The forthcoming launch of Windows Phone 8 – its official debut a matter of days away now – also means the debut of something else: the Windows Phone 8 SDK.

Unveiled both at Microsoft's Build conference in Redmond and on the firm's developer blog, the new SDK has also been coupled with the release of an updated Dev Center.

Time to build

"After years of planning and development, today we’re making available the most important advancement of our dev plat to date, including a new SDK and a refreshed Dev Center now open for Windows Phone 8 app submissions," said director of program management for Windows Phone Kevin Gallo.

"Here at the Build 2012 conference, developers are seeing firsthand how we’re delivering close alignment with Windows 8 via a common core. Moving to a common Windows core meant that almost every major underlying subsystem had to change.

"This investment, in turn, allows developers to take advantage of support for native C++ programming, familiar tools, and common APIs to target phones, PCs, and tablets for an estimated combined opportunity of roughly 500 million units next year."

Of the new Dev Center, Microsoft said it is designed to school how to get started with the new SDK, as well as locate a 'Developer Camp' where devs can get "one-on-one hands-on time with our expert."



To celebrate the launch of the SDK, Microsoft has cut registration fees by 92 percent to $8 – developers initially charged $99 and refunded the difference within 30 to 45 days.

[source: Microsoft]