Bringing my Meetup APIMASH Starter Kit to Windows Phone

Not too long ago, as part of my team’s effort (which we call APIMASH) to create a set of starter kits to demonstrate how to use a variety of publicly-available APIs in Windows Store apps, I created an app that leverages the Meetup.com API, along with the Bing Maps JavaScript SDK, to retrieve upcoming Meetups for a given city and also display coffee shops nearby the Meetup location.

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W8WIL #6: Leverage the Maps app for location-based features

I’m a big fan of reuse wherever possible, so in this 6th installment of my Windows 8: What I’ve Learned series, I’m going to share a tip on how you can essentially get some great features for your app, with very little effort, by leveraging an app that ships with every copy of Windows 8.

The Maps app

Windows 8 machines will ship with several handy apps included, such as the Mail app, the People app and a few others. One of the more useful apps is the Maps app. It can, with the user’s permission, use location features built into the machine (GPS, or network-based location services) to find your current location, integrated search for finding a desired address or point of interest, and built in support for directions, traffic, etc. You can see a screenshot of the maps app below:

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