Microsoft launched an easy-to-use online tool called App Studio that allows anyone to create an app without any programming skills. Yup that means you will be able to create your very own application for Windows Phone without owning a copy of Visual Studio.
To be fair, such web tools (that make app creation easy) already existing for a number of platforms, Windows Phone included; however, this is coming directly from the Redmond giant and in that sense we can easily envision a number of individuals and companies using it.
The tool enables users to add text, web content, imagery and design concepts to a rich set of customizable templates. It takes just 4 steps to create your own app, and App Studio will export a file that is ready to be uploaded to the Windows Phone Store and be used by Windows Phone users across the globe. The app’s data collection is maintained in the cloud, so there’s no hosting or maintenance to orchestrate. Pretty sweet.
In related news, Microsoft is updating the device unlock policy for Windows Phone so that any non-registered developer can unlock one device and side load up to 3 applications without the need to register or pay a fee…