How To|Jan 21, 2016

How to Make Your App Visible in Windows Store

Windows Store has long been plagued with complaints about the low quality of apps, prevalence of spam, and the fact that popular apps are unavailable or missing key features. It’s a problem for Microsoft, which urgently wants to inspire more developers to build universal Windows apps. In its quest to improve the quality of apps…
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News|Jan 20, 2016

No Hardware Freebies at Build 2016, But There Is a Free Mini-Conference

Social media was abuzz with reaction from developers on Tuesday when registration information for Microsoft’s Build 2016 conference revealed that (gasp) there would be no hardware giveaways at this year’s confab. In the past, those freebies have helped offset the steep price of admission; last year’s attendees got a free HP Spectre x360 convertible Windows…
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News|Jan 19, 2016

The Next Market for Windows 10: Vending Machines?

Among the products Microsoft is showing off this week at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show is a vending machine with a 40-inch touch screen powered by Windows 10. Built by Mondelez International—the makers of Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers and Trident gum—the machine allows users to view snacks in 3-D and read nutritional information before…
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news|Jan 15, 2016

New App Analyzer Will Help Developers Prep for iOS to Windows Bridge

Microsoft is moving forward with a bridge to allow iOS developers to easily create versions of their apps for Windows 10. In an update to the Windows Bridge for iOS website (first spotted by  Frawin.com), Microsoft says it’s planning a rollout “in the coming weeks” of a web-based tool that will analyze apps for compatibility…
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News|Jan 14, 2016

Microsoft Offers R Server Free to Developers

Microsoft is releasing a free developer edition of its Microsoft R Server, an analytics platform for enterprises based on R, the most popular programming language for statistical computing and predictive analytics. The company has been working to integrate R into its big data products since acquiring Revolution Analytics, a provider of R software and services,…
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news|Jan 13, 2016

Google Sets Dates for I/O 2016, Registration Opens Soon for Microsoft’s Build

Google will hold its tenth-anniversary I/O developer conference May 18-20 in Mountain View, CA, CEO Sundar Pichai said in a Tweet on Tuesday. It’ll take place at the Shoreline Amphitheater, a massive outdoor concert arena (yes, a developer conference held outdoors), and the most likely big reveal would be a peek at Android’s newest version, Android…
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news|Jan 12, 2016

RIP, Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10

To cries of, “Finally!” from developers everywhere, Microsoft stopped supporting Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 on Jan. 12 as it continues to push users to migrate to the newer Edge browser. Though IE 11 will continue to receive security updates and bug fixes, in addition to Edge, the move is one more step toward…
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How To|Jan 8, 2016

How to Build a Microsoft Band App When You Don’t Have a Band

Want to try your hand at building apps for Microsoft Band, but don’t actually own the device? Or perhaps you just don’t want to worry about keeping your Band nearby or charged up. Two Microsoft developers in the UK have created code that mimics the official Microsoft Band SDK, allowing them to generate band data…
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news|Jan 7, 2016

Microsoft Continues Focus on IoT, Announces Partnership With Samsung

While Microsoft hasn’t had much of an official presence at CES 2016, its fingerprints are all over the various Windows 10 devices on display at the convention, including the new ultrathin Galaxy TabPro 5 from Samsung. On Thursday, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President for Windows Terry Myerson joined Samsung’s president, Won-Pyo Hong onstage to announce that…
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News|Jan 6, 2016

AT&T Announces New Developer Tools, and Other CES 2016 News

The world’s biggest gadget-fest, CES, officially kicked off in Las Vegas today. The gaggle of products on display ranges from the weird (smart bras) to the derivative (a slew of Surface knockoffs) to the undeniably cool (a drone with built-in VR headset that lets you share its birds-eye view? Yes, please!). Amid all the hardware…
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news|Jan 4, 2016

Windows 10 Hits 200 Million Device Mark

Microsoft kicked off 2016 with a milestone: Windows 10 is now active on more than 200 million devices, Microsoft VP for Windows Yusuf Mehdi wrote in a blog post Jan. 4. That’s up from 110 million, the last figure Microsoft reported in October 2015, and the fastest growth in adoption rates of any Windows version…
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news|Dec 30, 2015

Google Abandons Oracle Java for OpenJDK

The legal battle between Google and Oracle over Java APIs just took a new turn—and it could be good news for developers. Google has opted to use OpenJDK, the open-source APIs for Java, in its new version of Android, VentureBeat reports. That’s a change from current versions, which are based on Oracle’s proprietary Java Development…
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