Windows Phone 7 Questions I Want Answered at MIX10

By
Mark Tucker
Published: March 8, 2010Posted in: Windows Phone 7Tags: , ,

There are a few things we know already about Windows Phone 7 Series, but many questions will need to wait for the MIX10 conference next week.  We know that the phone will be released for the holidays, that its UI contains multiple hubs, that custom app development can be done using XNA or Silverlight in Visual Studio 10, and that this fits in with the 3 screens and a cloud story.

But there are other questions that hopefully will be answered at MIX:

  1. Is there a more specific release date?  November 2010?
  2. Will I be able to do Silverlight development for Xune HD and XBox360?
  3. Will there be changes in Windows Azure pricing to match Phone + Cloud consumer apps?
  4. Will a WP7 Simulator be released?  Will it work in VS10, Expression Blend, or both?
  5. Are there updates to SketchFlow for sketching WP7 apps?
  6. What is the debugging experience for WP7 apps?
  7. WP7 hubs allow content to span multiple “screen” widths on one large panel.  Will this be possible in custom apps or is it limited to hubs?
  8. How can I integrate my content into existing hubs?
  9. What .NET Framework features will be available for WP7 and what is missing?  For example, would MEF even make sense for WP7?
  10. When will the marketplace be available to upload custom apps and what will the process be?
  11. As an attendee, will I get special pricing when WP7 devices are available or a free Zune HD to use for development?

What questions about Windows Phone 7 do you want answered at MIX? What sessions are you planning on attending? If you are not going to MIX, which session videos will you watch first?

 

Here are the answers to the above questions:

  1. No specific release date other than Holiday 2010
  2. Currently Silverlight development is not available for XBox 360, but that is likely for the future.  No mention of Xune HD supporting Silverlight.
  3. A representative at the Windows Azure booth said that many people are asking this question and that they are “listening”.  Not sure what that means as far as a price change.
  4. Windows Phone emulator is released and it works with VS 2010 Express for Windows Phone (free), VS 2010, and Expression Blend 4.
  5. No updates to SketchFlow yet to support WP7 controls or panoramic applications.  Not sure when support is coming.
  6. I know you can debug in the emulator, but I didn’t get an answer for debugging on a device.
  7. Panoramic applications will be supported.  A demo was shown at the MIX10 first day keynote.
  8. There a limited content extensibility points for hubs, but some custom content will be possible.
  9. My understanding is that the features available for WP7 is a Silverlight version between 3 and 4.  In other words not all of Silverlight 4 functionality will make it into WP7.  I heard that there is working to get MEF assemblies working on the Windows Phone.
  10. There was an entire talk at MIX10 about the marketplace.  The current Windows Phone marketplace will be used but by May there should be more information specifically about Windows Phone 7.  To submit applications to the marketplace, you need to pay $99 a year.  It should take about 5 business days for a submitted application to appear for sale in the marketplace.
  11. No hardware was available with no roadmap to when development devices would be available or it there would be discouts for MIX attendees.

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