XBOX Live Notifications: Looking for a Community Developer Partner - Windows Phone 7 Software Development

Hey everyone,
I've got a mobile application built for WP7, that I'm also porting to Android (2.2+) that uses true, instant, push notifications (and a Live Tile) to notify you when friends sign on to XBox Live. As far as I know there isn't one for WP7, and every Android app out there just checks every 15 minutes and kills your battery or loses it's connection to xbox.com.
I've got the push server setup with Amazon, the App is built, everything is ready, except I've been sitting waiting for a response on my Xbox Community Developer membership to pull from the presence feed.
If anyone is a developer with access that would like to be a permanent partner on this app, let me know. It will be distributed to the community for free.
A video of the app can be found here: http://nowsci.com/news/20110127/xbox-live-notifications-for-windows-phone-7-wp7/

Related

Spotify to WM!

http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/spotify-heading-to-tv-consoles-and-mobiles-590398
Spotify is set to launch a new toolkit this week, opening up its application programming interface (API) in order to encourage developers to build the service into a range of comms and entertainment devices such as mobiles, consoles and TVs.
Someone who arises?
This woud be AWSOME!
Please, anybody?!
Would love spotify in my mobile!
That would be a fantastic app for the Touch HD. If you check their homepage, they have been advertising for developers with Windows Mobile experience, presumably for exactly this reason.
I can't imagine iPhone users will ever see Spotify - it would kill sales through iTunes!
According to Swedish IDG they will focus on iPhone and phones based on Symbian. So I think it will take some time before we see this for the Windows Mobile platform. And it will also be premium service, which will cost a few bucks.
This is the article translated into English with Google Translate:
http://translate.google.com/transla...ir-en-betaltjanst&sl=sv&tl=en&history_state0=
please somebody develop this
PLEASE - Spotify is one of the best things i've seen in AGES - if someone could make this - I WOULD PAY MONIES!
I'm pretty sure Spotify won't allow any 3rd party applications to connect to their service. At least not if you don't have a premium account.
yep, premium customers are able to connect to spotify with unofficial clients.
I've created a survey for peeps to fill out, I'll then forward it onto the guys at Spotify for them to see the results. Hopefully there is enough interest to persuade them to develop one!!
http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=NOHOF_74413249
I have been working on a Windows Mobile Spotify client called mySpot.
The first alpha version is complete and I have uploaded it to the forum today.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=580208
-Fry

XDA Shared Push Notification Server - Any interest?

Hi everyone,
I'm currently developing an App that's about to hit the market (G:RSS). The next feature I want to add is push and tile notifications. The problem here is that I'll need to set up a server that regularly polls Google for every user of my app, checking for unread RSS counts, then pushes them out to the notification server.
As you can imagine, that's a lot of bandwidth. I'd like to toss out the idea and see if there are enough people interested in going in together on a Virtual Hosted Server who's specific purpose is to send push notifications for application developers here on XDA.
It would be a linux host, running PHP and MySQL, and I could set up SFTP accounts and a web management system for anyone interested in hosting their webservices there. I'm looking at a number of different hosts, all similar to Amazon's EC2 setup, though some as static VMs.
If you're interested, please post with what app you're developing and the volume of outbound requests to both the Microsoft Push Notification Server and external servers. If enough people respond, I'll put together a proposed budget for what it would take for us to get it up and running.
Any other suggestions are welcome, too, of course.
Thanks,
Ben
Just an FYI - Amazon ECS is offering a free "small" VM with new ECS customers - 750/hours a month. May be enough to get you started.
If you have MSDN / Technet or any of the Microsoft partner such as Webspark / BizSpark i believe MS offers free/cheap/VERY cheap Azure hosting.
personaly, i love the features of azure and the cost is really good considering the service level (and SLA). I currently have an azure extra small instance that costs 5 cents an hour but i also got 6 months of a free small instance through a webspark deal.
I guess my 2 cents is that MS has a TON of freebies if you sign up for webspark/bizspark or the technet or msdn options. I would recommend any wp7 developer take advantage of the products. Heck, even sign up for the Microsoft Partner network and pay the 350/year for 10 licenses of darn near every Microsoft product made and use the discounts from your partner program to get deals on azure/hosting/development tools. It pays for itself big time.. just too much to absorb I got 100 seats of exchange email through Office online and trying to get a few licenses for sharepoint so my phone will be fully integrated
** Edit: **
With that being said, i'll volunteer an Azure compute node with SQL azure access to get a few developers up and running. Can setup a paypal expense account to share any costs above and beyond what i get with my current service.

Official Windows Phone Survey

From @windowsphone on twitter: http://newwp.it/i6NfzI
On the last page there's this question, "What, if anything, would you change about your Windows Phone 7?" Bombard away with what MS needs to be working on (file management or at least local document sync, direct Outlook sync, etc.) Please make sure what you guys write is thought out and most importantly, grammatically correct.
* Give us an official support page and a contact number for issues
* Clear outline & timeline of future updates
* More frequent updates and force carriers to deploy them in maximum of 45 days
* Enable to use own MP3 ringtones
* Sync directly to Outlook
* Allow tethering
* Turn by turn navigation for Australia with better maps
* Allow unlocking of the device for a one of fee! Only charge per year when someone wants to submit to marketplace
janemanno1 said:
* Give us an official support page and a contact number for issues
* Clear outline & timeline of future updates
* More frequent updates and force carriers to deploy them in maximum of 45 days
* Enable to use own MP3 ringtones
* Sync directly to Outlook
* Allow tethering
* Turn by turn navigation for Australia with better maps
* Tom Tom,Garmin etc GPS compatible software
* Allow unlocking of the device for a one of fee! Only charge per year when someone wants to submit to marketplace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amen to all of these.
Just changed one thing for every other country.
More recent hardware, and I am in.
agp64 said:
Amen to all of these.
Just changed one thing for every other country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed
Zune Pass in australia. Our zune hub isnt very pretty without it
Well, I would like to see multitasking, some options on the right of the home screen, let's say a button, that would open a line of Wifi on/off and etc., Copy paste, better browser. And what's important- update devices, give more info about the updates, what is coming and when
janemanno1 said:
* Clear outline & timeline of future updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FWIW, remember a little thing called "Longhorn" (aka "Vista")? So many promised features and released dates missed. I doubt you'll ever see anything other than vague descriptions and nebulous dates, Microsoft has been slapped around too much in the past for missing promises.
My comment:
- SkyDrive if you dont have sharepoint in the officehub.
- More reliable push notifications.
- Expanding Facebook integration with ability to send private messages from the message hub to facebook and other services... but this will probably not happen so hope the fb app gets better with notifications.
I would love to have a bug free ZUNE , it is crashing all the time and sometimes with BSOD'S
Turn-by-turn voice nav
User selectable ringtones and sounds
User created email folders
More themes and UI customization
Screen capture
Copy & paste
A good one:
http://wmpoweruser.com/the-art-of-stalling/
doministry said:
A good one:
http://wmpoweruser.com/the-art-of-stalling/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is unremarkably sad. I didn't know it was that serious.
That is unremarkably sad. I didn't know it was that serious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you mean remarkably sad?
And android wasn't the same way at launch?
I purchased the HTC Magic on launch day from Rogers.. Android market wasn't made available to us in Canada until roughly 5 months later..
I didn't get turn-by-turn until aprox a year or so later..
No voice search until ...what...3 updates which took roughly a year and half (1.5, 1.6...2.1)
They day I dumped my HTC magic I still didn't have local search.. unless I opened a browser and went to Google.CA and specified my city in the search field.
WP7 wil catch up eventually, it's still a baby OS compared to the others. Android didn't really become great until after 2.XX
I agree with other with the timeline business. I'd like to see that as well.
I just put a CDMA version of WP7.... It is about time we have the option of getting one.
Things to change about Windows Phone 7
--------------------------------------
1) Password protection on email. This is needed when you hand your phone to someone to check out or use and don't want them to be able to just click on your email while that happens and read private emails.
2) The marketplace should have an option to download first and install later. This is because public wifi or data plans in general are not nearly as fast as using your local wifi. You might pop into a coffee shop or mcdonalds to try some new apps on the go and you want to maximise your use of the wifi while you are there to get through the download queue. Installing/unpacking can take quite a long time but that can be done when you are no longer connected. This also aids in saving on limited data plans. With this approach, if there is no more space currently left to unpack the queue should move on and unpack successively but keep downloaded packages on the device to be installed later once the user frees up some more space.
3) Better managaement of marketplace download queue. I have had stuck downloads before, particularly at pending or corrupted downloads that were stuck at the installing phase. You should always be able to cancel or retry something. These options only come up when "attention is required". Queue reordering is also a strong "nice to have".
4) Better Management of phone download history. For example, when I restore a phone I don't want it to queue up literally everything I have ever "purchased", especially many trial or free apps. There should be a special "restore" queue for indispensible games/apps that you do want to automatically redownload when this happens.
5) Better lock phone i.e. android combination swype. The current 4 digit system is too easy to see over the shoulder and easily brute forceable, even more so if someone remembers only some of the digits.
6) Complete application data/isolated storage sync. Anytime you are at a local computer or connection to sync, you should have an option sync the latest application data for example news feeds and media as well. This way data connection apps are still useful in places without a connection i.e. subways. I understand this is a major feature just by itself
7) VPN options
8) Local file management/drag and drop.
9) Ability for Zune to play and organise media by folders with 8 implemented.
In general I think WP7 should be stronger with local/isolated storage features and not be so cloud dependent. The combination of cloud + local services will be a killer combination. In addition I think WP7 should be going after Android's #2 spot right now and not iPhone which it currently cannot compete with. Android has many weak spots including lower requirements on apps and games resulting in weaker quality when compared to WP7, lack of SD installability for many apps. and generally unpolished "iphone knockoff" feel. Secure #2 spot for now, which will be a good base to attack iPhone from. WP7 is already superior to Android in UX now and can gain quickly in app diversity and features.
Right now the OS feels like a beachhead but a strong one. There is good work, but unpolished and incomplete but the war can still be won. Keep fighting the good fight
The bottom line is that if MS wants this OS to fly for real, in the long term, they need to get their act together.
stillriza said:
I think you mean remarkably sad?
And android wasn't the same way at launch?
I purchased the HTC Magic on launch day from Rogers.. Android market wasn't made available to us in Canada until roughly 5 months later..
I didn't get turn-by-turn until aprox a year or so later..
No voice search until ...what...3 updates which took roughly a year and half (1.5, 1.6...2.1)
They day I dumped my HTC magic I still didn't have local search.. unless I opened a browser and went to Google.CA and specified my city in the search field.
WP7 wil catch up eventually, it's still a baby OS compared to the others. Android didn't really become great until after 2.XX
I agree with other with the timeline business. I'd like to see that as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what I hear you saying, any company that puts out products should not consider the current state of the industry? What should Apple do with the next iPhone? Put one out without all the current features and then migrate those features into it over the course of a year? Or how about the car companies, they should put out cars without navigation or high tech stereos or computer aided engine controls and just migrate those features into them over the course of a year?
Far be it from MS to stay up with even itself on new products and put out a smartphone without the current state of the industry features. Let them put those features in over the course of a year...or two. It's unwise to bring a mature product to market. People might begin to expect that kind of thing. Bollocks!
My feedback on the online survey:
-Current phone - WM 6.5
- Next phone - (i) Android
(ii) Other- Windows Mobile, if it is revived , will be preferred over Android
Suggestions:
(i) I don't like the Homescreen, it should be more customizable and at the very least the tiles
should be resizable.
(ii) There should be a favorite people hub with the option to pin a contact directly to this hub from
the contacts list (tap and hold on contact should give at least 3-4 options viz. pin to favorites, pin
to start, edit & send)
(iii) After device purchase, the user should have the option to replace the homescreen with an
approved one from reputed developers(I will prefer a solution from SPB software).
(iv) There is too much scrolling in the program list, option of grid view should also be there.
(v) Size of headings too large in the hubs. The headings should either be in a background layer or
they should Auto Hide after somtime and be replaced with blinking arrows on the left/right edges of
the screen.
(vi) File Explorer + Multitasking.
(vii) Office applictions should be more powerful.
(viii) Availability of powerful Calendar & Task management applications like pocket informant.
(x) Revival of Phone/End hardware buttons.
Forgot to add - (xi) Revive Smart-dialling
(xii) Bring back outlook sync
MartyLK said:
So what I hear you saying, any company that puts out products should not consider the current state of the industry? What should Apple do with the next iPhone? Put one out without all the current features and then migrate those features into it over the course of a year? Or how about the car companies, they should put out cars without navigation or high tech stereos or computer aided engine controls and just migrate those features into them over the course of a year?
Far be it from MS to stay up with even itself on new products and put out a smartphone without the current state of the industry features. Let them put those features in over the course of a year...or two. It's unwise to bring a mature product to market. People might begin to expect that kind of thing. Bollocks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you.. but what I was saying is Android was the same way. Apple already had a pretty good grip on the market at the time Android launched. As per what you mentioned above.. it was clear Android didn't have a grasp of the then current state of the market. Several updates later.. and look at them now.
Basically, any company that puts out a product should consider the current state..but sadly that just doesn't always happen. The phone is pretty complete to I would like to say 70% of the general phone using public. It seems MS had targeted the OS to those switching from 'dumb' phones, if you will, to smart phones. The only people who are really hurting would be the power users. The updates will come.

[Work in Progress] dIRCa - WP7 IRC Client

Welcome! I wanted to let the community know about the IRC client I was building but there are some major caveats that may turn you off.
First, you absolutely need a dev unlocked phone. This can't be sold on the Marketplace yet because I'm using Homebrew sockets from this very forum (well the hacking one but you get what I mean). Mango will change this but that's a good 6 months off if we're lucky.
Second, in it's current state it is pretty bare and you may hate me for it. There is currently no tombstone support so you have to connect again any time you move out of the app. This is my highest priority to fix.
The project is hosted on codeplex at http://dirca.codeplex.com/ and will be OSS. If any developers are interested you can either submit patches or I may give commit access depending on your previous work. I'll be honest, I need help in the form of feedback because I do have a direction finally but the IRC client code completely zapped me of all interest. There is more than enough work in just getting a functional UI but to have to work out IRC quirks is completely draining. After working on this, I would *never* recommend anyone work on an IRC client from scratch. You absolutely have to use a library like ircdotnet or smartirc4net to keep your sanity.
There's a SketchFlow project recently committed that outlines where I plan to take this, which is IRC with the look and feel of a Twitter client. The current incarnation feels way too much like mIRC which isn't a problem on it's own but that type of client doesn't translate to the phone well and this proves it.
Thankx my friends, very good project in WP7 !!
any way of connecting to a specific irc server or am I being a bit stupid??
Works, and You are on right path gui-wise so don't worry about that.
GUI is good, i like the way one moves through channels. Some thoughts after some testing:
- Possible bug: didn't connect to server in port 39998 without changing the option of default port to 39998 even when own server had port-option right.
- In auto-feeding of discussion in channels last line (the most recent line) is cut of, i.e the auto-feed is "one line too slow"
You're in very good way with this, I'll be checking in to this as I'm a irc-user and have been without irc in WP7 so far, thanks for the work!
Wishlist (always got to have a wishlist!)
- Option to change text-color & size
- tombstone will be great when it comes

Check out this app that's available only on JellyBean, specifically for N7

I was just watching the Google IO Keynote live stream (I know, everyone's ideal way to spend a nice afternoon), and I saw this company that was getting featured by Android called Ekata Systems who launched their app Tapestry at the show. It seems to be a synchronized slideshow between JB devices with some snazzy twists that I've never seen any app do. It works best when you're trying it with a friend/family member so there are at least two devices (phone and/or tablet) to highlight the features though. You can check out the interview here, and the app here.
Talk about bleeding edge...only available on Jelly Bean. It uses this new feature called WiFi Direct that creates a local P2P network between 1:N clients. I'm playing with it with my co-workers and it is pretty sweet.

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