As we move closer to the general availability of Windows 8, I wanted to start highlighting some of the great apps being developed by folks in the Mid-Atlantic Community. So today I'm starting a new series I'm calling the Friday App Shout-Out.

This week, I want to highlight the work of a couple of developers who've recently published apps to the Windows 8 Store.

wGuru

I had the privilege of meeting the first developer, Alexey Strakh, at one of our recent DevCamp events. Alexey has a number of applications already on the Windows Phone platform, and his first app for Windows 8 is called wGuru, and it's an app for fans of extreme sports like kite surfing, etc. to help get info on wind and temperature conditions at their favorite spots:

Congratulations, Alexey, and looking forward to more of your apps to come!

Flash Cards

The second developer in the spotlight (literally) this week is Jason Fabritz. Jason attended an event earlier this year that Frank La Vigne and I ran, and during the 3-day event, Jason started work on an app to help his young son learn basic mathematical operations, by creating a simple, and very touch friendly quiz app he called Flash Cards. Jason's app has visual appeal, thanks to the hand-written flash cards he photographed and then modified with bright colors, and used as the background for the tiles representing each quiz. And it leverages the Share contract to allow parents to tell the world about their kids' great scores on their quizzes. Nice work, Jason!

Even better, Jason's app is currently the top app in the Spotlight section of the Windows Store. Such are the perks of getting your app published early!

Who's Next?

Would you like to be next? You can get links, videos, and 1:1 technical or design consultation (limited availability, so don't wait) for free at Generation App. Sign up takes only a few seconds, and the resources can help make you the next app rockstar.

Drop me a note if you're working on a Windows 8 app and have questions or need advice.