ArcGIS For Windows Phone And ArcGIS API For Windows Phone Coming Soon!

Earlier this year Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone at Mobile World Congress 2010.

With this new platform, Microsoft offers a fresh approach to phone software, distinguished by smart design and truly integrated experiences that bring to the surface the content people care about from the Web and applications. For the first time ever, Microsoft will bring together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone, exclusively on Windows Phone 7 Series.

For developers, Microsoft Silverlight is the platform for Windows Phone development and as such the ArcGIS API for Windows Phone is coming soon!

The API is built on the Windows Phone 7 Application Platform which includes existing Microsoft tools and technologies such as Visual Studio, Expression Blend, Silverlight, and the XNA Framework.

Using the ArcGIS API for Windows Phone, you can develop focused applications for Windows Phone devices that can be deployed within your enterprise or to the public via the Windows Marketplace.

If you have been working with the ArcGIS API for Microsoft Silverlight/WPF then the learning curve shouldn’t be too steep as the tools and concepts should be the same.

Since the development platform for Windows Phone applications is based on Silverlight, the ArcGIS API will match core (ESRI.ArcGIS.Client.dll) and Bing (ESRI.ArcGIS.Client.Bing.dll) library support present in the Silverlight/WPF API.

Built on the API will be an OOTB application. ArcGIS for Windows Phone will be an available from the Windows Marketplace in the near future.

From a functionality perspective, this should be similar to ArcGIS for iOS which is now available from the AppStore.

The ArcGIS API for Windows Phone Resource Centre will provide all the information required for you to get started. As we grow closer to the release, this resource centre will contain information on the API as well as concepts, samples and library reference information.

The public beta version of ArcGIS for Windows Phone will be released mid-August 2010.

While there is no confirmed release date for Windows Phone at this stage, rumours estimate ~ October 2010.  With the public beta of the ArcGIS API for Windows Phone coming ~ August 2010, you will be able to get a heads up on the simulator before the devices hit the market.

Stay tuned to the ArcGIS API for Windows Phone Resource Centre for more information. The ArcGIS API for Windows Phone is an exciting addition to the stack of API’s provided by ESRI. I am really looking forward to this. It should allow us to extend the great work we have been doing with the ArcGIS API for Microsoft Silverlight/WPF through to Windows Phone.

Rex has more information about these upcoming releases here: http://blogs.esri.com/dev/…