Service Pack for Expression Blend Improves Integration with Adobe Design Tools, Windows Phone 7

Expression Blend 4 Service Pack 1 (SP1) includes support for building Windows Phone 7 apps and improved integration with Adobe design tools through support for the FXG file format, as well as bug fixes and stability enhancements.

You can get the download from Microsoft Download Center at Microsoft Expression Blend 4 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Windows Phone support

When you install the Windows Phone Development Tools, you can use the design tools in Expression Blend to create Windows Phone applications, including Windows Phone project and item templates, graphics and animation tools, behaviors, and sample data. Once you’ve created your Windows Phone application, you can build it and then preview it either in the Windows Phone emulatoror in a Windows Phone device attached to your computer.

Note: If you want to design only Windows Phone applications, and you have already installed the Windows Phone Development Tools, you do not need to install this service pack.

Adobe FXG support

With the Expression Blend Add-in for Adobe FXG Import, available when you install Expression Blend 4 SP1, you can add Adobe FXG 2.0 symbols as UserControls in Expression Blend. You can also configure your FXG settings so that when FXG files are updated outside of Expression Blend, the files you have added to Expression Blend are also updated.

About Expression Blend 4

Expression Blend, Visual Studio, Silverlight and .NET provide the most compelling and seamless design and development workflow on the market today. Rapidly iterate on both the user experience and core architecture, evolving your ideas quickly from initial prototype through to completed project.

Key components of Expression Blend, including Behaviors, Visual State Manager, transition effects, and SketchFlow (Expression Blend 4 includes SketchFlow in Expression Studio 4 Ultimate product only), coupled with the speed and flexibility of this modern workflow challenge you to push boundaries and work beyond the limits of what you thought possible.

SketchFlow, a feature in Expression Studio Ultimate, enables you to rapidly present ideas, user interface flows, screen layouts and application functionality to your clients with an effective prototype.

Expression Blend includes powerful importers for both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator enabling smooth integration with the workflow visual designers are using today.

Learn more at Expression Blend. Get a trial version of Expression Blend.

To get started, see the Expression Training Videos.

Bruce D. KyleISV Architect Evangelist | Microsoft Corporation