Microsoft Releases the Windows Azure Toolkit for Android

Today, Microsoft released Windows Azure Toolkit for Android along with updated toolkits for Windows Phone and iOS platforms. Originally announced in May, the Android toolkit includes native libraries (for storage and authentication), a sample application, and unit tests. 

While there is tremendous market opportunity in building mobile applications, targeting numerous mobile platforms can be complex, costly and frustrating for developers. These new toolkits make it easier, and less expensive, for developers to extend their applications across major computing platforms.

Previously, Microsoft showed how companies like American Airlines are using the Windows Azure Toolkits for Devices to push real-time flight status, gate change and baggage claim information from American’s reservation system directly to a Windows Phone Live Tiles via Windows Azure’s notifications system. Using the toolkits, American Airlines travelers who download the Windows Phone application have instant access to their most current travel information on the top-level user interface of their phone, eliminating the need for text message, email or phone-call updates.

Large companies like American Airlines are not the only ones using the toolkits to more easily fulfill the cloud-to-device application pattern across multiple mobile platforms. Linxter, a software development company in Florida, created an app called TrackMyShots to help patients suffering from diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions keep track of where and when they inject their medications. This free app offers real benefits that go beyond traditional paper-based journaling, allowing people to avoid tissue damage and complications that arise from injecting in the same location too often.

“Using the cloud is a no-brainer for the distributed computing challenge posed by a solution like TrackMyShots. Windows Azure guarantees continuous availability of the service and can be scaled as needed to support the app’s millions of potential users. The Windows Azure Toolkits for Devices makes it easy for us to build mobile apps for Windows Phone, Android and iOS that use Windows Azure cloud services. By using both Windows Azure and the toolkits for our mobile app projects, we can bring consistent, first-rate solutions like TrackMyShots to market quickly,” said company CEO and founder Jason Milgram.

TrackMyShots is available on Windows Phone today; the Android and iPhone apps will be able available early next month. This is just one example of developers taking advantage of the cloud to deliver new app experiences across multiple mobile platforms.

Download the free toolkits and get started today:

Posted by Jamin Spitzer
Senior Director, Platform Strategy, Microsoft