Taming the SplitView Control in Windows 10
Of all the new controls featured in Windows 10, SplitView is perhaps the most emblematic. SplitView makes it easy to implement “hamburger menu” interfaces like the ones featured in Windows 10’s built-in News, Sports, and Photos apps, among others. A hamburger icon consisting of three horizontal bars sits atop a ribbon on the left side…
Microsoft Quietly Slips Out Windows 10 RTM Release
Microsoft isn’t exactly known for it’s subtlety but this week’s release of Build 10240 of Windows 10 could be an exception. While Microsoft hasn’t yet made the announcement, all indications are that Build 10240 is in fact the RTM version of Windows 10 which would be used by manufacturers to preload Windows 10 in time…
Windows 10 Launch Is Coming? Will You Upgrade?
Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10 Launch is turning into quite a party, literally. On July 29th Microsoft is planning to celebrate the 5 million users who took part in the Windows Insider program by hosting special events in 13 cities including Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, New Delhi, Dubai, Nairobi, Berlin, Johannesburg, Mardrid, London, Sao Paolo, and…
Windows 10 Release To Manufacturing This Week?
Word on the street, and by street I mean Twitter, is that in order to enable manufacturers to have Windows 10 devices ready for the official July 29th launch, Microsoft has to wrap up their development by the end of this week. Whether this means there will also be a RTW (Release to Web) for…
Handling the Back Button in Windows 10 UWP Apps
The cool thing about Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps is that they run on an assortment of devices, from PCs, tablets, and phones to (soon) Xboxes and HoloLens, among others. Personally, I can’t wait to see some of the apps I’ve written light up on my kids’ Xbox. They’ll think I’m a hero (“my dad…
Get a Jump Start On Managing Windows 10 With A Free EBook
While Windows 10 is still in the final stages of development, there’s a lot to learn for IT professionals who want to be on the early adoption curve. This eBook from Microsoft covers everything from the new user experience to security and networking features and even an overview of installing Windows 10 for phones and…
Will Windows 10 Be Ready for it’s July 29th Unveiling?
Many Windows users woke up this morning to a new icon in their taskbar announcing the release date for Windows 10 along with how to register to get a free upgrade. This is great news, but with current Technical Preview builds still having numerous reported defects could July 29th be too soon? Microsoft’s blog post for…
Spicing Up Universal Windows Apps with Per-Platform Views and Compiled Data Bindings
Adaptability is one of the hallmarks of the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). Apps that run on devices large and small must be able to adapt their UIs to the screen space available. UWP offers a number of tools for building adaptive UIs, including AdaptiveTrigger, RelativePanel, and controls that are cognizant of the screens they’re running…
API Convergence Gets Real in Windows 10
Last year, I wrote a universal app named Pic Me (later renamed to “Picture Me”) for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. The main reason I wrote it was that my daughter said “wouldn’t it be cool to have an app that shows you all the photos you’ve been tagged in on Facebook, and that…
Using AdaptiveTrigger to Build Adaptive UIs in Windows 10
Like a lot of developers, I’ve been watching the development of Windows 10 and digesting all the features Microsoft announced at BUILD. And I’m eager to build apps that target the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). UWP is a new model that allows you to write apps that run on a wide range of Windows devices,…
Microsoft Details Bridges to Windows Universal Apps
The rather lackluster Day 2 keynote from Build 2015 was short on big announcements as they looked to drive home the message of the power of the Windows Universal Platform including a few more details on the bridges they are building for Web, Android, and iOS developers to move their apps to Windows. Day 2…