Windows 7 Ultimate Microsoft touts 300,000 Windows

As Microsoft strategies its fall Windows Telephone 7 launch, its evangelists are working overtime to attempt to develop momentum for that platform.
Microsoft officials are announcing on August 23 that there have been 300,000-plus downloads of the beta of the Windows Phone seven developer tools to date. They stated the ultimate edition of the equipment is going to be out September sixteen, but stressed that those interested in composing video games and programs using the XNA Framework and Silverlight don’t need to wait for the final.
“Of course, the last equipment will have some minor breaking changes from the Beta resources, so developers may have to fix some bugs which arise,Office Enterprise 2007,” acknowledged Brandon Watson, a Director in Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business, in a new post to the Windows Phone Developer blog. “The ultimate 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 last release, the panorama, pivot and Bing maps controls will all be available to drop into applications,” Watson added.
The latest edition with the Windows Phone seven Developer Equipment beta, released in July, included test builds of Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone, Windows Telephone Emulator, Silverlight for Windows Phone, Expression Blend for Windows Telephone and XNA Game Studio 4.0
Watson, for those who haven’t bumped into him at various Microsoft shows and events, is the guy who heads up Windows Phone developer marketing and field and sales readiness for developer engagements. He formerly worked on the technical marketing team for Server and Resources, 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, 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 Telephone 7 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,Office 2007 Product Key, Marketplace policies and more, Watson stated. With Microsoft,Windows 7 Pro, “you get discovered, you get rewarded,” he quipped.
Another of those who is part of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 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 that Microsoft BizSpark program for startups. Currently, he is a Senior Product Manager focusing on Windows Phone 7’s Application Developer experiences, targeting startups, students and hobbyist/indie developers in particular.
Iyer stated there’s a big focus with Windows Telephone 7 on “long-tail developers,” not just the big names. “We want to make rockstars,” he mentioned, to make sure that there is going to be some unique programs that are available only on Windows Telephone seven.
“The goal is to help developers truly understand what they need to do to be successful,Windows 7 Ultimate,” he mentioned. That means finding ways to attract developers who have experience producing for other smartphone platforms, like the iPhone and Android, but also looking for these who are familiar with Microsoft’s instruments and development models who may not necessarily have mobile-development experience.
Microsoft recently announced 50 gaming titles that will likely be available on Windows Phone 7 at start. The company also has been distributing Windows Phone seven prototype phones to a small, selected pool of developers to help them finalize their offerings for launch. Microsoft execs have already 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 Phone 7 applications.
As many pundits, developers, competitors and potential customers have noted,Office Professional 2010, 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 7 a better chance of success?