You Can Now Create Windows And Windows Phone Apps In One Go With Microsoft’s App Studio

windows app studio

Microsoft’s App Studio service is fun. At launch, it supported the creation of simple Windows Phone applications so everyone could get their hands dirty and build something. The service has been upgraded throughout its life, and today picked up a key update: The ability to create a combined Windows and Windows Phone application in one go.

Here are a few slides that would help you display, in brilliant colors, the latest TechCrunch content on your Windows Phone and Windows 8.1 device:

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There are a few more steps, but you get the idea. (Sadly, 8-year-olds outdev me.)

The above fits into Microsoft’s news today concerning universal application development that will see Windows 8.1 and Windows apps share code between them, user interface tweaks to better fit disparate screen sizes aside.

Shared code lets developers move more quickly, likely making Microsoft’s increasingly unified platforms more interesting. App Studio has been brought into line with the current Microsoft developer toolset in terms of code reuse.

As a final note: I like App Studio, but for a non-commercial reason. By making app development approachable for all, even if only in its most lightweight fashion, Microsoft could be helping the younger generations get excited about writing code.