"Windows Embedded is excited to bring SPARKs Will Fly, the premier contest for hobbyists, academics and general developer enthusiasts, to the developer community," said Ilya Bukshteyn, senior director of Windows Embedded Marketing at Microsoft Corp. "Windows Embedded is committed to fostering creativity and innovation in the embedded technology market.
According to Todd Brix, Microsoft's Senior Director for Windows Marketplace, there are now more apps available for Windows Phone users "than at any time since we first launched Windows Phone 7 two years ago" (it would, of course, be pretty embarrassing if that weren't the case).
But senior director of Windows Phone apps at Microsoft Brandon Watson didn't argue with me there, saying "developers are pragmatic people, and iPhones to date have outsold us".
As Windows senior director Lisa Gurry told me, the company doesn't want to roll out a major update on the 29th because it's a Friday and also because the Windows team wanted some extra time to finish the product.
Brandon Watson, Microsoft's Senior Director of Windows Phone 7 development, tweeted an offer to published WebOS developers this past Friday: Microsoft will give them whatever they need to be successful, from free phones to development tools and training.
From the way that developers in general have been so hesitant to make the shift, I simply had to ask, "Why are developers — at least the ones who've moved over to WP7 — so gung-ho about Mango?" Microsoft's senior director of Windows Phone apps seemed to have the answer: "we give a fuck".
Making his way through the halls of Millenium Art Academy high school in the Bronx early this past school year, Benvenuto Ferron spotted one of his students, a senior, through the window to the gym.
Mr. Sinofsky, 41, who joined Microsoft in 1989, is the senior vice president for the Windows and Windows Live engineering group, a position he assumed a year ago after running the company's Office team of programmers.
"We are in a very different position with Vista than we were even six months ago," said Mr. Veghte, senior vice president for Windows strategy and marketing.
