Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 developer tools hit 300,000 downloads

Last time Microsoft touted the number of downloads of its developer tools for Windows Phone 7, corporate VP and director of Windows Phone program management Joe Belfiore put the figure in the hundreds of thousands.

Now the company is being a touch more specific as well as suggesting downloads have moved on a touch at the same time by revealing that downloads of the tools now sit at around the 300,000 mark.

Developer derby

The revelation has come as part of a blog post by mobile communications director Brandon Watson.

In the entry, Watson attempts to provide a roadmap for developers wishing to get involved with the OS pre-launch, with the final version of Windows Phone's developer toolset set to go live on September 16th.

"All of the work of the last six months is certainly paying off, as just about every conversation we have with developers focuses on their strategy for generating more business with Windows Phone 7," Watson says in the post.

"It's amazing to see so many inspired developers looking to create experiences for Windows Phone 7. In fact, to date there have been north of 300,000 downloads of the Windows Phone Developer Tools."

Method in the marketplace

Watson also takes time to reassure studios that their apps won't get lost in the rush come launch.

"Ask any mobile developers about their biggest headaches and you are likely to hear about an opaque or non-existent app store ingestion process," he adds.

"We've shown how we are making the process of building apps and games easier for developers, but that is only part of the journey. The next step is getting apps and games in front of customers.

"The Windows Phone Marketplace continues our commitment to having a clear and open process for certifying apps and games."

As a result, Microsoft has updated its policies for Windows Phone Marketplace, which can be downloaded from its website.