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Additions in the Windows Phone SDK 7.1

Windows Phone

March 23, 2012

This topic contains information about what was added in the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 and the documentation.

NoteNote:

The Windows Phone SDK was previously named Windows Phone Developer Tools.

For the most recent release notes, and information about downloading and installing the Windows Phone SDK, see Installing the Windows Phone SDK.

The following table lists what’s new in the Windows Phone SDK and documentation.

Feature

New and Updated Documentation

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 makes significant strides forward, and enables you to build many classes of applications that were not previously possible.

Conceptual topics provide essential information about the concepts that you must understand to accomplish your work. How-to topics help you complete a task by presenting a series of steps, a code example, or both. Code samples are downloadable projects that you can open and run in Visual Studio. Managed API documentation gives details about each type and member in the specified namespaces.

Multi-targeting and App Compatibility

You can use the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 to create Silverlight® and XNA Framework projects that target either Windows Phone OS 7.1 or Windows Phone OS 7.0. When you create a new project, you are prompted to select the version that you want to target. You can also upgrade existing Windows Phone OS 7.0 projects to take advantage of the new Windows Phone OS 7.1 features.

All your apps and games that work on Windows Phone OS 7.0 phones will continue to work seamlessly on Windows Phone OS 7.1 phones.

Conceptual documentation:

Multitasking

In Windows Phone OS 7.1, several features are introduced that allow an application to perform actions even when it is not the active foreground application.

Conceptual documentation:

The Execution Model and Fast Application Switching

The execution model is now updated to include a dormant state before tombstoning. When a user returns to a dormant application, it resumes quickly and without displaying the Resuming… message to the user.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Alarms and Reminders

You can use the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 to create alarms and reminders that display a dialog box on the screen or play a sound at a specified time.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Background Agents

You can now run code in the background, even when your application is not running in the foreground. There are two main types of background tasks: periodic agents, and resource-intensive agents.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Background File Transfers

You can now initiate file downloads in your application that continue after the user has navigated away. The file downloads continue to run in the background, even when your application is no longer running in the foreground.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Background Audio

Your audio applications can now run in the background. Music continues to play while the user launches other apps, and the user has access to the volume controls.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Media

Windows Phone OS 7.1 contains significant media improvements. Improvements include 32-bit color support, support for extensionless media URIs, and support for H.264 in Windows Phone Emulator. Also, the MediaElement uses hardware rendering for improved video quality while using less battery power. You can also now save a ringtone from your application.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Silverlight 4

Windows Phone OS 7.1 now includes Silverlight 4.

Conceptual documentation:

Sensors

In addition to the accelerometer, your applications can now access the compass and gyroscope sensors, enabling development of apps and games where the physical device itself is a means of user input. There is also now a combined motion API that provides data for attitude (yaw, pitch, and roll), device acceleration, and rotation rate.

Windows Phone Emulator is now enhanced to simulate sensor data. You can now do initial testing of applications that use sensor data directly in the emulator.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Sockets Support

Your applications can now communicate over sockets using the TCP and UDP protocols. Sockets allow two-way communication with cloud services, and enable scenarios such as instant messaging and multi-player gaming.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Network Information

Your applications can now access information about the network and network interfaces. You can determine the mobile operator and network capabilities of a user’s phone, and you can get and set connection preferences and requirements.

Conceptual documentation:

Code Samples:

  1. Network And Device Information Sample

Managed API documentation:

Push Notifications

The push notification system is now more robust. Toast notifications can now link to specific places within your application and pass parameters. Tile notifications now support two-sided application and secondary Tiles.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Live Tiles

Application Tiles pinned to the Start screen now have two sides and they flip periodically, making Tiles both more engaging and more informative. Your applications can have more than one Tile pinned to Start, such as Tiles for different cities in a weather app.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Silverlight and XNA Integration

Instead of choosing between Silverlight and the XNA Framework, you can now use both in a single app or game. You can combine the page navigation model of a Silverlight application with the rich graphics power of an XNA Framework application.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Application Performance Analysis

Windows Phone OS 7.1 now gives you the ability to profile your apps and games. You can measure the use of system resources such as CPU and memory over time, and navigate directly from the results to your code.

Conceptual documentation:

Visual Basic Support

Visual Basic is now available for both Silverlight and XNA Framework applications. Visual Basic is fully integrated into the Windows Phone SDK 7.1; you do not need to install it separately.

Code samples:

Advertising

The Microsoft Advertising SDK for Windows Phone enables you to monetize your apps and games by including ads from Microsoft Advertising. The Advertising SDK is now fully integrated into the Windows Phone SDK 7.1; you do not need to install it separately.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

WebBrowser Control

The WebBrowser control now supports Internet Explorer 9 and the benefits of increased performance and HTML5 rendering. You can also programmatically access the cookie collection of a WebBrowser control through the WebBrowser extension methods.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Device Status

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 now gives you expanded programmatic access to a user’s Windows Phone device through the DeviceStatus class. You can now determine whether the device is using the battery or external power, whether a keyboard is available or deployed, the device manufacturer, and more.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Local Database

You can now store relational data in a local database that resides in your application’s isolated storage container. Your applications can use LINQ to SQL to perform database operations. New APIs enable programmatic database upgrade scenarios.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Isolated Storage Explorer

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 now includes a command line tool that enables you to list, copy, and replace files and directories in the isolated storage.

Conceptual documentation:

Launchers and Choosers

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 introduces several new Launchers and Choosers. From your applications, you can now choose an address, invite players to a game session, or save a ringtone. You can also show a location on a map at a preset zoom level, or show directions between two points on a Bing map.

Conceptual documentation:

Managed API documentation:

Contacts and Calendar

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 now gives you read-only access to the user’s contacts and calendar data. You can now differentiate your applications by querying and interacting with the user’s data in ways such as letting the user choose from a list of their contacts and sending them emails, searching for contacts’ birthdays, and others.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Encrypted Credential Store

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 now provides access to a set of cryptography APIs. For applications that require login credentials, these APIs enable you to store the credentials in an encrypted way. Now your users do not have to log in anew each time they use your application.

Conceptual documentation:

Managed API documentation:

User Experience Design Guidelines

There is a new guide to help you follow best practices for Windows Phone user experience design. This documentation collects advice from the experts who created Windows Phone, and from people who were the designers of many of its first applications. There are more than 40 new topics to help you.

Conceptual documentation:

Certification Requirements

The application certification requirements are now available online in the MSDN library. The documentation now contains test steps for most requirements. This means that now you can test your applications against the requirements before you submit them to App Hub for certification.

Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 requirements have been updated.

Conceptual documentation:

Marketplace Test Kit

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 now contains a Windows Phone Marketplace Test Kit. The Marketplace Test Kit enables you to test your application against the certification requirements right from Visual Studio. You can also take screenshots of your application by using the new built-in emulator screenshot tool, and submit them using the Marketplace Test Kit.

Conceptual documentation:

Camera

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 now gives you programmatic access to the camera on Windows Phone devices, including real-time access to raw frames. This enables you to create scanning and augmented reality applications. You can also access the flash and adjust the focus in your applications.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

Pictures Extensibility

You can now use App Connect to launch your Windows Phone application from the Pictures Hub, picture viewer, and share picker.

Conceptual documentation:

Search Extensibility

App Connect is a new way for your applications to seamlessly extend the search experience on Windows Phone. With App Connect, users who search the web with the Search button can launch your application directly from Bing search results.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Application Bar

The Windows Phone OS 7.1 Application Bar now has two sizes: default and minimized. The new minimized Application Bar is optimized for use on panorama pages, where space is at a premium.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Managed API documentation:

On-Screen Keyboard

Windows Phone OS 7.1 has new on-screen keyboards, such as number-only and formula-optimized keyboards, that you can leverage in your applications.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

System Tray and Progress Indicator

The system tray now supports opacity and colors. It also includes a progress indicator that you can use to indicate progress in your applications.

Conceptual documentation:

Managed API documentation:

OData Client

The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 now include the Add Service Reference dialog that enables you to generate a client proxy class. You can also use LINQ queries to access OData resources, and perform client authentication to secure OData services with a login ID and password. There is also improved performance when saving client state.

Conceptual documentation:

Managed API documentation:

Globalization and Localization

Windows Phone OS 7.1 adds support for 16 additional cultures. There is now support for East Asian languages, including reading and user interface fonts.

Conceptual documentation:

Creating Trial Applications

You can design and implement a trial mode in your application that enables users to try your application before buying it. There are new topics and samples to help you implement trial mode in your applications.

Conceptual documentation:

Code samples:

Windows Phone Marketplace

The Windows Phone Marketplace FAQ is now available online in the MSDN library.

Conceptual documentation:

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