Amazon Web Services (AWS) SDK for Windows Phone Arrives in Beta

Today, Microsoft also announced the release of a new developer tool for developers interested in packing Amazon Web Services (AWS) with their Windows Phone applications.  The new Amazon Web Services (AWS) SDK for Windows Phone was built as an open source project from Microsoft, providing developers with a speed dial for easily connecting and integrating Windows Phone applications with AWS (S3, SimpleDB, and SQS Cloud Services). Application developers interested in delivering cloud-connected mobile software are also looking for choice and for the possibility to reuse assets and skills. Developers familiar with AWS will be able to take full advantage of the new SDK, when it comes to porting to Windows Phone applications built for Android, iOS or any other platform. “Our approach with AWS is to provide developers with choice and flexibility to build applications the way they want and give them unlimited storage, bandwidth and computing resources, while paying only for what they use,” Terry Wise, director of business development for Amazon Web Services, notes  “We welcome Windows Phone developers to the AWS community and look forward to providing customers with new ways to build and deploy Windows Phone applications,” he continues. Jean Paoli, general manager of interoperability strategy at Microsoft, explains that the Windows Phone platform was meant to be a Cloud-friendly solution, and that the release of this new SDK is another proof of that. “The release of the AWS SDK for Windows Phone Beta proves that Microsoft’s goal of building a Cloud-friendly phone is true across vendor boundaries,” he says.  “It literally takes minutes to create a Cloud-ready application in C# with this SDK. We look forward to this SDK eventually resulting in many more great apps in the rapidly growing Windows Phone marketplace.” The new Amazon Web Services (AWS) SDK for Windows Phone was released under the Apache license, the same as the complete source code for it. Those interested in learning more on what it could offer should head over to the Windows Phone Interoperability Bridges website. Download the Amazon Web Services (AWS) SDK for Windows Phone

Microsoft Gives 20 Free Windows Phones to Android Users

Microsoft has been seizing each opportunity to hit Google’s Android operating system, and a new one emerged only recently.  Earlier this week, the company announced that it chose to deliver no less than 20 free Windows Phones to Android users who have been affected by malware that slipped in the Android Market. On Monday, Microsoft’s Ben Rudolph announced on Twitter that he had 20 smartphones to give to those who had been affected by issues with the operating system. The response was tremendous, with over 1,000 people sending tweets to complain of various problems they had with their Androids. “This week the internet was buzzing about how upwards of 5 million Android users have phones infected with annoying adware,” Microsoft’s Ben Rudolph noted in a blog post. “To help out, we offered up 20 free Windows Phones to people who shared their story about their frustrations with their Android phone, and why a Windows Phone would be a welcome upgrade. “I got nearly 1000 responses since we kicked things off (thanks to everyone who sent in a story!), and out of those, here are our 20 winners.” The said post on Microsoft’s blog explains more on the matter. In the meantime, we should note that this is not the first time Microsoft makes such a move. Last year, the company offered some more free Windows Phones to Android users who got infected. Moreover, Ben was on the floor at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where he offered $100 to any user who could prove his/her phone was faster than a Windows Phone. There were not too many devices that managed to prove faster than Ben’s Windows Phone, which demonstrated that Microsoft’s mobile platform does have a lot to offer to users, even if it did not register the sales one might have wanted it to.

Microsoft Now Testing Skype Beta for Windows Phone Internally

We already knew that Microsoft was planning the release of a mobile version of Skype on handsets running under its Windows Phone mobile platform, but we had no clue as of when it might become available.  Today, however, we learn that it might not be long before the beta flavor of the application is released. Apparently, the Redmond-based company has started dogfooding Skype Beta for Windows Phone. Basically, the software giant is pushing the application to its employees that own Windows Phones, asking them to take it for a spin and to provide feedback on it. This means that the app is usable enough to be delivered to the masses, and that it could receive general availability in the very near future. With the dogfooding process started, any major bugs that might be present with the beta release should be resolved, which would make the app fit for public use. According to wp7lab, a source in the know confirmed that Skype for Windows Phone would hit devices in the near future, and that the beta testing was well underway. The application will be pushed to the Windows Phone Marketplace soon, yet we should expect for Microsoft to have it integrated in future versions of the mobile operating system. For the time being, however, specific info on what Skype for Windows Phone will have to offer hasn’t emerged, though wp7lab suggests that it should not be too long before screenshots with the application emerge. When released on Windows Phone, Skype will be able to take full advantage of the front cameras on the latest devices out there, to provide users with video calling capabilities. Android users can already benefit from this capability on their devices, as the popular VoIP application has been available for them for quite some time now. Thus, it was only natural for Microsoft to have it on Windows Phone as well, since it owns Skype.