Windows Azure Toolkit for iOS is here now and Coming for Android

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We have just announced the immediate availability of the Windows Azure Toolkit for iOS (v1.0.0) .  This toolkit contains resources and services designed to make it easier for iOS developers to use Windows Azure.  This release pushes forward the momentum around Mobile + Cloud, and expands it such that we can make it easier to target Windows Azure by offering native libraries for non-Microsoft platforms.

 

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You can see the official announcements here

Last March we released the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 (see attached email), which not only provided a set of generic services for Windows Azure but also provided resources to build native applications for Windows Phone 7 that target those services.  Adoption and momentum has been steady and consistent – in fact, we released a v1.1.0 updated at MIX11 that included push notification support for WP7.  So far the WP7 toolkit has had around 2,500 downloads, two sessions at MIX11 that focused on the toolkit (here & here), a presentation at Mobile Connections, picked up by tech journals (e.g. Mary Jo Foley and InfoQ), and we have a slew of activities planned around TechEd (along with Windows Azure & Windows Phone MVPs).

You can get the Windows Azure Toolkit for iOS—and all the source code—on github:

The Windows Azure Toolkit for iOS works in two ways: you access Windows Azure storage directly, or alternatively, can go through a proxy service. The proxy service code is the same code as used in the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 and negates the need for the developer to store the Azure storage credentials locally on the device. The release of the Windows Azure Toolkit for iOS is a significant milestone, and reinforces my opinion that Windows Azure is a great place to run services for mobile applications.

In addition to the iOS toolkit release, we are also excited to share the news that development for the Windows Azure Toolkit for Android has already begun – we expect to ship the first version next Month.

Lastly, at TechEd North America 2011 we will ship an updated version of the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 (v1.2.0) which will include:

  • Integration with the Access Control Service (e.g. a wizard, automatic setup, tooling, and code)
  • Full support for Windows Azure Storage Queues
  • Updated UI/UX for the supporting web application

For more information, see my blog post: Updates Coming Soon to the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7.

Here are some resources to help you get started:

Blog posts

Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 1.2 will Integrate with ACS : Vittorio has blogged about upcoming details related to the Access Control Service 2.0 integration in v1.2

Screencasts:

Windows Azure Toolkit for iOS:

Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7:

Cloud Ready Package for Devices: