Windows Slate & Windows Phone Apps…

Flickr WP7 and Slate Apps – download them now

Last week marked the simultaneous launch of Flickr for Windows 7 and Flickr for Windows Phone 7!  This project began the first week of November, and we announced to the world at CES and now we have delivered  the applications on Windows Slate and Phone 7. 

Check out:

- Flickr for Windows 7 – www.windowsproductscout.com or https://www.flickr.com/windows7 (requires a touch device)

- Flickr for Windows Phone 7 - zune://navigate/?appID=2e49fb07-592b-e011-854c-00237de2db9e

Flickr for Windows 7 represents Flickr’s first slate application – they have no other touch driven app on a tablet form factor.  Flickr also believes that their Windows Phone 7 sets the standard for what Flickr should be on a mobile device.  It’s the best way to experience Flickr on a phone, period.

What makes these two channels really special, however, is how Flickr chose to use Azure.  Engaging with users across multiple channels in as seamless a way as possible is a key metric for Flickr – this means that your Flickr experience should continue, regardless of which device you’re at.  Flickr chose to use Azure to sync their user’s experiences between their Slate application and their Phone app.  Browse to a photo on one, and pick up in exactly the same place on the other.

The Flickr experience will feature the first-ever 1^st-party Flickr app from Yahoo and will provide a unique multi-screen experience across Windows Phone 7 and Windows 7 tablets.  The application enables capturing/ light consumption of images.  There is also a companion multi-touch Slate application for consumption, organization, review and sharing of images. 

Technology:  Windows 7 Slate, Windows Phone 7, Silverlight, Azure Storage Service

All of this was possible by the incredibly talented team we have. It was great collaboration between UX, PM, Platform Evangelists and partners. While you are at it, check this Native Extension for Silverlight (NESL) which makes all this much easier by exposing new Windows 7 features such as Sensors and Location in Silverlight, and the Silverlight OOB Installer work which makes it easy to install these like native apps.

-Mithun Dhar

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