Adam Grocholski

Overnight the Windows Azure Mobile Services team released official support for Android. Along with the SDK Microsoft has also written a number of tutorials to help you get started. The best place to start if you’ve never used Windows Azure Mobile Services before is the Getting started with Mobile Services tutorial. After you complete the initial walkthrough, there are a number of options you can look at depending on what your specific needs are: Data Get started with data – Learn how you can use Mobile Services to store and retrieve data from an app. Validate and modify data using server scripts – You can use server scripts to validate and modify data when you are inserting and updating it. This tutorial show you how to define and register server scripts with mobile services and how to modify your app to take advantage of the new behaviors you define through the sc... (more)

Disabling DirectAccess Functionality in Windows 8

Let me start by saying I love DirectAccess in Windows 8. It’s great for accessing resources on the Microsoft network when I’m not in the office (which is about 90% of the time). DirectAccess, is case you aren’t aware of it, gives remote users (like yours truly) seamless access to corporate networks with the need to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). I highly recommend you look into. As I stated in the intro, DirectAccess is great. I only have one caveat to add, when it works. On and off over the past couple of weeks I’ve been running into an issue where DirectAccess is in a co... (more)

Windows Azure Mobile Services for Android

Recently the Windows Azure Mobile Services team released official support for Android. Along with the SDK Microsoft has also written a number of tutorials to help you get started. The best place to start if you’ve never used Windows Azure Mobile Services before is the Getting started with Mobile Services tutorial. After you complete the initial walkthrough, there are a number of options you can look at depending on what your specific needs are: Data Get started with data - Learn how you can use Mobile Services to store and retrieve data from an app. Validate and modify data usin... (more)

Windows Azure IaaS Bootcamp in Cincinnati, OH

(Pssst…If you still haven’t tried Windows Azure what are you waiting for? Let me give you some encouragement. How about 90 days for free on me. Just go here to learn more.) If you live in or around Cincinnati I invite you to attend next week’s Windows Azure IaaS Bootcamp. If you aren’t close to Cincinnati find a location closer to you here. Whether you build apps or support the infrastructure that runs the apps, the cloud can be a really big place. For some, it’s a natural evolution for their application and infrastructure to embrace the power and scale of the cloud. For other... (more)

Android to Windows 8: Working with a SQL Database

Learn how to write code in Windows Store apps for Windows 8 that works with structured data in SQLite—a popular database that’s familiar to Android app developers. Your app may need to work with data that’s more complex than simple key-value pairs—for example, a complex sales order or a survey with comments. For these kinds of data, you may want to use a database. One popular choice is SQLite—a self-contained, zero-configuration, relational, transactional database engine—which Android and Windows Store apps both support. Here’s how to: Install SQLite. Reference it from a Windo... (more)