Developers: August User Group Sweepstakes Begin, 10 unlocked Samsung Focuses up for grabs!

Do you like being rewarded for your work? As a Windows Phone developer, you probably strive for more than just a paycheck at the end of each month. You want to feel satisfied and if you can't get none, then maybe winning a free unlocked Samsung Focus will ease your craving. This is the August version of the same sweepstakes from the Windows Phone 7 User Group we talked about last month, and it's entry period has already opened and will remain open until August 31st, 2011 at 11:59 PM.

Same rules apply: you need to be a registered developer and publish a new app in the Marketplace this month. After that you can enter the sweepstakes from here and use the event code VIL12. Also, each app you submit counts towards another ticket for you to raise your chances. Not bad, eh? So if you're prepping those Mango app submissions for that August 22nd deadline, keep this giveaway in mind and you'll have plenty of chances to win a new device!

Source: Windows Phone 7 User Group

DFT releases Custom ROM tools for HTC Windows Phones, enters unknown territory

Some huge news out of the Windows Phone development world today: the Dark Forces Team (DFT) have released RSPL/HSPL tools for a slew of HTC Windows Phones. For the common Joe that may not mean much, but these tools should be the gateway for developers to create custom ROMs for Windows Phone. The tool currently supports the Pro 7, Mozart, Surround, Trophy and HD7 and specifically does not support Verizon's Trophy or Sprint's Arrive (we're assuming AT&T's HD7S is supported since its identical to other HD7's).

While Windows Phone doesn't suffer from the normal symptoms (like uninstallable carrier apps) that usually inspire custom ROMs to be developed, there are still plenty of arguments in favor of this happening. Those perks include being able to flash updates instead of going through the somewhat laborious process of backing up your phone's contents, adding new customization options like new accent colors, changes to the operating system's behavior, and more.

However, these are only the tools to create custom ROMs so it may be a while before we get to see some really cool new stuff available for download. Still, this is exciting new territory for Windows Phone and we cannot wait to see what kind of creative changes and additions inspired developers can come up with.

Via: Windows Phone Hacker, WPCentral
Source: XDA-Developers

Developers: New Build of Mango Beta released and New SDK

Thanks to a post from Cliff Simpkins over at the Windows Phone Developer Blog, it seems like those earlier grumblings were true: developers are receiving a Mango Beta update! There's a keyword there that you still have to remind yourself of -- Beta. Yes despite Microsoft RTM-ing Mango yesterday, this developer build of Mango is still pre-release software. However, Simpkins makes it crystal clear that this is as close to a Release Candidate of Mango as you're going to get. The biggest takeaway from that is it means the Mango APIs are "locked" and will not change from this build to the RTM build. So developers can now pour in 100% of their effort into their in-progress apps before August 22nd pops up on the calendar.

So how are you supposed to get this update? Well if you're an invited developer (who this was officially only ever meant for) then your phone will receive an update notice "over the next few days". If you're impatient and think your update could be ready, then head on over to the Microsoft Connect site where you can find all of the files you need to update. Here's a step-by-step penned by Mr. Simpkins himself:

The process to update your phone with build 7712 is pretty straight-forward:

1. Make a copy of the backup you took when you updated to the Mango Beta 2 pre-release (which I’m sure you did) and put it in a safe place, if it isn’t in one already
2. Return to Connect.Microsoft.com (we’re using the same program you were invited to join last month) and download the freshly posted files, which includes a new Zune client and a new UpdateWP executable
3. Head to the Control Panel and uninstall the Beta 2 software (Zune client and UpdateWP) and tools (WPSDK) that you installed last month
4. Install the new software and tools that you just downloaded from Connect
5. Fire up the new Zune client beta (4.8.2134.0) to check for the new update
6. Zune will then update your phone from 7661 to 7712

Of course, what's a new build without a new SDK? That's exactly what Microsoft has given in its new "Beta 2 Refresh" package of tools (the RC version will be available later in the month). Anyway, get started from the Windows Phone Developer Blog and read everything before going on to the update.

So are you guys excited for this pleasant little Mango-flavored surprise? You can practically see a new Windows Phone 7.5 device can't you?

Source: Windows Phone Developer Blog

Developers: Enter the User Group Sweepstakes and you could win an unlocked Samsung Focus!

Who doesn't want a free phone? Even better, there are 10 unlocked Samsung Focus's up for grabs! So how do you get one? By entering the Windows Phone 7 User Group Sweepstakes. If you're an active developer for Windows Phone already, the steps should be pretty simple:

1. You need a Windows Phone developer account.
2. You have to develop an app for WP7.
3. You have to publish that app to the Marketplace.
4. Fill out the form and use event code VIL12.
5. That's it!

This offer won't last forever: the sweepstakes close submissions on July 31, 2011 at 11:59pm. So if you're interested, check out the site for your chance to win a free Windows Phone!

Source: Windows Phone 7 User Group Sweepstakes

Developers: Microsoft announces Windows Live & SkyDrive integration for mobile apps

Besides the day the Mango Beta released, today has been like a second Christmas for Windows Phone developers! The official Windows Live Blog has just announced Windows Live integration for mobile apps on iOS, Android and (of course) Windows Phone! This also includes access to SkyDrive content, a feature that we know has been highly requested among developers. Microsoft has also made the entire process dramatically simpler thanks to their easy-to-use http://manage.dev.live.com/ website--all you do is enter your app name and language, and you're given a client ID and client secret in return. Besides that things get a lot more technical and we know we wouldn't be able to do it justice, but we highly recommend you read the entire article at the source link.

Via: LiveSide.net
Source: Windows Live Blog

Developers: Mango App Submissions start on August 22nd, App Hub changes detailed now (Update)

Yesterday an App Hub update began to roll out globally and we spotted quite a few new features. However, everyone was confused as to why Microsoft hadn't bothered detailing what's new but now Todd Brix has come to give us all the details. Here's the quick lowdown (for the rest of the details hit the source link below):

• Geographic Expansion: 19 new consumer markets, 7 new developer markets (with China on the way and India to be expanded), App Hub localization, Updated price tiers, in-app Microsoft Advertising market expansion.
• New Private Distribution Methods: Beta Distribution (must be pre-certified, limited to 100 users) and Targeted Distribution (published app that is invisible in the public Marketplace, unlimited number of users, shared through deep-links).
• Enhanced application management: Better application management, Enhanced developer dashboard, More detailed reporting, New ‘Crash Count’ report, Streamlined application submission process, New App Categories.

Finally, Brix also dropped a bombshell on us that we weren't expecting to hear: Mango app submissions to the Marketplace will begin in August! Microsoft will also be unleashing Windows Phone Release Candidate (RC) tools later which will be required for those wanting to submit their apps. We know all of you developers been working tirelessly to bring your tropical-flavored apps up to snuff, and now it's time to kick things into high gear for the rest of the month. This also implies that we could very well see new Mango hardware sometime in August, which is exactly what we've heard about the Fujitsu IS12T. It's all coming together folks.

Update: Joe Belfiore himself just mentioned through his Twitter account that Mango app submissions begin specifically on August 22nd! There's the date people, now get to it!

Source: Windows Phone Developer Blog

Developers: ChevronWP7 Labs device unlock to cost $9

ChevronWP7 wasn't messing around when they announced their new Labs service last month. Not only does the service promise to offer an affordable device unlocking method, it's also Microsoft-approved! It doesn't get any better than that...until you hear about just how cheap ChevronWP7 is making device unlocking. Team member Chris Walsh has revealed through his Twitter account that Lab unlocking a device will only cost $9. That's a hefty $90 discount from what Microsoft offers, although Labs will presumably come with less perks (such as the actual ability to publish apps to the Marketplace). We still don't know much about the service or if it will create a new alternative Marketplace for unofficial apps, so we'll be keeping our ears to the ground for more news.

Via: WinRumors
Source: Twitter (@ChrisWalshie)

Developers: App Hub back online, brings along new UI & Beta Marketplace support

As we mentioned yesterday morning, the official Windows Phone developer web portal 'App Hub' went down for service updates for most of the day. However, late last night App Hub reemerged and as many predicted it brought along with it quite a few new changes in preparation for Mango. Our friend Cris Rowlands at 1800PocketPC has taken a deep dive into the new changes which includes:

• Redesigned Windows Phone Hub interface
• Support for new app distribution methods
• Beta app publishing
• New app information pages (includes reviews, pricing, details, and life-cycle)
• New windowsphone.com deep-linking for apps
• Crash information which displays the affected phones' model and firmware, as well as the frequency of crashes.

For more pictures and details, read the full article at the source link. If you'd rather skip that and get your hands dirty by playing with these shiny new toys, then head on over to the App Hub to see what's new for yourself.

Via: 1800PocketPC

Developers: App Hub down from now until the end of the day, 'service upgrades' or something more?

It looks like developers get to take the rest of the day off, as Microsoft has temporarily taken down all of App Hub's services. Here's what the service notice reads:

Pardon our dust. App Hub will be down for service upgrades for most of the day starting around 10 a.m. PST on Monday, July 18. During this period, developers will be unable to register, to access their Windows Phone developer accounts, or to use the forums.

We appreciate your patience.

So if you were planning to finally push the button to get that app certification moving, you're probably going to have to wait until tomorrow. However, this notice and the timing of it has some speculating Microsoft is doing more than just "service updates". Popular conspiracy theories include the addition of more supported Marketplace countries, backend work on the web-based Marketplace, or the ability to finally submit Mango-friendly apps to the Marketplace. We'll see how things turn out by tonight or tomorrow morning, but in the meantime keep coding those Mango apps!

Via: WP7 Connect
Source: App Hub

Developers: You probably should have gotten your Mango invite by now

Have you avoided tempting but shady methods and still eagerly awaiting your Mango Beta invite? Well...you might want to make sure you're doing everything right. Last Tuesday, Microsoft's Cliff Simpkins tweeted that, if you hadn't already received one, the rest of the invites for the Mango Beta were going to be pushed out on that Thursday, July 7th. So if you're a developer and you haven't gotten your update, something is probably wrong.

Here's a few things you can check to make sure you're actually eligible to receive the Beta:

• Make sure you're fully registered and have cleared GeoTrust validation. You should have received emails from GeoTrust requesting documents and forms of identification. (More details here.)
• Check if the country your account is registered in is eligible. The official supported countries are:
• Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States.
• If all else fails, contact someone at Microsoft. If you think you're registered, verified by GeoTrust, and in an eligible country, the only option you have left is to talk to someone. Try getting in touch with your local WP7 Champ.

Good luck if you haven't gotten Mango yet, and once you do tell us what you think!

Source: Twitter (@cliffsimpkins)

Developers: Still No Mango Invite? Try These Steps.

Did you vote in our poll that your still haven't gotten an invite for the Mango developer beta? Well we haven't received one yet either and it was ticking us off. So we've been doing research for hours and we've come up with a few tips that may be blocking you from that precious invite. These mostly involve making sure your developer account has actually been approved by GeoTrust, Microsoft's partner in identity verification. If you're not 100% about that or if you'd just like to give the steps a try for the heck of it, follow us past the break.

Note: We are based in the United States, so the process may differ depending on what region you're located in.

• Check if your account is verified. 
1. The easiest way to do this is to go to App Hub and sign in to your developer account. 
2. From there, place your mouse over the 'My Dashboard' tab near the top of the site and click on the 'Windows Phone' link that appears in the hover list. 
3. You will now be brought to a page called 'Windows Phone: My Apps'. On this page, look for a dark blue banner that says "Identity Verification Pending" similar to the one I've included above.
• If you do not see the banner, that means your account should be verified by GeoTrust.
• If you do see the banner, go on to 4.
4. If you see this banner, click on the orange link next to the message. This will show a pop-up that will tell you exactly what steps you need to do in order to verify your identity. This may include adding financial information so be ready with your documents.
5. After you do whatever steps you can from App Hub in order to help the registration process, you should now see the same exact banner above. 
6. If you wait, GeoTrust will eventually send you an email asking you to verify your identity. You'll find a link to a form with personal questions. Again, this requires personal information because they are trying to identify exactly who you are.
• If you pass, you're set to go.
• If you do not pass, continue to 7.
7. Once again you get to wait for an email from GeoTrust. Eventually they will send more steps for you to complete. Things get more personal if they request a copy of a government issue ID, so you'll have to play it by the year from here.

• Register your device.
1. It might be a good idea to register your device to your account -- you'll need to eventually if you plan to publish any apps. First of all download the Windows Phone development tools, preferably the Mango Beta 2 because you'll need it anyway.
2. After installing the tools go to your Start Menu ==> All Programs ==> Windows Phone Developer Tools (this is a folder) ==> Windows Phone Developer Registration (this is an application). Click on that and you'll see a screenshot like the one above.
3. Read the description at the top, then look at the 'Status' area at the bottom. Your status will likely be the same as ours, which means you should connect your phone to your PC. After that let the Zune client sync completely if you have it set to auto. Then make sure your phone's screen is on and not locked.
4. After all of that, the status should read 'Phone ready' and the program should allow you to enter your Windows Live ID and password associated with your developer account. From there click on the 'Register' button (where Retry used to be).
• If it works, you will see a message that says your device has been registered. You can confirm it by going to your App Hub account.
• If it doesn't work, continue to Step 4.
5. If the error reads something like 'Unable to connect to device' then make sure your phone's screen has stayed on the entire time. If it locks while the program is working it will result in this error. 
6. If the error says to set the correct date/time or to check the internet connection, this could be on of two things. The first is exactly what the error says to check, the second is the result of a phone that previously used the ChevronWP7 unlock method. In the case of the latter, your only concrete option is to hard reset the device. As annoying as it is, it should work.
7. If the error says something like 'Developer registration has not been completed', then go back to the guide above on how to get your account fully verified.

• Be patient.
• In case none of these have helped, the only real option is to be patient while you wait for your invite.
• Also, make sure the country your developer account is associated with is eligible for the beta update. Not all countries are, so check for yours in this list:
• Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States
• If you're really concerned and truly believe there is no reason for you to not have your invite yet, we recommend making contact with someone at Microsoft.

Poll: How's Your Mango Update Going?

Today is the third day since Microsoft unleashed the official developer Windows Phone Mango Beta update to a giant chunk of its 36,000 developers. Since this is a developer-focused beta, it's a rough-around-the-edges ROM update. That of course means some unlucky enthusiasts may have experienced a few bumps and bruises along the way to that Mango update. Some haven't even gotten that far because their invitations have yet to arrive in their inboxes. So, we're here to ask you now: how's your Mango update going?

Vote for any options that you're closest to above and share your experience with us in the comments below!

Developers: Windows Phone Product Manager Clarifies NDA Conditions, Users Free to Post Screenshots & Media

Okay, Microsoft we're on good terms now. Yesterday it was made public that developers would be under an NDA after signing the terms and conditions in order to download the update. The agreement specifically asked developers, "to not publish any content, screenshots or comments in any media in advance of the official launch of Windows Phone ‘Mango’."

As you may know, this annoyed us quite a bit because we were planning to offer coverage of Mango now but were worried this NDA would completely halt those plans. Well, there's good news developers and fellow bloggers! According to Windows Phone's Product Manager Cliff Simpkins, the original statement in the conditions was misinterpreted. Making an appearance today on the live broadcast of Windows Phone Dev Podcast, Cliff stated that developers are free to post any kind of media including screenshots and more information without expecting any sort of punishment. However they cannot share the actual Mango code with one another, meaning anyone who uploads the system dump of Mango could be in hot water if discovered by Microsoft.

So if you have Mango and you're media-savvy, enjoy the weekend project of unraveling all of Mango's deepest secrets (just not its code).

Via: WPCentral

ChevronWP7 Releases Updated 'Walshed Phone Support Tool' to resolve Mango Update Issues

We really feel for all of the people who got stuck with those "Walshed" phones and even moreso for ChevronWP7, who has been working constantly to help those affected users out. Now it appears Walshed phones that were eventually set on the right path to official NoDo righteousness are suffering from new complications with the Mango developer update. Rafael Rivera took to the App Hub Forums to brief everyone on the issue:

For those who were on the ChevronWP7 track, we're noticing problematic updates linked to the incorrect use of the Walshed Phone Support Tool. More specifically, lots of folks misread (or didn't read at all) the instructions and did not select all the languages present on the phone. (Most simply selected English.)

In case you don't remember, you were supposed to select all of the languages already installed on your phone before using the Walshed Phone Support Tool. Since most apparently didn't, that is the main cause of this new Mango update issue. Well now Rivera has updated the post with links to an updated version of the Support Tool as well as new instructions for those affected.

So first of all, download the revised Support Tool (32-bit here, 64-bit here). Now go ahead and read the instructions below:

Instructions:

1. Download the appropriate tool for your machine.
2. Check your phone's OS version (Settings -> About -> More Info).
• If your phone is 7390 or less, simply execute WPST.exe
• If your phone is at 7392, execute WPST.exe with the command line parameter -ididntreadtheinstructions.
• If your phone is at anything higher than 7392, you should stop and restore to one of the aforementioned versions.
3. Select all the installed languages on your phone. (See the tool for instructions.)
4. Click continue and wait for completion.
5. Try updating to Mango again.

Good luck and we hope you can finally get your Mango on if you were stuck before. Oh and make sure you thank ChevronWP7 if you do!

Via: Twitter (@WithinRafael)
Source: App Hub Forums

Developers: If You Have Mango, You Can't Talk About It

So you received your invite to download the Mango beta and you're planning to write up a 1500 word epic feature-palooza all about it? Better think twice about that kid, because Microsoft could sue you if you do that. See if you paid attention to that legal agreement that you were forced to sign in order to update, you'd have known that there's a confidentiality clause that you have agreed to. You didn't read it? Well here's the part we're talking about:

8. Confidentiality: By participating in this program, the developer agrees to not publish any content, screenshots or comments in any media in advance of the official launch of Windows Phone ‘Mango’.

Now if you're not good with legal-speak, this means that you can't talk about Mango at all in any form of media. This isn't just limited to news sites like ours: it includes talking, Twitter, Facebook, email, text messages, and whatever other kind of sharing medium you can probably think of.

For us, this really really really sucks. You cannot even begin to imagine just how much this has ruined our plans to have Mango coverage. Sadly our site was not big enough to participate in the Mango previews that Microsoft handed out to multiple members of the press, and our one saving grace would have been this beta update because we have a student developer account. Now this has really fudged things up on our side, and there's no real reason that we have seen to justify this from Microsoft's perspective. Journalists obviously didn't have a non-disclosure agreement to sign because they ripped Mango wide open once the embargo was lifted, so why are developers getting the short end of the stick?

Anyway besides our own issues we recommend you to proceed with a lot of caution when talking about Mango. For the most part, avoid taking photos and screenshots of your Mango phone and if you're releasing an update of your app for Mango devices to test, don't specifically mention what features you've included.

What do you think about this NDA, developers?

Via: WinRumors

Developers: Start your engines -- the Mango update is here (plus an updated Mango SDK)!

The rumors are really true, but that's besides the point now: the Mango update for developers is available now! Brandon Watson has taken to the Windows Phone Developer Blog and laid out all the details devs need to know to get their "goodie basket" update.

First of all, not every single developer may get the update today; Watson cited, "final kinks in the distribution and support infrastructure for delivering Mango to all of our registered developers around the world," that are limiting them but invites to update are on their way to developers starting now. So if you've been a pretty active dev for Windows Phone 7, it may be worth refreshing your inbox several thousand times today. Plus you don't need a developer phone because this Mango update should be compliant with all available retail products and yes student developers will also have access to the Mango update!

If you have an invite in your hand and you're ready to download that Mango goodness, STOP. Watson left very important words of caution before you proceed to do anything: first go get the new Mango SDK Beta 2 which is ready for your downloading pleasure, and second read the instructions. Since this is considered an unofficial update, there are always risks to updating your device and if you're using your personal phone with the update it's best to be cautious and read every single step before going through with it.

Finally, here is the list of officially supported countries for the roll out:

• Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Want to know more about Beta 2 of the Mango SDK? Read up on all of the new changes here, but the biggest change is undoubtedly the ability to actually publish Mango-compliant updates in the Marketplace which means we'll start to see more apps really make use of those tucked away Mango APIs!

So what are you waiting for, an invitation? Oh, right...you probably are. Well you can still keep yourself busy by downloading that new Beta 2 but if you've already done that we recommend checking out what the journalists said about Mango in order to whet your appetite.

Update: According to Microsoft's Cliff Simpkins, we were wrong and every single registered developer should receive an invite to download the update TODAY. Awesome!

Source: Windows Phone Developer Blog

Developers: Mango restricts apps even more from System (including homebrew apps)

We were definitely excited to see all of the new Mango APIs when they were detailed at MIX '11, which meant that apps could be deeper entwined with the operating system. However we were much more excited about the possibilities for homebrew apps as Microsoft was opening up some key accesses that had thwarted eager developers in the past. But it looks like that excitement was premature and we have now learned that Microsoft is in fact restricting apps even more than before with Mango. According to ChevronWP7 member Rafael Rivera,  Mango is going to be restricting apps from making COM calls to the "interop services" found in the operating system's registry and other native resources.

WPCentral's Daniel Rubino attempted to sideload homebrew apps like registry editors and theme changers and was given an error code in response. As Rivera explains it, "Mango won’t officially support the deployment of custom applications with the ID_CAP_INTEROPSERVICES capability flag." So in layman terms, any current homebrew apps that make use of the registry or system access cannot be deployed to the phone thus effectively halting the possibilities for customizations with homebrew.

Mango will still allow apps to be sideloaded via the app deployment tool in the Mango SDK, but don't expect any easy route for developers to create apps with user interface-altering functionality like MobileNotifier for Windows Phone. This pretty much negates everything the development community was excited about with Mango and we really really hope Microsoft is working on that official homebrew plan of theirs.

Via: WMPU, WPCentral
Source: Within Windows

Rumor: Mango Update for Developers Still On Its Way, Updates through Zune, Includes New Features

We missed this thanks to a screwed up timetable of ours, but yesterday Neowin originally reported that a Windows Phone Mango update for all developers would be available starting the next day (today). However, Microsoft's Brandon Watson shot down that rumor via his Twitter within a few hours claiming that "Press reviews of consumer features are only thing happening this week."

Now Neowin has returned with new information and still claims a developer update to Mango is on its way. A tipster from within Microsoft explains that the original rumor turned out to be false because of a last-minute issue with a "a faulty upgrade script" that would only update from within Microsoft, not any other developers worldwide. The tipster also included some info about how the process is going to happen for you folks at home:

"[The update process is a] Zune software update and an executable that makes some changes to the registry to get the Zune software to look at the right place for the pre-release updates. It's a series of two updates, just like Nodo."

According to the source, "the only guaranteed update path from this pre-Mango to the final Mango will be to revert back to the backup made by the pre-Mango update, since carrier-approved updates will only be made to carrier-stamped versions on the phone." This means that the update should be performed on a PC that you know you'll have access to in a few months time. Risky business.

Finally this informative informant has let loose some very interesting new features that are included in the Mango beta the press was given but was most likely under a non-disclosure agreement in order to stop anyone from spilling the beans. The camera application is said to have received a ton of features, the biggest being a touch-to-focus feature when taking photos so that the hardware camera button is no longer required. The second is a "phone lock delay" which (if you have the option on) will only lock your phone with a PIN once for every certain amount of minutes that you specify. That means that if you set it to 15 minutes, once you unlock your phone you can keep swiping it without entering the PIN each time and it will not relock until 15 minutes later. Plus any audio stuttering issues that were originally found in NoDo and pre-NoDo are a thing of the past with this Beta build, and developers are said to have more under-the-hood tweaks including "list controls now being populated and scroll in a separate thread", and all image loading in list based controls os automatically handled in the background."

So developers are you excited by the possibility of a Mango software update? What do you think about the risky nature of the update path from the Beta to the final build? Tell us in the comments!

Source: Neowin

Developers: ChevronWP7 Labs Unlocks Your Phone For Less, Microsoft-Approved

Have you been sitting on the fence waiting to become a Windows Phone developer? We suppose you're trying to figure out if the platform will really take off or if you're better of with Android or iOS. Of course, then there's actually paying to become an app developer which is expensive on any platform. Microsoft itself charges $99 to join their App Hub and only then can developers unlock their phones to start some serious work.

Well that may become a thing of the past thanks to the geniuses at the ChevronWP7 team. Yesterday the group announced an upcoming service called ChevronWP7 Labs which promises to make development more accessible. How? By unlocking (jailbreaking) your Windows Phone for less than 99 bucks. Details are light as of now, but apparently their method will be in fact Microsoft-approved and the team promises it will only be a "small fee". Anything to encourage Windows Phone development is a win in our book, and we can definitely see this giving a huge boost to the homebrew community.

If you're a potential or current developer, what do you think about this move? And should ChevronWP7 be sticking to their free tool or is a cheap paid method a better solution?

Developers: How to get your hands on a Mango developer phone

Are you ready to finally get your hands on a Mango developer device and start some serious coding of your next great app? If you are, stand up from your computer/phone/tablet right now and walk out the door...after reading these instructions first. Microsoft's busy Windows Phone hero Brandon Watson has outlined some of the first steps to take on how to get your grubby hands all over your next best friend. When responding to many developers through his Twitter account, Watson responded to one curious developer asking about how to secure a Mango device before launch by saying developers should contact their local mobile champ. So what the heck is a mobile champ? These people are mobile champs and you should find one near your area. Only when you take the time out to find these people and open a dialogue with them will they take you seriously and offer you a Mango developer phone.

So enough blabber and get to it, developers! This is probably the best way to get one as soon as possible unless Microsoft opens a more official method like the rumors suggested. What are you waiting for?

Source: Twitter (@BrandonWatson), (@wp7dev)