re delivering” in terms of resources, Marketplace policies and more, Watson stated. With Microsoft, “you get discovered, you get rewarded,” he quipped.
Another of these who is part of Microsoft’s Windows Phone seven evangelism efforts is Anand Iyer, who has been operating as a Microsoft evangelist in the not-usually-Microsoft-friendly Northern California area. Iyer has worked with Microsoft’s Emerging Business Team and was a program manager for the Microsoft BizSpark program for startups. Currently, he is a Senior Product Manager focusing on Windows Telephone 7’s Application Developer experiences, targeting startups, students and hobbyist/indie developers in particular.
Iyer mentioned there’s a big focus with Windows Telephone 7 on “long-tail developers,” not just the big names. “We want to build rockstars,” he mentioned, to make sure that there will probably be some unique programs that are available only on Windows Telephone 7.
“The goal is to help developers truly understand what they need to do to be successful,” he mentioned. That means finding ways to attract developers who have experience creating for other smartphone platforms, like the iPhone and Android, but also looking for those who are familiar with Microsoft’s equipment and development models who may not necessarily have mobile-development experience.
Microsoft recently announced 50 gaming titles that will probably be available on Windows Phone 7 at launch. The company also has been distributing Windows Phone 7 prototype phones to a small, selected pool of developers to help them finalize their offerings for start. Microsoft execs have been sporting early prototype Windows Telephone seven devices at various conferences. And the team has been encouraging Microsoft employees to attempt their hand at developing Windows Telephone seven applications.
As many pundits, developers, competitors and potential customers have noted, Microsoft has a long road ahead of it on the smartphone front. Is there anything Microsoft isn’t doing — or should rethink — that you feel would give Windows Phone seven a better chance of success?