Microsoft Mobility Developer Conference 2003 Preview

For a software developer, few events are more inspiring, and educational, than an annual developers conference. Not only can you can learn about many of the exciting products in the pipeline and the development tools that you'll use to build your own innovative software, but you also have the opportunity to meet other developers and share ideas and best practices. But while developers for the Palm Platform have had their own annual event, PalmSource, for several years now, developers for the Pocket PC platform have not. That is, until now.

Beginning in March, Microsoft will hold Mobility Developer Conferences around the world. Aimed at developers, independent software vendors, wireless operators, and IT professionals, the Mobility Developer Conference (MDC) will enable attendees to:

• Hear from Bill Gates first-hand about Microsoft's new mobile technologies and long-term development strategies for mobile applications
• Be the first to learn about the next-generation Pocket PC and Smartphone development platforms
• Learn about the tools and strategies needed to build innovative mobile applications using Microsoft and wireless technologies
• Gain best practices and valuable insights from Microsoft and industry experts
• Discover new ways to generate revenue from mobile applications through the Microsoft Mobile2Market program
• Connect and exchange ideas with peers, wireless operators, device manufacturers and industry experts

The first event, sponsored by HP, AT&T Wireless, Sprint and Symbol, will be held in New Orleans from March 18-21, co-located with CTIA WIRELESS 2003, the annual trade show held by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. Other events will be held in Paris, Tokyo and Seoul, Korea.

While this isn't exactly the first Mobility Developer Conference -- one was held last year in London that drew more than 1,000 attendees from more than 40 countries -- it is the first held in the United States.

The conference will kick off with a keynote by Microsoft co-founder and Chief Software Architect, Bill Gates, who will announce new mobile technologies and outline Microsoft's long-term development strategies for mobile applications. Then there are the sessions and labs. The MDC consists of three conference tracks -- Mobile Device Development, Server Applications and Services for Mobile Devices, and Wireless Industry Forum -- that include more than 70 sessions. And in the hands-on labs, developers get a chance to work with Microsoft technologies, including Pocket PC, Smartphone, .NET Compact Framework, Visual Studio .NET, embedded Visual C++, ASP .NET Mobile Controls and SQL Server CE.

Finally, there's the exhibition hall, where you'll be able to meet with industry leaders demonstrating their latest mobile solutions and technologies.

Plus, there's the Mobile Solutions Challenge for developers looking to show what they can do.

Click here for more information about the Microsoft Mobility Conference.

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