Apps, Apps and More Apps

It’s no secret that to have a viable mobile platform there needs to be not only a good foundational operating system but more importantly applications to add to it. While the Windows Phone is a great platform, clearly it needs developers to build applications that enterprise customers want as well as what the consumer market is calling for. Add in the new Windows Store and you quickly come to realize that both are intertwined.

I’m a big proponent of attending in-person and virtual events to understand technology and with all the announcements regarding new releases and product updates coming from Microsoft I thought I’d share some helpful links:

Product	Link
Windows Server 2012	Server and Tools The Launch Game
Visual Studio 2012	Visual Studio 2012 Cloud OS Launch Events
Windows 8	Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation Developer Camps Windows 8 Hands-on Labs Windows 8 Center Windows 8 Learning Zone
Generation App	Windows Phone Technical Events Windows Store

Software is only as good as the hardware it runs on so let’s discuss some “nuts and bolts.” By now you're probably aware that Microsoft is producing its own version of a tablet called Surface. If the name sounds familiar it should as it was repurposed from the flat coffee-table shaped computer which is now named PixelSense. While I'll leave the detailed specifications for you to peruse I will mention that Surface does come in two flavors: Surface (i.e. Windows RT) and Surface Pro (i.e. Windows 8 Pro). The former is slightly lighter and thinner and what will be used on ARM processors while the latter offers more storage and is Intel based.

Of course if we’re talking about applications then mobile devices are at the forefront of development. The Nokia 820 and 920 devices look great and coincidentally will be running Windows Phone 8. If those aren’t to your liking you might want to check out Samsung’s Ativ S as that is a gorgeous piece of technology.

Last but certainly not least is our trusted old friend the PC. S/He has had a major makeover and applications that are written today with this piece of hardware in mind can definitely showcase their unique features. I certainly couldn’t do the industry justice by listing all of the fantastic models that are being created and offered but I will point out the Ultrabook category. These machines are thin, sleek and have tremendous amounts of computing power. If you’re in the market for a new PC then one of these bad boys might have your name on it.

Whichever device tickles your fancy, when you combine great applications with the latest hardware you get an experience that truly is remarkable.