Registration fee for Windows Phone Dev Center set to stay at $19 per year

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Earlier this year, at Microsoft's //build/ developer conference, the Windows Phone team announced that, for a limited time, the registration fee to the Windows Phone Dev Center would be reduced o $19. The time limit for that offer has now expired, but Todd Brix, General Manager Windows Phone Apps and Store, has some good news for developers, announcing in a tweet that the price of registration will stay at $19.

This puts Windows Phone in a better position to compete against Google's Android, which charges a one-off fee of $25, and Apple's iOS, which charges $99 a year, when it comes to attracting developers, especially those creating free apps in their spare time.

Windows Phone Dev Center
Now, no longer a limited time offer.

While Microsoft allows the Windows Phone SDK and related tools to be downloaded for free, the registration fee for Windows Phone Dev Center is compulsory for those wishing to submit their apps to the Windows Phone Store. Microsoft will be hoping that by maintaining a low registration fee for Dev Center developers who have may have otherwise ignored the platform will look at creating apps for Microsoft's mobile platform.

A lowered registration fee will not be enough of an incentive in most cases, but it is one of a number of barriers Microsoft has lowered in an effort to encourage more developers on to Windows Phone. Also notable is a newly refreshed tutorial series, Windows Phone 8 Development for Absolute Beginners, and the recent release of the Windows Phone App Studio, which allows for the creation of Windows Phone apps in the browser.

Source / Credit: Twitter