Press releases

Windows Phone 7 -- Read All About It

Press release: November 22, 2010

New Releases from Microsoft Press

Microsoft Press announces rollout of Windows Phone 7 books for November, continuing into 2011

Microsoft Press

Windows Phone 7 Plain and Simple

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Sebastopol, CA—Smartphone application developers appear to be exceptionally interested in the new Windows® Phone 7, according to recent media reports. Just in time for the holidays, Microsoft Press announces a new slate of books and ebooks for Windows Phone 7. Tapping the expertise of Microsoft engineers and software designers, as well as top industry consultants and trainers, "We have the resources for Windows Phone 7 developers," says Steve Weiss, associate publisher for Microsoft Press. "Application developers and programmers are going to have a treasure trove of resources to get productive very quickly on this new platform."

For smartphone consumers, Weiss adds that Microsoft Press offers the ideal introduction to Windows Phone 7 with the full-color Windows Phone 7 Plain & Simple (ISBN: 9780735643420, $29.99 USD), now available for holiday shoppers. This easy, colorful, "see-how" guide to the new phone was written by Michael Stroh, a technology writer at Microsoft® who spent the last year working alongside the designers and engineers who created Windows Phone 7.

December finds two titles by Windows programming legend Charles Petzold, author of the classic and critically praised Programming Windows, now in its fifth edition, and Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software, used in schools worldwide. Microsoft® Silverlight® Edition: Programming Windows® Phone 7 (ISBN:9780735656673, $39.99 USD) and Microsoft® XNA Framework Edition: Programming Windows® Phone 7 (ISBN:9780735656697, $34.99 USD) are the printed, tool-specific breakout editions of Programming Windows Phone 7, an ebook edited and vetted by Microsoft product team members while Windows Phone 7 was being developed.

"It's been quite the phenomenon to watch, with the developer community following Charles' every move," Weiss says. "His initial drafts were released alongside the first announcement of the new phone in spring of 2010 and updated as new builds of the software were developed, making it one of the first and most comprehensive books on Windows Phone 7 programming." The full book was released as a free eBook from Microsoft this fall, and has been split into two print books—one covering Silverlight and the other XNA—for retail sales availability.

Written by in-house developer-community evangelists from the Microsoft Patterns and Practices Group, Developing Windows Phone 7 Applications (ISBN: 9780735656093, $29.99 USD), kicks off the New Year by leading the reader from front-end to cloud using a series of real-life scenarios to coax each unique app to life. "This book is all about the core issues and advanced concepts experienced developers need to know as they explore development on the Windows Phone 7 platform," Weiss says. "It's the perfect complement to the Petzold books."

Microsoft Press will have more to come after that, with the following titles scheduled for release in 2011:

  • Microsoft XNA Game Studio 4.0: Learn Programming Now! (Jan. 2011): A leading classroom resource for students learning Microsoft programming, now in its fourth edition and with complete coverage of the Windows Phone 7 platform.
  • Windows Phone 7 Silverlight Development Step by Step (Spring 2011)
  • Building Multi-Platform Cloud-Connected Solutions with Microsoft Silverlight, Windows Phone 7, Windows Communication Foundation, and the Windows Azure™ Platform (Spring 2011)
  • Guide to Windows Phone 7 Development for iPhone and Android Developers (Spring 2011)

For review copies or more information please email gretchen@oreilly.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information.

About Microsoft Press
Microsoft Press is a division of Microsoft Corporation. Established in 1985, Microsoft Press publishes self-paced learning materials on Microsoft products and associated technologies. Microsoft Press products are available in a variety of formats for individual users, IT professionals, and developers. Since 2009, Microsoft and O'Reilly Media have shared the editorial direction and development of Microsoft Press products. O'Reilly also handles sales, distribution, customer service, and some administrative functions.

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