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Microsoft has announced its new Windows Phone Dev Center, the new online home for Windows Phone developers.
In a blog post, Microsoft group program manager for the Dev Center Ash Wahi said the new developer destination is an evolution of our retired App Hub developer portal. Wahi said the site is designed to provide everything developers need to build, publish and manage apps for Windows Phones around the world.
Wahi said developers can start using the site, which has been redesigned from the ground up, now for Windows Phone 7.5 or earlier apps. It features a cleaner look and a streamlined set of menu options, he said.
In addition, the Windows Phone Dev Center introduces new analytic tools for tracking app downloads and performance, Wahi said. Developers can now see downloads by purchase typeFree, Paid, Trial and Beta. Paid downloads are now broken down by without trial and after trial, providing more useful insights into how customers are acquiring developers apps. And the new My Money report shows monthly payoutsand will soon include exchange-rate info.
The arrival of the Windows Phone Dev Center brings more markets and new opportunities to sell your apps, Wahi said. Developers can soon register in four times as many countries or regions, and get paid in three times as many as whats possible today. As weve previously announced, this year were also nearly tripling the number of consumer storefronts around the world to sell your apps. Many of these new markets are available starting today. Others will arrive soon.
Microsoft wants to make it easier for Windows Phone app developers to get paid. So the Dev Center now supports PayPal, something many of you asked for, Wahi said. If PayPal service is available in your market, you can use it both to get paid and to pay for your developer account.
The Dev Center also enables developers to enter a unique price in each country or region. And developers can now easily gain access to ratings and reviews for each market in which they participate. The Dev Center also supports in-app purchasing. And it allows for more beta testers than previously. The Microsoft App Hub only allowed for 100 beta testers, the new Windows Phone Dev Center supports thousands of beta testers.
Other key improvements to the new developer center are more flexible sign-up and submission for developers and their apps, and better reporting and analytics, Wahi said.