WPF Showcase Applications
The last 2 to 3 weeks I delivered a number of presentations on the .NET Framework 3.0. When talking through the different pillars I often receive questions on the business value of some of these technologies. This is especially true for the Windows Presentation Foundation.
To show off some of the concepts and types of applications we can build with WPF I use some the demos that can be found here. The WPF Sudoku Game (part 1 - part 2) is always a nice teaser; it even uses WCF.
The killer WPF app available today is - without any doubt - the New York Times WPF application. It's a smart client app developed using WPF that offers an great onscreen reading experience, it works on- and offline, it allows to make annotations, include 3 ways to visualize your search results, etc. Give the Times Reader a try! More questions on the features are answered in the FAQ.
Today I was pointed to a couple of other killer WPF apps that are available on the net. The first ones are RC1 samples by Karen Corby:
Click the links to run the apps on demand or through ClickOnce download.
The second set of examples are labs created by thirteen23, a collaborative team of designers, developers, and UI architects dedicated to creating engaging experiences:
- Harmony: visualize your music library One impressive feature of Windows Vista is its support for 3D. This proof-of-concept is a knock-off of Coverflow (recently integrated into iTunes) with a few extra "twists".
- de.collage: 13 painters with a view In French, "décollage", roughly translates to "take off" or "to become unstuck". This application queries the internet to bring famous paintings to your desktop.
- Module: the right hand for your desktop Can't wait for Microsoft Vista's Sidebar? Why not try ours? Simply launch the application, type in your zip code, and away you go.
- Echobox: adding voice to design Design is hard to manage by email. This proof-of-concept facilitates basic design collaboration via FTP.
- fp.hue: color conversion for Sparkle Sometimes you have to make your own tools. This widget converts HEX color values into Sparkle's floating point RGB values.
All these samples run on RC1 of .NET Framework 3.0.
As part of our Business Innovation Event in Belgium we are also working on some real life scenarios for WPF. You can expect an update on these applications mid-November.
If you know other showcase applications of WPF, leave a comment and I'll add them to the list above.
Technorati tags: .NET Framework 3.0, Windows Presentation Foundation, New York Times Reader, XBAP