That’s right.  You read the headline correctly.  The iPhone Developers Meetup is working with Microsoft in an effort to give our members the greatest opportunity to get their applications into the most marketplaces. We are partnering with Microsoft to give you the tools and resources you need to get your iOS applications into the Windows Store.

If you don’t have time to read the whole email now, remember this:

1. Access to software and hardware, including a Microsoft Surface device and Windows Phone device to test your applications on

2. Information on how to port iOS applications or start a new application from scratch

3. Access to the Microsoft development experts and the Twin Cities’ Microsoft Technology Center developer labs

This program is a partnership between the Twin Cities’ iPhone Developers Meetup and Microsoft to provide resources so our members can port or create applications for the Windows Store or the Windows Phone Store.  Between now and June 30^th, members will have access to the developer kit, Microsoft developer experts and programs, and the Microsoft Technology Center’s developer labs.

The developer kit contains a Microsoft Surface device, HTC 8x Windows Phone, Windows 8 Pro evaluation bits, and a USB drive with resources, install guides, etc. for running a Microsoft development environment on a Mac.  You can contact John Hibscher (john_hibscher at yahoo.com) to schedule use of the kit for up to five days at a time.  If our group can get 15 or more applications into the Windows Store by June 30th, we will be able to keep the kit and will raffle off the Microsoft Surface, the HTC 8x, and a copy of Windows 8 Pro to the members that get applications submitted and approved. 

The Microsoft Technology Center is one of the premier facilities for Microsoft development.  At the MTC, you will be able to schedule time in one of the Windows 8 developer labs where you can use PCs that are state-of-the-art for doing Windows development.  In addition, Microsoft development experts will be on hand to answer any of your questions while you are there.  The MTC developer labs are a great place to get an app started or push it that last mile to completion.

In addition to the resources that are in the kit, here are some additional links to help get you started.

- Windows 8 Resources for iOS developers - http://aka.ms/iOSTwinCities

- Port iOS Apps Video - http://aka.ms/videoTwinCities

- Windows 8 Developer Site – http://dev.windows.com

- Window Phone Developer Site – http://dev.windowsphone.com

- GenerationApp Site – http://aka.ms/30Days

- Games on Windows - http://aka.ms/gamesTwinCities

You can also contact our local Microsoft Developer representative, Adam Grocholski.   You can reach Adam via email (adgroc at microsoft.com), on Twitter (@codel8r) of find him around the Twin Cities when he is holding Office Hours (Adam's Office Hours)

With over 70M Windows 8 licenses in the marketplace, the Windows Store is growing rapidly but there are still opportunities to be a first mover.  The Windows Store is open to app builders in 120 markets and apps are sold in more than 200 markets.   The Store support paid, free and trial applications, in-app purchasing, advertising, and more.  Revenue sharing on applications is 70/30 for the first $25K, and then goes up to 80/20 once you have sold more than $25K.  You are also free to use your own advertising and/or in-app purchasing solution.  Some developers are already earning over $20K / month – you could be next!

Thanks and good luck coding!

If you are thinking about moving your app from iOS to Windows 8 to take advantage of another marketplace, make sure you check out:

iOS - http://aka.ms/iOSToWindows

There is also a great post that was put together on how to setup a Windows dev environment on your Mac.

http://aka.ms/WindowsOnMac

I’m also working with the Twin Cities iPhone Dev Meetup group to have some exciting things available to their membership, as well. And for our Android folks, just in case…

Android - http://aka.ms/AndroidToWindows

Microsoft has launched a new hub for Windows Azure on Channel 9. This hub will serve as an index and entry point for all video content related to Windows Azure. Since the launch we have already made progress on building a video library to help developers get started learning Windows Azure. Introduction videos have been created for core services like Mobile Services, Web Sites, Cloud Services, and SQL Databases.

Series

Below you will find a list of the series that we have launched. More videos and series will be added at later dates.

Join us for some coffee and code on Friday morning, Feb 22nd at the Microsoft office in Edina.  Check out our Meetup page – http://meetup.com/coffee-and-c0de for details and to sign up.

Stop by and talk code, applications, ideas… you name it!

Whether you build apps or support the infrastructure that runs the apps, the cloud can be a really big place. For some, it's a natural evolution for their application and infrastructure to embrace the power and scale of the cloud. For others, it's a journey that has to begin with a single step.

Windows Azure provides that first step with a scalable, flexible platform for deploying your applications your way. With our Infrastructure as a Service platform (IaaS) called Windows Azure Virtual Machines, you get the flexibility to choose between Windows and Linux with full control over the operating system configuration and installed software, matched with the portability of Hyper-V disk images. Windows Azure Virtual Machines provide the perfect environment for meeting all of your Infrastructure-as-a-Service needs.

To learn more about our Infrastructure as a Service platform, we invite all developers and IT Professionals to join local Microsoft cloud experts as they introduce you to the Microsoft Cloud Platform, dive deep into Windows Azure Virtual Machines, and help walk you through a hands-on demonstration of the power of IaaS on the Windows Azure platform.

Find a city and date near you!

Next up in the Local App Spotlight is Space Weatherby Timothy Stewart.  While I don’t have a particular need to know if it is going to be partly cloudy with a chance of showers in space, I have to say, the Space Weather app is pretty cool.  Just take a look at the screen shot and you can see that all kinds of cool info is being provided.

Space weather is the concept of changing environmental conditions in near-Earth space or the space from the Sun's atmosphere to the Earth's atmosphere. Space weather affects our planet, our technology, and all living things in many different ways. Solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and solar radiation are a few ways space weather can wreak havoc on the earth. It can also create beautiful auroras can that be seen near the poles and sometimes much further.

Space Weather for Windows 8 includes real-time readings and images from NASA, NOAA, SDO, and web cams from around the world!

The local Microsoft DPE team will be hanging out every Monday at the Microsoft Store at the Mall of America to answer any questions you may have about developing applications for Windows 8, Windows Phone, Microsoft Azure, or the rest of the Microsoft dev platform.  Feel free to swing by anytime between 1pm and 3pm each Monday (excluding Monday, Jan 28th) to talk tech.

In this installment of local Windows 8 apps, welook at the Sunrise Clock & Alarm developed the gang over at NerdNot.

This is a cool app that allows you to gently wake to beautiful sunrises by slowly increasing the display brightness and alarm volume.  Ditch the bedside alarm clock and go with a nice Surface device!  Better yet, it has a feature list that includes everything except a nice cup of coffee when you wake up.

Features

• NEW! Multiple alarm support.
• NEW! 24-Hour clock support.
• Set multiple one-time or recurring alarms.
• Select the alarm sound, volume, and whether to use the sunrise feature.
• Select the duration of the sunrise to wake you gently and the snooze length.
• Select the image to display and music to play during the sunrise.
• Set the clock size, brightness, color, and font.
• Night mode for sleeping and Lamp mode for reading.
• Live tile that displays next alarm day and time.
• Snapped view support.
• Toast notification if application is not running.
• Watch for more features to come…
• Notes:
• - W8 doesn’t allow apps to control the device brightness or sound, so be sure to check you system levels.
• - W8 does not allow apps to sound an alarm if the app is not running in the foreground. If the clock is not displayed you will receive a "Toast" message notifying you of your alarm.
• - Sunrise Clock & Alarm prevents your device from going to sleep so please plug it in

Lately, I have been highlighting applications in the Windows 8 Store that have been created by local application developers.  Today, I am going to show you three apps from the prolific duo, the See Sharp Guys.

The See Sharp Guys have produced not one Windows 8 application, but three!!!  Simply outstanding work.  Let’s take a quick look at the three apps they have published (so far… I expect even more in the future!)

Slot Machine

If you like Pavlovian distractions, then Slot Machine is for you.  With multiple machines you can play, multiple themes that include differen graphics and sounds, along bonus features, it is certainly a great way to pass some time and preparing for you next trip to Las Vegas.  Practice makes perfect, right? Better yet, the See Sharp Guys are looking for input on what to add to the game.  Customer service at its finest!  

Alarm Clock

Their customizable clock works great on your nightstand.  Just start it up while charging your Surface overnight. :)  Customize it with your own sounds, four different clock faces, and you can select your own clock background.  It’s been in the top 15 apps in the free section of “Tools” so you know it is good stuff.   

Lottery Numbers

That’s right!  The See Sharp Guys have built an app that let’s you pick the winning lottery numbers!  Why didn’t I install this app a couple of weeks ago when the Powerball was enormous?  Ok, not really.  But this app does let you look up the winning lottery numbers from around the country, so no searching the intertubes to see if you can retire the next time you buy a lottery ticket.

You can get started today by building your own Windows 8 application at GenerationApp!

As I had announced earlier and tweeted about several times, Coffee and c0de kicks off this Monday, Dec 10th.  You can register here.

Coffee and c0de is your opportunity to sit down and get your questions answered on development on the Microsoft platform with Microsoft experts.

• Working on a new Windows 8 application?  Come and get help on how to move the app forward. 
• Looking at ways to use Windows Azure to build cloud service?  Ask questions and learn the best ways to leverage the cloud.
• Excited about Windows Phone 8?  Find out how the new capabilities can help you create a killer app.

Held at the Microsoft Office in Edina, MN from Monday, Dec 10th, 9:00am to 12:00pm Central, you can come and go at any time ruing the morning.  Using an informal, discussion based format, you can spend time with Microsoft Developer Evangelist Jeff Brand (@jabrand) to get your questions answered, receive expert guidance, and learn how to move your development projects forward.

Come for the entire morning or stop by for a quick cup of coffee and some tech talk, the choice is yours. Come and share a cup of coffee and talk some code!