FAQ: Silverlight for mobile
Q: What is Silverlight?
A: Microsoft Silverlight powers rich application experiences and delivers high quality, interactive video across the Web and mobile devices through the most comprehensive runtime available on the Web.
Built to integrate with Microsoft Servers, Developer and Designer Tools and supported by a thriving partner ecosystem, the Silverlight solution accelerates the results of compelling experiences through powerful technology.
Q: How is Silverlight for mobile different from Silverlight on desktop?
A: The goal of Silverlight is to provide a consistent experience across desktop and mobile phones. Developers will be able to easily optimize Silverlight applications for mobile form factors or run existing Silverlight applications on mobile phones.
Q: What are the main features & benefits of Silverlight for mobile?
A: Microsoft Silverlight powers rich application experiences and delivers high quality, interactive video across the Web and mobile devices through the most comprehensive runtime available on the Web.
On mobile devices, Silverlight provides a homogenous platform for developers to target a large number of devices as well as deliver rich interactive applications with vector graphics UI and mobile-optimized media. Further, Silverlight for mobile enables developers to reuse their existing desktop code, content and skills and leverages the flexible .NET programming model.
Q: Which handsets will support Silverlight for mobile?
A: As previously announced, Microsoft plans to start shipping Silverlight for mobile on Nokia S60 and Windows Mobile devices first.
Q: Will Silverlight for mobile plug-in on Windows Mobile be any different from the one on Nokia S60?
A: Silverlight provides a consistent experience across the Web and mobile devices. The same Silverlight applications should work on both Windows Mobile and Nokia S60 devices.
Q: How can I build applications with Silverlight for mobile?
A: There is no difference in how you build Silverlight applications across Web and mobile devices. Developers and designers are supported by our world-class tools with Visual Studio and Expression Studio.
Q: How does Silverlight for mobile integrate with the standards-based Web?
A: Silverlight for mobile fully integrates with the standards-based Web technologies. On the client side, there is seamless DOM integration and bi-directional integration between Silverlight and JavaScript. On the server side, Silverlight can communicate with any standards-based server side technology including REST, POX, SOAP, and more.
Q: Where can I find Silverlight for mobile and associated SDK for download? When is Silverlight for mobile available?
A: Silverlight for mobile is currently under development. We haven’t announced any further details around availability at this time.
Q: How does Silverlight for mobile ensure consistency across devices and platforms? How will my apps work and look the same way across different screen sizes, processor speeds and input mechanisms?
A: Silverlight for mobile provides consistent set of APIs across devices. The same Silverlight application therefore works across different devices and platforms. Developers also could easily optimize their applications for the form factor they are targeting.
