Ash Wahi, Principal Group Program Manager at Microsoft has blogged about the debut of the Windows Phone Developer Center and what it means for all the WP devs out there.
Replacing the retired App Hub, the Windows Phone Dev Center is designed to provide everything a developer needs to start building, publishing and managing apps for the Windows Phone platform. You can start using the new Dev Center now for Window Phone 7.5 (and earlier) apps.
There have been many improvements to the site. See the list below for a breakdown of the improved services offered.
- New, cleaner design sporting more streamlined menu options
- More robust and scalable backend for performance and reliability
- Pricing of apps can now be set per region or country
- Rating and reviews for all markets available at a glance
- PayPal support to both pay for the developer account and get paid for apps
- Improved sign-up and submission process
- More integration with Microsoft Advertising’s pubCenter
- Submit apps to all markets (except where additional content is required)
- Better reporting on app downloads and performance
- Deeper integration with MSDN
With the newer features available to potential and current developers, Microsoft are pulling out all the stops to better compete in the app market, lure new customers to its Windows Phone platform and provide a more simple and enjoyable experience for developers to write (or convert) apps for Windows Phone devices.
If you are a developer, or have thought about taking the plunge into Windows Phone development, we"d love to read your comments to see if the improvements offered in the Dev Center would attract you to develop for the platform.
Source: Windows Phone Dev Center via Windows Phone Developer Blog