MSDN Flash - Volume 17, Number 5: March 11, 2013

Top Stories

How Kevin Made US$30K in January from his Windows 8 Apps.
Kevin Ashley spent some spare time developing apps for Windows 8 and monetized them using the Microsoft Advertising SDK. In January alone, he made over US$30K. His top app, Card Games Chest, made US$20K. Don't miss out on this unprecedented opportunity. Get help creating your app today.

Register for TechEd 2013 by March 22nd and Save
New Orleans, June 3 - 6, 2013
Madrid, Spain, June 25 - 28, 2013
Join us for TechEd, Microsoft's premiere event for IT professionals and enterprise developers. Get hands-on learning, deep product exploration, and countless opportunities to build relationships with a community of Microsoft experts and your peers. Early registration ends March 22nd - sign up and save today.

Moving Your Applications to Windows Azure
Windows Azure lets you take advantage of Microsoft’s world-class global infrastructure to deploy your own applications, with the corresponding capabilities to reduce maintenance requirements, maximize performance and minimize costs.

Your Featured Content

MVA Jump Start: Programming in C# - March 13th
Microsoft Technical Evangelist Jerry Nixon and co-founder of Crank211 Daren May will deliver an engaging, live, demo-rich Jump Start course. This accelerated course for intermediate to seasoned developers will cover core concepts and features of C#. The course will loosely follow the criteria for exam 70-483.

Using XAML with DirectX and C++ in Windows Store Apps
Doug Erickson reviews SurfaceImageSource and VirtualSurfaceImageSource, two Windows Runtime XAML types that use the GPU to boost image rendering in Windows Store apps.

Mobile Services Adds Android Support
Mobile Services makes it easier to build engaging and dynamic mobile apps that scale. The Windows Azure team partnered with Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc. to deliver Android support. Download the SDK. This release expands Mobile Services availability in East Asia, which reduces latency for developers with customers in Asia.

Here are some useful resources:
• Android tutorials
• The latest Mobile Services video walk-throughs on Channel 9
• Sample apps using Mobile Services on GitHub

March 13: Hands-on Training - Intro to Windows Azure SQL Database
Learn how you can use SQL Database as a cloud platform for your application. Technical Evangelist Bret Stateham will be available to help you work on virtual labs where you'll learn how you can easily provision and deploy relational database solutions to the cloud. Download the free Azure 90-day trial for the labs.

DevRadio: SkyDrive and Your Windows 8 Apps
Jerry Nixon welcomes Harrison Hoffman from the SkyDrive team to DevRadio to discuss how developers can utilize SkyDrive for their Windows 8 apps. Tune in as they talk about scenarios for SkyDrive as well as comparisons to Windows Azure.

Practical Azure with Jim O'Neil - Worker Roles
Whereas Web Roles are the public face of your application and bask in all the attention from the user, the Worker Role does the less glamorous heavy lifting by carrying out background processing and managing database and data storage interaction. Try Windows Azure free for 90 days.

Windows Developer Show - App Builder "Lightening" Review #1
Ryan and Travis Lowdermilk review and critique new Windows 8 apps, uncover great design tips, functionality improvements, and more. If you would like a chance for your app to be reviewed on the show, join App Builder, then submit your app.

Earn Your MCSD and Become an ALM Solution Developer
Developers who want to learn the skills to manage the entire lifespan of application development and build software with agility and quality should explore the Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD): Application Lifecycle Management certification. Earning this certification helps you build the skills needed to deliver ALM solutions and gain a competitive advantage.

The Windows Azure Area on Channel 9 and New Windows Azure Video Series
This new landing page on Channel 9 will help you find videos, event recordings, and shows about Windows Azure. It brings together a variety of existing videos, such as screencasts and recordings of events like BUILD and AzureConf, with a variety of brand-new content, including a new introductory video series.

Exploring the JavaScript API for Office: Data Access and Events
Moving on from covering the basics in part 1 of this series, Stephen Oliver and Eric Schmidt discuss how to access data and handle events in the JavaScript API for Office.

Creating Custom Tooltips with jQuery UI
This article explores how to move beyond a browser’s native tooltip functionality to use the widget to enhance today’s complex web applications.

Roaming Windows 8 App Data
Jerry Nixon welcomes Dan Somrack and Dave Bennett to discuss how and why to roam your Windows 8 app data. Learn what roaming is, why it's important, and how to implement it in your app. Join App Builder today.

March 19: Windows 8 Hands-on Training - Searching and Sharing Using JavaScript
Learn from Technical Evangelist Jeff Brand as he discusses how to implement search and sharing in a Windows 8 app. Jeff will be available to assist as you work through virtual labs. Sign up for App Builder to get Windows 8 app-building tools and resources.

Using Windows Azure to Build Back-End Services for Windows 8 Apps - Part 2
Peter Laudati, Brian Hitney, and Andrew Duthie show us how to deploy an OData Service for a Windows 8 app to Windows Azure and outline the advantages and disadvantages to building back-end services via this approach. Join App Builder and start building your own Windows 8 app today.

Earn the MCSE: Business Intelligence Certification and Get a Second Shot to Pass Exams
SQL Server 2012 will help organizations quickly build solutions and extend data across the cloud with mission-critical confidence. Prove you have the skills to design and implement BI solutions with the MCSE: Business Intelligence Certification, and receive free retakes if you request vouchers by May 31st.

Tips for Localizing Windows Phone 8 XAML Apps - Part 1
Gain a deeper understanding of the standard pattern for localizing a Windows Phone 8 XAML app, along with lessons learned by phone developers. Download the Windows Phone SDK and then sign up for App Builder to receive 30 days of help creating your own app.

Building Back-end Data and Services for Windows 8 Apps: Adding Push Notification
Continuing his blog series on options for building back-end data and services that work great with Windows 8 apps, Microsoft Technical Evangelist G. Andrew Duthie shows how you can quickly add push notifications by leveraging Windows Azure Mobile Services.

Visual Studio 2012 Partner Webcast Events
Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 provides new capabilities to support the latest platforms with modern lifecycle tools to make it easier for teams to deliver real value. Register today for a Microsoft partner webcast to learn how Visual Studio 2012 can help your organization deliver higher quality software faster than ever.

New Add-ons in the Windows Azure Store
We are excited to announce the availability of four exciting new add-ons in the Windows Azure Store. The Windows Azure Store is a place to discover, purchase, and use premium app services and data sets which complement and extend the native functionality of Windows Azure. Most offers in the store include a free version.