Windows App Day November 23rd, Antwerp

The app market is exploding, first on Apple & Android, now Windows 8 is triggering the same App explosion on the Microsoft platform. To make sure you get the necessary coaching and insight don’t miss the first Windows App Day. The agenda has 2 tracks, for App Development, User Experience and Design and is packed with national and international speakers. All of them actively working on Apps, design & the web and ready to share their learnings and best practices. Join us and get inspired!

• All About Apps: Windows 8, Windows Azure, Windows Phone and WebApps
• After the 100% app keynote we split into two tracks: one focused on UX, designers and web experts; a second one for developers.
• Feel free to switch tracks during the day to compose the schedule of your taste. Find detailed info on the sessions and our speakers on our Windows App Day page!

 Don’t miss this first Windows App Day on November 23rd!

Building Windows 8 apps on the Belgian beach. First session on July 12

If you’re a company thinking about building your first Metro apps and getting them ready to be part of the Windows 8 General Availability later this year than the summer app-a-thons at the Belgium coast are not to be missed. First one will be on July 12 and is going to be a special, seaside app-a-thon in Blankenberge.  What could be more inspiring for building great Metro-style apps than the sound of waves crashing into the beach, ice cream and a beautiful sunset!

We’re building upon the success of the coding night at the Windows 8 Developer Day and have a hackathon to build cool Metro-style apps.  So team up with your best UX or developer friend and form a killer app team, come alone or sign up with an entire group, whatever you want!

This seaside Summer App-a-thon promises to be an experience like N.O. O.T.H.E.R!   Hands on. Code. Build. Shine. Totally Windows 8. 

There will be 2 coding sessions:
1 for Day Birds from 10AM – 4PM and one for Night Owls from 6PM – 12AM. You have 3 registration options: Only the Day Birds coding session; Only the Night Owls coding session or both in case your W8 addicted . So if you’re a developer or UX designer, sign up right now to join us for an unforgettable experience!

Download Windows 8 Release Preview and start building your own apps!!!

Windows 8 Release Preview has been made available last week, representing another important quality milestone on the road to Windows 8 General Availability (GA).
This post provides you with some must-know information around what and where to download the bits, the tools and information on how you can count on our support in taking your app to launch.

Belgian Apps???
If you have been following our Belgian activities around Windows 8, ever since our developer event in March Windows 8 Developer Day and Night of Windows 8 (app-a-thon), you know folks are working hard on apps.

We are very happy to announce that two of our Belgian partners we’ve been working with since the early stages now made it into the Windows Store for Release Preview: Le Soir by Rossel and Slash Monsters by Fishing Cactus/Tokkun Studio. Le Soir one of the first European newspaper in Windows Store!

Your app in Windows Store? Loads of stuff coming to you
As we get closer and closer to the next milestone for Windows 8, locally here in Belgium and Luxembourg we are preparing a bunch of ways to support you along the way into publishing that app in Windows Store by launch – you do want to take that first mover advantage.

How we’re helping you
Below you can find a collection of activities and resources coming your way. Or come our way by means of an App Clinic.

	Training events for developers and designers Windows Camps and UX Workshops, check out our Metro map.
	Seaside coding at the Belgian Coast: Summer App-a-thons on Windows 8 Metro Style Apps. When: 12 July (and 8 August in Antwerp)
	App Clinics: join Evangelists, external developer or Metro UX consultants to discuss any questions on your mind regarding your app. By joining an App Clinic you are also on the right track to get access to App Excellence Labs.
	App Excellence Labs When you’ve been in touch with us through an App Clinic and your application is polished enough go to review, you are invited to participate in an App Excellence Lab. This is a 2-hour review of you application with a Microsoft engineer and if you pass the requirements checklist you get a Windows Store Token! Because the Store is still closed for public registration for now, this is the only way to get registered and reserve your app name for future fame. Have an app ready? Register your interest via the App Clinic form (mention App Excellence Labs) .

Windows 8 Release Preview: downloads

1. For Windows 8 downloads and ISO files you can go to http://preview.windows.com
2. For developer downloads you’ll find the developer SDK with Visual Studio 2012 Express for Windows 8 RC and Expression Blend for Visual Studio, remote debugging tools, Live SDK and more: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/apps/br229516.aspx
3. New samples for Release Preview: Download sample app pack (300 MB)
4. Updated documentation: http://dev.windows.com
   If you have read through the documentation previously you’ll see that a lot of the content has been updated, this includes both the developer documentation as well as UX Guidelines.

We are looking forward to helping you take advantage of this huge new opportunity to reach millions of users worldwide.
It’s going to be a hot Summer!