Windows Phone 7 has racked up 300,000 downloads from developers but they’re still stuck using unfinished beta tools to make their apps. Microsoft has promised that the finished set of Windows Phone 7 developer tools will be released on September 16 but that potentially gives app builders just weeks to get their creations finished…
Though Microsoft hasn’t officially named a Windows Phone 7 release date, it’s suggested that we’ll see the first phones in Europe during October. That means app developers will have to get a serious move on once the Windows Phone 7 developer tools are finally released.
The updated SDK is pretty vital as the current tools are missing several key techniques for tapping into Windows Phone 7’s hubs and making apps match the striking look of the rest of the OS.
When Windows Phone 7 does break cover, it looks like the Windows Phone Marketplace should have a fairly healthy set of apps to choose from. Microsoft says the Windows Phone 7 beta versions have been downloaded 300,000 times. But that figure covers three betas, folk who’ve just downloaded them to take a look and people who may have grabbed them several times.
Microsoft has suggested an “early October” start date for submitting apps to the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace which suggests the European launch will fall somewhere in mid-to-late October. Expect to see more Windows Phone 7 handsets leaking over the next couple of weeks.
Let us know: do you think Windows Phone 7 apps will able to match the growing might of the iTunes App Store and the Android Market? What apps are you hoping to see?
Out TBC | £TBC | Microsoft
