Additional Windows 7 Features
As you can imagine, Windows 7 has even more to offer users than these four big new changes. If you're developing for other platforms, like touch and/or mobile devices, or want to take your app even further, here are a few more features to peruse.

Multitouch
The touch interface finally gets some love with the Windows 7 Multitouch Platform. Now you can take advantage of pinch and zoom gestures, one- and two-finger pans, rotation, and two finger taps. For more info, read an intro here and get some developer resources here.

Device Stage
"Think of Device Stage as a home page for your hardware." (Microsoft) Users now have a central app through which to manage and update their devices and peripherals. And device manufacturers now have a consistent channel through which to deploy and update their devices. First, understand the end user perspective. If it looks appealing, learn more about Device Fundamentals and get the Microsoft Device Experience Development Kit.

Sensor and Location Platform
Mobile device developers get another bag of tricks with the all-new Windows Sensor and Location Platform. Hardware devs can create drivers while software developers can code to them based on a standard programming interface for Windows 7. Sensors include ambient lighting, motion, and location via GPS or triangulation. For more info, here's an introduction. When you're ready to dig deeper, check out the Location API and Sensor API, as well as a list of additional resources.

Energy Efficiency
One last feature deserves special mention. The OS engineering team has for some time now been giving a lot of attention to energy efficiency and power consumption, particularly as it applies to hardware, OS, and extensions. As part of the process, they've created an energy efficiency diagnostic tool to help you tune your app's power consumption. This is a must-have for mobile developers. But considering our modern deskless, remote workforce, all developers could stand to gain from paying attention to wattage. Here is a brief overview, a whitepaper on Windows 7 Power Management, the Windows Performance Analysis Developer Center, and some details about powercfg.exe, your friend in this endeavor.

More Resources

• Windows 7 API Code Pack
  
  
• Windows 7 Training Kit for Developers
  
  
• Windows 7 SDK
  
  
• Join the Microsoft Platform Ready Program
  
  
• Windows 7 Code Samples: Jumplists (C#, VB.NET)
  
  
• MSDN Virtual Labs: Windows 7 Taskbar (Managed)
  
  
• MSDN Virtual Labs: Windows 7 Shell Libraries (Managed)
  
  
• MSDN Virtual Labs: Windows 7 Ribbon (Native)
  
  
• MSDN Video: Overview of the Windows 7 API Code Pack (Level 200)
  
  
• MSDN Video: Why Develop on Windows 7? (Sensor and Location based service) (Level 100)
  
  
• How-To: Using Sensor API Events
  
  
• How-To: Detecting and Tracking Multiple Touch Points
  
  

* This article was commissioned by and prepared for Microsoft Corporation. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.