How is Microsoft's promise to make it easier to develop and migrate apps to Windows 10?

In October 2010, Windows Phone 7 began its journey, Microsoft's mobile platform that would come to replace and renew Windows Mobile 6.5. What has been the stock of Windows Phone over the years? Poor, taking into account the optimism of Redmond, the little support from the brands (before starting the journey of the Nokia Lumia) and, especially, the little interest from developers.

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Since Microsoft acquired the mobile business from Nokia, interest in promoting Windows Phone has been growing, which is why a series of projects have emerged whose main purpose is to arouse the interest of the developers.The Windows Store needs a diversity of applications and games, beyond the typical ones such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Office mobile, Skype, Asph alt 8 or Angry Birds. "

Today, the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store are the reference in terms of quantity, diversity and quality of applications and games, reason enough for Redmond to be encouraged to create the Islandwood project (for IOS developers) and the Astoria project (for Android developers). Is there something else? Indeed, there's even a project, codenamed Cetennial, to port PC .exe apps and make them universal for Windows 10 mobile.

Projects to boost the port of applications to Windows 10 mobile

At the end of 2015 it was rumored that the project dedicated to porting Android applications was out of action and half abandoned, and it was even suggested that the main responsible parties had been reassigned to others.To this day, if you visit the official website, no one would say that Astoria has been abandoned.

What about the project focused on the migration of own IOS applications? Islandwood seems to be getting more acceptance, at least from the news and updates that are being communicated to help the iPhone/iPad app developer community .

One wonders if it is worth having two projects of this magnitude running at the same time, especially considering that the offering of applications and gamesis very similar on the IOS and Android platforms: it would be strange not to see an Android app also designed for IOS, or vice versa. Why not focus all your efforts on helping and improving the processes necessary to effectively adapt an IOS/Android app to a Windows 10 app?

Microsoft makes available to developers a series of tools to help migrate native IOS or Android applications, which technically help in order to retouch the code, that is, what can be kept from the original code and what should be changed or added.Likewise, the developer will be able to carry out performance tests and identify the bugs that are emerging, in order to optimize the final product as much as possible. It is not my intention to delve into the technical section, information that developers already know well.

The universe of apps is vital

Can a newly created mobile operating system compete with one already established and supported by the masses? Windows Phone / Windows 10 is not a new platform, but it is still a bit far from a reference. What matters to the majority of users? Being able to download those new applications and games announced on the Web, on television or shared by word of mouth by one's circle of friends. And Microsoft knows this very well, which is why there are a multitude of projects that support the migration of apps from the leading platforms.

Some time ago, about seven or eight years ago, hardware was the key element when choosing a mobile phone.Today, the hardware is also important but the software has to accompany it in the same proportion. Microsoft Lumia are excellent products, whether it is a mid-range like the Lumia 640 or a high-end like the Lumia 950, but many are those who also demand a wide range of apps to enjoy entertainment and online services.

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A great movement on the part of Redmond is to have more and more universal applications, something closely linked to a function like Continuum , which allows the phone to be used as a PC once connected to an external screen and basic peripherals (keyboard and mouse). But universal apps, of course, also contribute to the fact that the user can use them regardless of the equipment they are using."

With any Smartphone you can browse web pages, take a picture, watch a video on YouTube, communicate by voice, open Office documents or play music.But not all platforms allow access to the same games or the same services: for example, Windows Phone / Windows 10 mobile has an Instagram application, but its version still in beta phase is still far from the reality provided by Android and IOS.

Via | ZDnet