WP7 – Eric D. Boyd

Windows Phone Development Training in Chicago

There are lots of great opportunities in Chicago to help you be a successful Windows Phone developer. If you are looking for a day of training, help with completing your apps or even a community to work alongside you as you journey down the path of Windows Phone master, Chicago has it. The following list of training opportunities are taking place between now and the end of the year and will help you be successful as a Windows Phone developer.

Windows Phone Camp – November, 18th
http://aka.ms/wpchicago
This is a free, full day event chock-full of everything you need to know to develop a Windows Phone application. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just getting started with .NET development, this full-day event is for you. If you’re interested in making $$$, there will also be discussion on how to monetize your applications and profit from your apps.

The day will be capped with a hands-on session where prizes will be awarded for completed apps. This is the perfect opportunity to begin work on your dream application, or finish that app you’ve already started with Windows Phone experts to help and guide you. Bring your own laptop to join in the fun and show off your killer app!

There will also be a Windows Phone giveaway and many other cool prizes.

Windows Phone Camp Hands On Accelerator Lab – December 6th – 8th
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032497581
It’s time to turn your napkin sketches into real, sellable apps for Windows Phone in less than a week! In this 3-day developer retreat, there will be experts on hand to help you build, test, pitch and deploy your app into the Windows Phone Marketplace. You will have hands on technical assistance, Marketplace subscriptions, and developer phones for testing.

It’s a great chance to get step-by-step advice from Microsoft and community experts and all you have to do is bring your existing app or app idea that you are ready to build.

Seating is limited and registration is not guaranteed. Get your spot today!

Chicago Windows Phone Developer Group – 1st Thursday of the Month
http://www.meetup.com/Chicago-Windows-Phone-Developers/
This group consists of professionals and students, residing in the Chicago area, who develop or plan to develop apps for Windows Phone devices and Windows Phone Marketplace. The group provides knowledge sharing, an exchange of ideas, and professional networking at monthly meetings. All things Windows Phone are discussed including Silverlight, XNA, .NET Framework, Cloud services, UI design and more.

Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) Launch Party in Chicago

Today, Windows Phone went big in New York City at the Windows Phone “launch party”. In Herald’s Square, Microsoft created a massive 6-story Windows Phone that transformed into a stage for performers like Far East Movement. New Windows Phones were also made available today for as little as $49.99 from Samsung and HTC on both AT&T and T-Mobile.

If you are in Chicago and feel like you missed out, this Friday and Saturday, 11/11 and 11/12, Microsoft is hosting one of the five national Windows Phone launch parties at MCA Warehouse in Chicago. It’s completely free with food and cocktails from top local chefs, The Drums will be performing, and you also can get your hands on the new Windows Phone. I will be there Friday night, so find me and say hello.

Register soon because space is limited and you will not want to miss this party.
https://apps.facebook.com/windowsphonersvp/contests/160121

Windows Phone Launch Party on 11/11 and 11/12 (7PM)
MCA Warehouse
1747 W. Hubbard St.
Chicago, IL 60686

If you are in Dallas, Los Angeles or San Fransciso, Windows Phone launch parties are also coming to your cities.
Dallas on 11/16, 11/17 (7PM) with Young The Giant
Los Angeles on 11/30, 12/1 (7PM) with MuteMath
San Francisco on 12/6, 12/7 (7PM) with Best Coast

Speaking at GR DevDay Tomorrow in Grand Rapids, MI

Tomorrow in Grand Rapids, MI is GR DevDay. GR DevDay is a one-day software development conference that is completely volunteer-run and organized by developers with other developers in mind. GR DevDay grew out of the rapid growth and popularity of the GR Day of .NET conference which was organized by the West Michigan .NET User Group. While the historical ties remain strong, the scope of topics at GR DevDay will reflect the diverse nature of modern software development. A wide range of technology topics will be explored and developers of all backgrounds are welcome. A couple of things that I’m heavily involved in today are Cloud Computing with Windows Azure and Mobile development with Windows Phone. I will be giving two talks tomorrow and will cover both areas.

Architecting for Massive Scalability
The Cloud now makes seemingly infinite amounts of computing power accessible to everyone. However, to maximize this power, your applications need to scale. In this session, we will explore patterns that enable massive scalability. We will examine Brewer’s CAP Theorem and contrast it to the ACID principles that guide traditional line-of-business applications. And finally, we will explore how to apply these patterns when building applications for the Cloud using Windows Azure.

Making $$$ With the Windows Phone
The release of Windows Phone has created a rare opportunity for app developers to get in on the ground floor of a new and high-growth mobile app marketplace. In this session, we will explore the ins and outs of the Marketplace and how to get started building and monetizing apps for the Windows Phone. We will take a look at the successes and case studies of other Windows Phone developers and explore their strategies for monetizing their apps. Finally, we will explore Marketplace trends and analytics and identify a number of strategies to increase your app revenue.

The speaker and session line-up is fantastic with speakers like Jeff Blankenburg, Matt Hidinger, Samidip Basu, Chris Woodruff, Adam Ryder, and Jeff McWherter presenting a range of talks on Mobile, Cloud and Web.

If you are coming to GR DevDay, I hope to chat with you tomorrow! And if you’re interested in crossing the pond and heading to Chicago, Milwaukee or Madison, let’s talk.

Windows Phone and HTML5 at Chicago Ideas Week

Today, Chicago Ideas Week kicks off and goes until Sunday, October 16. Chicago Ideas Week is a week of the world’s top speakers in Chicago, with the city’s best thinkers, creating an ecosystem of innovation, exploration and intellectual recreation.

The City of Chicago has been anxiously waiting for this week, for some time now. Downtown is painted with CIW banners, the lamp posts are proudly displaying Chicago Ideas Week and twitter is full of excitement.

I want to specifically call out the following two, Start Something! events that I’m quite excited for. They are both taking place tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11, at Tribeca Flashpoint Academy at The Merchandise Mart.

Gartner and IDC are both predicting that over the next few years, the Windows Phone will steal huge market share, pass Apple’s iPhone and have almost 3% more of the overall market than Apple’s iOS. This presents a rare and massive opportunity for app developers and consumer brands. http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/02/gartner-idc-windows-phone-to-steal-second-place-from-ios-by-2015/

Opportunities like this come around very few times. If you don’t want to be left out, check out:

Start Something! Bring Your Apps to Life on Windows Phone
Do you have the next million dollar idea that you just can’t find the time to finish? Do you already have an app for Android and iPhone that you want to expand into new markets? Windows Phone is here – and with it comes a new world of opportunity for passionate, creative developers. Windows Phone gives you the power to build complex, robust applications using consistent hardware specs, a comprehensive development toolkit, and the all-new, full-service Marketplace for selling your apps.
http://www.chicagoideas.com/2011/09/ciw-partner-program-start-something-bring-your-apps-to-life-on-windows-phone/

If you have been hearing the HTML5 buzz and want to get a clearer picture, check out:

Start Something! Unleash Your Web App with HTML5
HTML5 is the biggest and most powerful HTML specification to ever come out of the W3C. Its roots come from a proposal to extend HTML4 to make it easier for web developers to create web applications. With more and more browsers supporting HTML5, ECMAScript 5 and other web standards, developers now have a strong web platform they can use to create a new class of application that is more powerful and interactive than ever before. What’s in HTML5 that lets us take our applications to the next level?
http://www.chicagoideas.com/2011/09/ciw-partner-program-start-something-unleash-your-web-app-with-html5/

BUILD Windows Conference in Chicago

Any day now, my second son Xander will arrive. As a result, I’ve been staying close to home, which means I’m not traveling to Anaheim, CA this week to attend the //build/ windows conference. Microsoft PDC has always been my favorite technology conference and if the Windows team continues this with the new //build/ windows conference, it will be an awesome event. I’m anticipating some huge announcements for all things Windows, from Windows 8, to Windows Phone, to Windows Azure, and I’m quite anxious to hear the exciting news.

If you are like me, in Chicago, and unable to attend //build/ windows in-person, come to ITA/TechNexus on Tuesday and Wednesday, between 11:00AM and 1:30PM. You will join other Chicago developers to watch the //build/ keynotes live.

Space is limited and you need to register at http://buildchicago.eventbrite.com.