3 Ways to Publish Your Apps on Windows Phone Store – Dev Center, App Studio & DreamSpark
What makes an app more interesting to download and install is if it’s properly designed, smartly developed, and beautifully labelled in the Windows Phone Store. Here’s how Microsoft ensure these things.
When it comes to designing apps, Microsoft follows a design language based on these three design concepts: the Bauhaus, Swiss style and Saul Bass motion design. If it’s about development, Microsoft ensures that developers are equipped with proper tools, templates and guidelines in order to create easy-to-use but interactive user interface. Publishing apps and games in Windows Phone Store is based on strict guidelines. Publishers are required to plan ahead their business model, target markets, choice of images, and proper description of their apps.
While these are big challenges to every developer who wants to publish their apps in the Windows Phone Store, Microsoft is always there to give support. As a matter of fact, Microsoft has these three big programs which main goal is to provide the needs of every developer.
Dev Center
The Dev Center is the central hub for Microsoft developers. This is the site where you can find all the resources needed for you to get going with you app development career. After registering as a developer, Microsoft will allow you to download the necessary development tools free of charge. These tools are the Windows SDK for Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Emulators, Windows App Certification Kit and Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows. There are many other toolkits, extensions, and SDKs that are available for download as you go along with the development process.
For beginners in Windows environment, you can download the universal Windows app samples pack. There are also training modules and tutorial videos available in the Microsoft Virtual Academy.
As a Microsoft developer, you have to familiarize yourself with the design process. From fonts and layouts, to tiles and badges, to colors and form factors, to visual identity and templates, they are all available from the Dev Center.
During the app development, after you’ve created the UI and applied the necessary features, the next step is to monetize, package and test you apps. After this, you can publish your app to the Windows Phone Store. In all these steps, the Dev Center is complete with comprehensive guidelines and tutorials for you to use.
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App Studio
The App Studio is a website designed to help non-developers to develop apps for their product, business, or ideas which they want to share to the world. This is actually the extension of the Dev Center where beginners can learn the basics and advanced methods in app development.
There is a How-to page that will guide you in developing from scratch to a 100% working app. Here, you will learn about data source, application section, data source configuration, installation of the app on your Windows phone device, and publishing your app in the Windows Phone Store.
You will also be required to register an account. To start creating your first app, you will be prompted to choose an app template. There are also sample app templates and sample working apps which you can download and use as guide.
The App Studio will feed you with useful tips, tricks and materials on how to become an expert developer. One of the advantages in using the App Studio is that you can generate the app code here and automatically populate it to the Visual Studio platform. Another advanced tool is the Microsoft Research touchdevelop which allows developers to build games and apps right on their smartphones or tablets.
DreamSpark
DreamSpark is for students, educators, and faculty members of academic institutions who have passion in app development. After successful registration, students can download professional developer and designer tools such as the Visual Studio Community 2013 and GitHub Education Student Developer Pack at no cost. After successful enrolment, academic institutions will be entitled to low-cost subscriptions on professional developer tools and software. The publishing guidelines are just the same as the process in the Dev Center.
