Yesterday, Microsoft announced the future of Windows Phone, and it looks amazing.  Multicore devices, multiple resolutions, native code, NFC (near-field communication), and a remarkable digital wallet solution that I’ve been begging for from ANY mobile platform for 10 years now.

In the meantime, yesterday was an announcement. Devices aren’t available yet, and the SDK won’t be available until later this summer.  So how do you get on this bandwagon today?

By building apps for Windows Phone 7.5.

Any apps you’ve built today will run on Windows Phone 8.  Heck, they’re even going to compile them in the cloud for you, so that they start and run even faster.  You’ll be able to take advantage of the new features of Windows Phone 8 in your v2.0 app.  You’ll have all of the fundamentals you need to build apps for Windows Phone AND Windows 8 at that point.

I know what you’re thinking:  “Jeff, why would I build an app today, when the Windows Phone 8 SDK will be available this summer?”  Because you’ve waited this long already.  The Windows Phone 7 SDK was available 2 years ago, and you haven’t gotten started.  What suddenly changed your mind?

Oh, and I’ll give you a free Nokia Lumia 710.  That’s unlikely to happen for Windows Phone 8.

Before you jump the gun, there are a couple of restrictions on who I can give these phones to.

1. You must live in one of the following states: Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin
2. You must be willing and able to build 2 real apps for Windows Phone before October 1, and get them published in the Windows Phone Marketplace.   (If you miss the deadline, you will have to send it back to me.)
3. You can’t have already received a free phone from Microsoft.  (Yes, I have the list.)

If my list of requirements doesn’t seem overwhelming, and you’re interested in getting a free device, email me at jeblank [at] microsoft [dotcom] and I’ll be happy to discuss it.

Finally, I’d had many people ask me what “qualifies” as an app.  My quality bar is simple:

If you truly believe that people you’ve never met would use it, it qualifies.

So what are you waiting for?  Send me an email, and we’ll get this started!