If you have been able to play with Windows Phone and have been learning how to develop Windows Phone applications, you will want to test them on a real device before publishing to the Windows Phone Marketplace to make sure the app will run as expected.
In order to publish applications, you will need a few things, which is all part of the process of becoming an approved publisher. No matter what people say, this process is far easier than setting up any kind of physical business, and arguably, the Windows Phone Marketplace registration is better that the one provided by Apple and Android.
Things you need to be a Windows Phone Marketplace Approved Published:
- A valid Windows Live ID
- A valid and current App Hub developer account ($99)
- The Zune software installed on your developer machine
- Windows Phone SDK 7.1 installed on your developer machine
- An actual Windows Phone device with the latest updates (7.1)
It might seem as too many things just to get started, but if you are a developer and you have been playing with Windows Phone already developing applications using Visual Studio and the Windows Phone emulator, chances are that you already have most of them.
The Windows Live ID is basically the centralized Windows account that you use for email, the phone itself and many other services. Having your information, contacts, calendar, email, SkyDrive and related associated with your Windows Live ID is a convenient way to keep your info in sync and be able to setup devices and computers easily.
The App Hub developer account is what allows you to become part of a vibrant and expanding developer community. It is not only related to the Windows Phone marketplace, it encompasses also the Xbox Live community and hopefully will be integrated with the Windows Marketplace coming with Windows 8.
The Zune software is basically the way you sync and interact with your phone from your computer. Before Zune I used to work with iTunes, specially since I got my first iPod. However I must say that using Zune has been a pleasant experience and I have already switched completely to Zune.
The Windows Phone SDK 7.1 comes with the Visual Studio tools and emulator, so you should be ready to go.
The device itself is the coolest part. I have an HTC Mozart and a Nokia Lumia 800. I love both of them, but the Lumia screen resolution and color is far better.
Ok, so once you have everything in place, fire up the Device Registration wizard on your computer by going to Start/All Programs/Windows Phone SDK 7.1/Windows Phone Developer Registration (screenshot below)
Make sure to unlock your device screen. Once you do that, you will be able to Register the device. After entering your details and registering it, you will see the following message at the bottom of the screen:
And with that said, you are done. Next thing is to fire up Visual Studio, open your Windows Phone project and switch the deployment setting to use the Windows Phone Device instead of the emulator.
Run the app and you will see your awesome app kicking ass on your Windows Phone. Notice that the device screen must be unlocked for Visual Studio to be able to connect to it. Once you have deployed your app to your Windows Phone, it will stay installed even after stopping Visual Studio, so you will be able to take it with you and show it to your friends and stake holders !
Happy Windows Phone deployment !
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