Windows Azure toolkit for Windows 8

Maximize the potential of your Windows Metro style app with Windows Azure. Building a cloud service to support rich Windows Metro style apps is even easier with the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows 8. This toolkit has all the tools to make it easy to develop a Windows Azure service and deploy it to your users. In addition to documentation, this toolkit includes Visual Studio project templates for a sample Metro style app and a Windows Azure cloud project. This tool is designed to accelerate development so that developers can start enabling Windows 8 features, such as notifications, for their app with minimal time and experience. Use this toolkit to start building and customizing your own service to deliver rich Metro style apps.    
Windows Azure
Windows Azure is a cloud-computing platform that lets you run applications and store data in the cloud. Instead of having to worry about building out the underlying infrastructure and managing the operating system, you can simply focus on building your application and deploying it to Windows Azure. Windows Azure provides developers with on-demand compute, storage, networking, and content delivery capabilities.    
For more information about Windows Azure, visit the Windows Azure website. For developer focused training material, download the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit or view the online Windows Azure Platform Training Course.    
Key Technologies

• ASP.NET MVC 3
• WCF Web API
• Windows Azure SDK 1.6
• Windows Identity Foundation
• The Windows Push Notification Service

Content

• Setup and Configuration
  • Software Requirements
• Toolkit Content
  • Project Templates, Samples and Libraries Source Code
  • Samples         
    • Push Notification Worker Sample
    • ACS Windows Metro Sample
• Getting Started
  • Creating a New Windows 8 Cloud Application
• Running and Going Through the Windows 8 Cloud Application
  • Starting Windows Azure Services
  • Starting the Windows Metro Style App
  • Sending Push Notifications using the ASP .NET MVC 3 Portal
  • Uploading Tile Background Images
• Appendix
  • Appendix I: How to Deploy Your Services to Windows Azure?
  • Appendix II: How to Obtain Namespace and Management Keys?
  • Appendix III: How to Deploy Margie’s Travel sample to Windows Azure

Learn More:

Videos:

As a brief preview to the toolkit check out this 3 minute video to see how you can get a jump start using Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows 8 to send Push Notifications with Windows Azure and the Windows Push Notification Service (WNS). This demonstration uses the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows 8 that includes full end to end scenario for Tile and Badge notifications with toast notifications only a drop down away :)

To understand WNS, Windows Azure and Push Notifications watch the in-depth Build Conference Video with Darren Louie and Nick Harris

Delivering notifications using the Windows Push Notification Service and Windows Azure

Blogs:

• Walkthrough of the Toolkit: Creating a Windows 8 Cloud Application
• Nick Harris's Blog: Delivering Notifications with Windows Azure and the Windows Notification Service
• Vittorio Bertocci's Blog: Using ACS in Metro Style Applications
• Wade Wegner's Blog: Metro Style Apps with Windows Azure

CodePlex Site watwindows8.codeplex.com/