Microsoft announced in early May that version 2.0 of its Windows Azure SDK for .NET was finally available to all. The SDK brings with it a number of new features that are sure to delight those who host .NET Web sites on the Azure platform.

You should check out the full blog post for more details as Microsoft’s Scott Guthrie explains all of the new features in full detail.

As for availability, you can grab the Windows Azure SDK 2.0 for .NET over at the Windows Azure .NET Developer Center. It’s also open source so you can poke and prod your way through the code over at GitHub.

Writing your own file picker with the Drive API is easy, right? Not so fast! Watch to find out about the hidden complexity that can turn an otherwise easy task into a pain for users. We’ll show you ways to do it right when you have no choice as well as some alternative approaches that are quick and easy to implement.

Check out more Google Drive news and tutorials here.

Google’s latest Drive SDK video will show developers how to use the Application Data folder:

During this session we’ll build up on the Android quickstart application and show how to create configuration files in the cloud that can be seamlessly synced across devices using the Application Data folder and custom file properties.

To help developers fully grasp these new features, Google has thrown together a quick Google Developers Live session that addresses these features. Check it out:

The Facebook SDK for iOS has been updated to version 3.2.1. As the version number suggests, the latest updates is mostly about bug fixes. The update does bring a new feature, however, in the form of support for frictionless requests using the SDK’s FBWebDialogs class. The feature will let your app “use frictionless requests without importing the deprecated headers.” You can download the latest Facebook SDK for iOS here.

Much like its iOS brother, the Facebook SDK for Android has received a small update pushing its version number to 3.0.1. The update includes a number of enhancements based upon feedback received by developers, as well as the usual bug fixes and improvements. You can grab the latest Facebook SDK for Android here.

Aside from new Facebook SDKs, the social network is also introducing changes to mobile app bookmarks. On June 5, the company will only display mobile bookmarks for games that can be played across both desktop and mobile. It’s part of an initiative to better support cross-platform Facebook games. Those who relied on mobile app bookmarks will want to “consider alternative ways to reengage users,” like App Center or mobile app install ads. The good news is that this isn’t a breaking change as it requires no code change on the part of developers.

As for breaking changes, there’s only one that developers should be aware of. Starting April 3, Facebook will be removing the ability to ask questions from the Graph API after removing the same functionality from users late last year.

Finally, the weekly bug report reveals that Facebook squashed 31 bugs this week. You can check out the full list of fixes at the blog post.

Facebook announced that version 3.2 of its SDK for iOS is now available to developers everywhere. The big update this time around is better mobile analytics so iOS app developers can get a better idea of how well their app’s Facebook integration is working out.

Mobile analytics now include a number of new metrics and features that will help you get the most out of it:

Aside from additions to analytics, the new SDK features enhanced error handling. In short, all classes of error responses will now receive SDK support and documentation. Facebook says that the “SDK will now automatically categorize errors by common application handling behavior and provide helpers to simplify some common error response cases.” Version 3.2 will also handle a larger number error cases, including those introduced in iOS 6.

Version 3.2 also adds improved Web dialog support and improvements to the API. For Web dialog improvements, the SDK now integrates Web, Feed and Requests dialogs without invoking deprecated headers. As for API improvements, Facebook is adding a new FBAccessTokenData type that should make it easier to open a session from token data.

Facebook SDK 3.2 for iOS is fully backwards compatible, and is open to your feedback at Facebook’s StackOverflow page. You can grab version 3.2 of the iOS SDK here.

If your question didn’t get answered, you can pose it again in the new Google Drive developers community on Google+. The team at Google is keeping an eye on the community and the moderators are already answering questions.

You can check out the original Google+ post below.

Steven Bazyl3 days ago

For Thursday's GDL, we'll be answering questions or discussing topics posted here.

- If you have a question or topic you'd like us to talk about, let us know by commenting on this post.
- If you like somebody else's question, +1 it.

We'll take the most popular & relevant comments and discuss them on Thursday!

  2    7 Powered by socialditto

The Facebook SDK 3.0 Beta for Android is now available to all Android developers who want to incorporate Facebook into their apps. The update is similar to the 3.1 update that hit iOS last month as it includes new native UI controls, better API support and other much needed updates.

First and foremost, the new SDK includes the revamped native UI controls that iOS developers have been enjoying for about a month now. This new feature make it easy for developers to drop Facebook controls into mobile apps without much work. Here’s the list of controls available to developers:

Aside from the new controls, Android developers can look forward to simplified session management in the new SDK. The new tools should “simplify authentication and authorization.” Another nice addition is better Facebook API support which includes batch SDK requests for API calls. Facebook JSON data can also be manipulated with strong-type fonts to prevent coding errors.

All of these additions are nice, but there’s one major reason developers should get the new SDK – mobile app install ads. The new ad type allows developers to advertise their apps directly to mobile users’ feeds. A link in the feed will then take a user to that app’s Google Play page. Developers must use the Facebook SDK 3.0 for Android to take advantage of this new feature.

Facebook has a ton of resources for the aspiring Android developer. You can read up on documentation here and get a basic tutorial on SDK integration here. Before any of that, however, you’ll want to grab the new SDK Beta here. We’ll let you know when the SDK exits out of beta. It’s sure to have some nice new features at that point.

Microsoft announced today that the Bing Maps SDK is now available for Windows Store apps. Those building Windows Store apps will now be able to leverage the power of Bing Maps for their own applications. The possibilities are endless unless you’re wanting to create an app about Area 51. It unfortunately doesn’t show up in Bing Maps.

It should be noted that Microsoft has released two versions of the Bing Maps SDK. The first is Bing Maps for JavaScript. Those who already have a Web-based Bing Maps app should be able to easily port to the Windows Store. Microsoft says the process should be familiar to those who use their AJAX Web control.

For those who want to build native apps, Microsoft has also released the Bing Maps SDK for C#, C++ and Visual Basic. The first release will only provide basic functionality to get Bing Maps inside your app. That basic functionality includes pushpins, polylines, polygons, landmarks, venue maps, traffic, and Synth view map style. The SDK has been designed to take advantage of x86, x64 and ARM platforms.

Those interested in building a Bing Maps app will need a new key called “Windows Store app.” You’ll be able to grab one over at the Bing Maps Account Center. Those who already created a Bing Maps app using a Metro style app trial key will have their key expire on January 15. Those who created a non-trial Metro style app will have their key automatically converted.

If you’re interesting in creating a Windows Store app, check out these useful links for JavaScript and Native development.

Facebook announced yesterday evening that the Facebook SDK 3.1 for iOS is now available to developers worldwide. The major feature is that it adds support for native Facebook integration into iOS 6. Developers can now easily add Facebook login, Open Graph, and other sharing functionality directly into their app through iOS 6.

The new Facebook SDK for iOS also allows developers to integrate the social network deeply into their apps, even when the user is not on iOS 6. In fact, all of the advanced sharing features of the SDK are available on iOS 4.0 and above. Here’s some of the features developers can take advantage of in their iOS apps:

The SDK also features a number a new API and better support for pre-existing APIs to make Facebook integration easier than ever. First up, the SDK introduces the FBSession API. It manages, stores, and refreshes user tokens. It also overrides default behaviors so developers can integrate advanced features. The SDK also features improved API support that minimizes the code needed to call Facebook Graph, FQL, and other APIs.

Developers can grab Facebook SDK 3.1 for iOS right now. Those interested in getting into iOS development and Facebook integration can check out Facebook’s exhaustive documentation right here.