Oh boy, contests, contests. Microsoft has been in a bit of a giving mood lately after announcing several promotions, gifts and giveaways for its products and services.
Add another one to the list, this time for the Windows Phone Store.
App development is the lifeblood of a platform, more so for a mobile platform. An in order to encourage users to port more and more apps for the Windows Phone operating system, Redmond
The Windows Phone Blog has all the details on this new contest:
“Today, we’re launching a Porting Challenge and inviting developers who have used PhoneGap to publish apps in other stores – for example, Apple iTunes, Google Play, Blackberry World, Bada, Symbian, or Palm OS – to take any of their existing PhoneGap apps, published in any store, and port it to Windows Phone 8, like the Untappd app recently ported to Windows Phone 8.”
For the uninitiated, PhoneGap is an open source toolset that allows the creation of software using technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. While this means simple apps that are heavy on content rather than functionality, they are still mobile apps, and all count towards the overall statistics.
PhoneGap actually started supporting the creation of Windows Phone 8 apps in 2013.
And now Microsoft wants to position this platform as an alternative to those that want to jump into mobile application development but are not completely proficient at hard coding. The contest is actually open for users outside the United States, and apps can be submitted until June 30.
A group of judges from Microsoft (along with members of the PhoneGap team and other industry experts) will pick the best apps made with PhoneGap — based on criteria like originality, innovation, ease of use and visual appeal.
What is in it for the winners, you ask? 17 first prize winners will receive a free Windows Phone device, while 3 grand prize winners will get both a free smartphone and a Surface Pro tablet. The winning applications will also get a featured status on the Windows Phone Store.
So what about you guys? Are you game for some easy and effortless app development? This actually is perfect for those of you that have some informative content (book or a blog) that you can bring to the Windows Phone Store. Sound off in the comments below.
