Unleashed and essential developer books for Windows Phone 8

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Last week saw the publication of two "new" Windows Phone 8 developer focused books: Windows Phone 8 Unleased by Daniel Vaughan and Essential Windows Phone 8 by Shawn Wildermuth. The books, which aim to provide an introduction to the Windows Phone 8 platform for intermediate to advanced developers, are not brand new, but rather updated and expanded versions of books of the same name for Windows Phone 7.5.

The new content in both books reflects the changes and additions made to Windows Phone's APIs in the latest release of the platform. These include new Live Tile capabilities, Wallet integration, the Nokia Maps control, voice control and speech sythesis updates, and more. 

Daniel Vaughan, author of the Unleashed book, is the developer of the Intellicam app that we wrote about on the site last week, as well as several other Windows Phone apps.

Shawn Wildermuth, author of the Essentials book, is the developer of the GooNews apps that draws new stories from Google News, as well as a number of other Windows Phone apps.

BookBook

Windows Phone 8 Unleashed Amazon description:

Windows Phone 8 Unleashed is the definitive guide to Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 8 platform for intermediate to advanced developers. Written by Microsoft MVP and leading Windows Phone and WPF innovator Daniel Vaughan, this full-color guide covers everything developers need to rapidly build highly competitive Windows Phone 8 mobile apps.

Vaughan teaches through complete sample apps—leveraging the MVVM pattern—illuminating each key concept with fully explained code and real-world context. He presents best practices for building highly functional, maintainable, and attractive mobile interfaces; integrating touch, rich media, and data; testing; profiling; and more.

Expanded and updated, Vaughan shares expert insights available in no other book, drawing on his exceptional access to the Windows Phone development team through the elite Microsoft Silverlight and WPF Insiders group. Along the way, he presents exceptionally practical and thorough coverage of many powerful new Windows Phone 8 platform enhancements, including full chapters on voice commands and speech synthesis, incorporating speech-driven experiences, Wallet integration, new Live Tile capabilities, the Nokia Maps control, launching apps via file and protocol associations, and much more.

Buy from: Amazon UK (£38.99), Amazon US ($35.45)

Essential Windows Phone 8 Amazon description:

Essential Windows Phone 8 is the definitive guide to creating powerful mobile apps with Microsoft’s dramatically improved Windows Phone 8 platform. Ten-time Microsoft MVP Shawn Wildermuth draws on his extensive experience teaching Windows Phone development, helping you to get started fast and master techniques that lead to truly outstanding solutions.

Updated throughout, this edition reflects new APIs and development best practices, ranging from new WinRT APIs to voice integration. It also contains a comprehensive new chapter on developing enterprise solutions for business.

After introducing the platform and its key improvements, Shawn dives directly into the essentials. Using realistic code, he illustrates today’s best techniques for delivering robust, well-performing apps. You’ll build a complete app from start to finish and then deepen your skills with increasingly sophisticated techniques.

From planning through delivery, Shawn guides you through the entire lifecycle, helping you make the most of Windows Phone 8’s valuable capabilities. Whether you’re a Windows developer going mobile or a mobile developer moving to Windows Phone, here are all the skills you’ll need.

Buy from: Amazon UK (£17.39), Amazon US ($27.12)