Microsoft debuts Windows Phone App Studio Beta

The Windows Phone 8 platform has always been criticized for not having too many apps on its marketplace, or at least not all the popular apps are there. In any case, Microsoft is looking to address this through their free web-based developer tool dubbed as the Windows Phone App Studio.

Albeit the free-for-all nature of the tool, it’s clear that Microsoft is targeting hobbyists and first-time developers by making the app-building process for WP8 platform a little less complicated. On top of that, the App Studio also aid newbies with the more technical aspect of polishing the app even further by managing the codes for them.

As part of this initiative, Microsoft also made the registration process for a developer phone a tad easier. As of today, anyone can register and unlock a WP8 handset and install up to 2 apps on it. This way, developers can test their apps and make a few adjustments before they publish it.

Once everything is set, all there’s left to do is sign up for a Dev Center account. But aside from being able to publish your app, Microsoft is kind enough to include other perks on the side to make the registration fee all the more worth it.

• Click-to-Chat feature which allows a dev to get help from a live support agent, and
• The ability to unlock and register three (3) WP8 handsets and upload up to 10 apps on each device.

Speaking of Dev Center registration fee, Microsoft has also lowered the charge to USD19 from the usual USD99. Mind you though that this offer (which they call “Summer Break”) is only valid until the 27th of this month (local time), so you might want to register ASAP if you’re interested in developing an app for Windows Phone.

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