In our last blog post we discussed about browser switching mechanism in Visual Studio 2012 for web developers to test their web applications against different web browsers which actually increases the productivity time of such applications.

Today in this post, we will learn about the Refactor feature of Visual Studio 2012 which will again improve your productivity without using any additional tools or extensions. So, continue reading this post to learn about this feature of new Visual Studio IDE.

If you are a web developer and use Visual Studio to design and develop web applications, this post will help you to improve your productivity. Last year we discussed how to improve your productivity using the “Default Browser Switcher Extension” in Visual Studio 2010.

Now here comes another post which will show you how to use the in-built “Browser Switcher” extension available in Visual Studio 2012. I hope that, once you start working in Visual Studio 2012, this will definitely help you to increase your productivity.

Everyday we use various social networking sites especially Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to connect with our friends virtually over the wire. These social networking sites are now directly and/or indirectly connected with our daily life.

As a computer user, many time we are familiar with Keyboard to do some operations and in such case we need to know the shortcut keys of those sites. In this non-technical blog post, I will share the shortcut keys of Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

During TechEd 2012, Telerik announced their first commercial library for building Windows 8 Metro applications. This control library is a set of controls for XAML and HTML apps. User can chose the language of their own choice and deliver a high end Windows 8 enterprise and consumer applications using these controls.

In this blog post, I will describe more about the controls and guide you to kick start with your Metro application development using the Telerik RadControls. The controls set is neither yet released nor available publicly to download. In case you want a special early adopter access, this blog post will help you to get one too.

Nokia announced that, they are coming up with a new Software Update for Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 in June – July timeframe. According to their announcement, this will be available in US and China from 22nd June and all other countries will get the update during July. You can get this update through Zune software. According to Nokia this update will be required for the new applications to work in Lumia 710 and 800.

Among the software updates, the most important update will be the Camera Extras which will include “Smart Group Shots”, “Action Shots”, “Panorama” and “Self-Timer” showcased for Windows Phone 8. Continue reading to know more about the Camera Extras.

Yesterday in Windows Phone Summit, Microsoft announced the new features of Windows Phone 8 consists of some interesting stuffs those coming in the way. Microsoft also announced that the existing devices running Windows Phone 7.x will not get the update of WP8, but there will be a update for those devices which will call as “Windows Phone 7.8”. Check out the post “Can we Upgrade our WP7 Device to Support WP8?” for more details about WP7.8 update.

Many of you might attended the Summit In-Person or Live from web. In this post, I will share the points on “What’s New in WP8” for you to bookmark for future. If you missed the event, this post will give you brief idea about what is coming next in Windows Phone 8. Continue reading.

Today in the Windows Phone Summit, Microsoft clearly mentioned that, there will not be any kind of upgrades of Windows Phone 8 in Windows Phone 7.x devices. Instead of that, they will throw a upgrade to WP7.8 for all the WP7.x handsets to fulfill the transitions between Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8.

This post will cover the new interesting stuff (from the Windows Phone Summit) that Windows Phone 7.8 will have to give you a look & feel of Windows Phone 8.

This is a common question “Do I need to install Silverlight Tools separately if I install Visual Studio 2012?” few people asked me online/offline. That’s why I came with this blog post.

If you are seeking for the information on the same topic, this post will tell you whether you need to install Silverlight separately and if it already comes with Silverlight, what are the versions that it supports. Continue reading and share to those who might find it useful.

Today morning, 19th June 2012 Indian Standard Time, Microsoft announced their all new Tablet PC running with Windows 8 operating system. Steve Ballmer (CEO, Microsoft) showcased the new Microsoft branded Tablet PC for the next generation named as Microsoft Surface tablet.

The tablet PC will be available in two different version named “Surface for Windows RT” and “Surface for Windows 8 Pro”. Both will have different configuration. Though the price details are not available yet, continue reading the post to watch a video demonstration of the Surface tablet, screenshots and system specific information.

On 27th May 2012, I kick started a Giveaway contest and mentioned that at the end of the contest I will raffle two (2) “Telerik Ultimate Collection License worth $1999 each” to the contest attendees. Initially the end date of the giveaway was decided as 8th June but on popular demand, I extended it up to 15th June 2012.

The contest is over now and it’s time to declare the Winners name. Cross your finger as it’s time to see whether your name is there in the winners list. Continue reading to see the winners name.

If you have installed Windows 8 Release Preview and Visual Studio 2012 RC, you might want to develop your first Windows 8 Metro Style Application. Unlike other version of Visual Studio, you need a Developer License to build your Win8 Metro apps. Without a developer license you won’t be able to deploy the app in your Windows 8 machine or Windows 8 simulator.

This blog post will help you to understand it better and will guide you to get a Free Developer License for Windows 8 Metro application development. Continue reading to get your developer license.

Microsoft released Visual Studio 2012 RC (Release Candidate) on 31st May 2012. This is the pre-release versions of the next release of Visual Studio.

In this blog post, I will share the installation experience of Visual Studio 2012 with you. The UI and installation steps changed drastically. Just go with it if you haven’t already installed this new IDE yet and try out the new Metro Style Application development.

Telerik released the sixth major version of RadControls for Windows Phone 7 (Q2.2012) on 11th June 2012. There are many new controls in this new release demanded by many developers. Now those controls are here for you. Get the latest bits and start using them.

In this post, I will share you the direct download link from where you can get the trial version of the product. If you have a license, you can get the full version from your Telerik account. Also, in this post I will share what are the new controls available in this release.

On 26th May 2012, we (KolkataGeeks) organized Developer Conference 2012 at Kolkata. The event was organized by Microsoft User Group Kolkata (KolkataGeeks). It is the premier technical event for technology professionals at Kolkata interested in learning, connecting and exploring latest Microsoft technologies.

In this event, I delivered one hour Technical Presentation and showcased Demos using Telerik Rad Controls for Windows Phone 7. In this blog post, I will share the slide of my WP7 session as well as few snaps from the Album. Continue reading for further details.

Microsoft released Windows 8 Release Preview (RP) on 31st May 2012. If you didn’t yet download the latest release of Windows 8, you can download it from here: Download Windows 8 Release Preview (All Languages, ISO/Offline/Standalone Installer).

I downloaded the latest release of Windows 8 (Release Preview) and installed it on my VMware Player. The installation experience improved a lot from the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and in this post, I will share the same experience with you. So, continue reading and share it to your connection and help them to understand it better.

Few days ago Gurmeet Kohli, Assistant Editor of Silicon India Network (www.siliconindia.com), took an interview of mine as a blogger to publish on their site. The interview is now available online for public view.

The interview covers the following points: Working Life Management, The Decisions That Mattered in my Life, My Role Models, My Job Profile, Degrees That Matter, Growth Strategy, Advice For New Professionals, Prized Accomplishment(s), The Journey So Far and My Plans For The Future. Continue reading the complete post to find out the link towards the interview page.

Windows 8 is coming at the door step. Microsoft already released the Release Preview version of Windows 8. There are many improvements and new features in this Windows 8 over Windows 7. Jason (Frugal Dad) published an infographic of the same and asked people not to hate Windows 8.

As per the request, I am sharing the same infographic in this blog post for my blog readers. Check it out and leave your feedback below for the original author.

Gaining better visibility in the search results has always been the main focus of the traditional search engine optimizer. It is very important to stay visible for the maximum percentage of time to the most correct buying audience. The website design and the layouts speak more and are the first thing to impress the visitor.

In this guest blog post, Kelly Marsh will help you to understand how to make your web pages communicate in a more effective way by following few tips. This blog post is targeted for all the readers. Do share and leave your feedback. If you have any queries, ask her in the below comments section and she will guide you.

Microsoft released Visual Studio 2012 RC (Release Candidate) on 31st May 2012. The available Visual Studio 2012 RC products and localizations are pre-release versions of the next release of Visual Studio.

This blog post will cover all the product details and the downloadable links to each product of Visual Studio 2012 including the web installer and ISO image link for offline installation.

Microsoft released Windows 8 Release Preview yesterday, 31st May 2012. It's an all-new touch interface. It's a new Windows for new devices. And it's easy to try now - whether you're installing it for the first time, or moving from Windows 8 Consumer Preview which was released few months ago.

In this blog entry, find out the links to download Windows 8 Release Preview. You can find the ISO images for all different languages, which you can download to install it offline.