Mark Arteaga

During my Windows Mobile developer session in Calgary for TechDays Canada surprisingly a few people wanted to know more about the memory architecture of a .NET Compact Framework application.  I didn't cover anything on that but the best reference for this if you want to learn more about it is the follow:

1. MSDN Webcast: Microsoft .NET Compact Framework Memory Management by Chris Tacke (2006*)
2. .NET Compact Framework Advanced Memory Management by Mike Zintel  (2004*)

These things go into a lot of the internals of the .NET Compact Framework CLR and the Windows CE memory architecture (Windows Mobile is based on Windows CE) but in my opinion are required readings if you are building Windows Mobile applications.

*Don't worry about the years they where done as it's still relevant when developing on Windows Mobile today.

So far I've delivered 3 sessions for TechDays Canada and at every session I get asked the question "what books are available so I can learn more?". 

Although books are good I do recommend regularly checking the Windows Mobile Developer Center where you will get the latest webcasts, blog posts and "How Do I?" Videos.   You can also check out the Windows Mobile Developer Center Community Section which lists community bloggers (including me :)) and Windows Mobile Team blogs, links to the Windows Mobile Forums, Codeplex and Windows Mobile Code Gallery Samples. 

If you have questions you can ask them at MSDN Developer forums and Newsgroups.

If you really want a book I would recommend

1. Microsoft Mobile Development Handbook - authored by fellow MVPs Andy Wigley, Peter Foot and Daniel Moth (former MVP now Microsoft Employee).
2. Windows Mobile Data Synchronization - authored by Rob Tiffany

These two books will give you some good fundamentals to get you started on building some great Windows Mobile applications.

Previously I posted about TechDays Canada 2008 and the Windows Mobile developer sessions I'll be doing across Canada.

Here are the sessions I will be doing:

Developing Windows Mobile-Based Applications using Visual Studio
Are you looking to dive into development on Windows Mobile using Visual Studio? Do you want to know how to use Visual Studio to develop Windows Mobile-based applications? Do you want a jump start in developing Windows Mobile-based applications? During this session we will see what is available to developers wanting to develop software for Windows Mobile using Visual Studio 2008. We will take a look at all the tools available, new features available in .NET Compact Framework 3.5 such as WCF and Compact LINQ. We will also take a look at what’s available in the Windows Mobile 6 SDKs and some APIs available for mobile developers.

A Platform in Your Pocket: Windows Mobile for Developers of Windows
Are you a desktop developer looking to extend an application to Windows Mobile? Have you already written an application for Windows Mobile and want to leverage some existing desktop code? Whether you have never written a Windows Mobile-based application or have already done so, this session will teach you about what devices you can develop for, what are the major differences from the .NET Compact Framework and the full .NET Framework and how to share your code assets between the two platforms.

The Toronto date for TechDays Canada 2008 is fast approaching so make sure you register!

Way back in February I spoke about a 'Windows Mobile Developer Tour' that I was putting together with Microsoft Canada.   Well, nine months later this has finally come.  It's not a Windows Mobile Developer Tour as I said before but I will be delivering all Windows Mobile Developer content across all of Canada for TechDays Canada 2008.  This is a paid conference so you are guaranteed to get real content and not just marketing fluff.

Here are the cities and dates we will be hitting:

Dates

• Toronto: Oct 29th and 30th
• Montreal: Nov 6th and 7th
• Vancouver: Jan 21st and 22nd
• Calgary Dec 10th and 11th
• Ottawa: Nov 27th
• Winnipeg: Dec 4th
• Halifax: Dec 17th

and here is the cost:

Cost

• 2 Day Conference
  Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver
  Early Bird Price: $ 249.99 (By Oct 15th)
  Regular Price: $ 499.99 (After Oct 15th)
• 1 Day Conference
  Winnipeg, Halifax, Ottawa
  Early Bird Price: $ 124.99 (By Oct 15th)
  Regular Price: $ 249.99 (After Oct 15th)

If you think the price is expensive it will be worth it.  There are 5 tracks so there is something for everyone including developers and IT pros:

• Windows Development
• Web Development
• Virtualization
• Data Management
• Infrastructure

And if that is not enough check out the attendee bag:

• 6-month TechNet Plus Subscription
• Visual Studio 2008 Professional – Full Package Product
• Expression Web – Full Package Product
• Visual Studio 2008 Team Suite – Evaluation Software
• Expression Studio – Evaluation Software
• Virtualization Resource Kit
• 30% off certification voucher – Applicable to All MS Certification Exams
• TechEd 2008 DVD Set
• $100 Discount Coupon for DevTeach/SQLTeach

So go to the TechDays Canada 2008 site and register! Hope to see you there!