Microsoft releases Sharks Cove development board for pre-order
The Sharks Cove development board, a Windows-compatible hardware development board designed to facilitate software and driver development for mobile devices, is now available for pre-order.

First introduced at the Build developer conference this past April, Sharks Cove is intended to create mobile software that runs Windows Phone on smartphones, tablets and similar System-on-a-Chip platforms. The development board costs US$299, which includes the hardware, a Windows 8.1 image, and utilities. Windows Driver Kit 8.1 also pairs with Visual Studio Express, free with a MSDN account.

More information can be found on the Sharks Cove website. – Rob Marvin

BitcoinJS 1.0 released
BitcoinJS, the software library used to build the majority of popular Web wallet apps for cryptocurrency, has released version 1.0.

BitcoinJS developer Kyle Drake announced version 1.0 in a message on the BitcoinJS website, proclaiming it the first major new version in more than three years. The library for Node.js and browsers is written in pure JavaScript, uses PGP-signed releases, random number generation and typed performance arrays, and supports features such as multisig and HD wallets.

More than 1.5 million Bitcoin wallet users use the software library in production. More information can be found on the project’s website. – Rob Marvin

Google quietly updates Play Store API
A subtle upgrade to the Google Play Store API now gives developers the ability to programmatically upload APKs and modify almost every detail about store listings.

While there has been no official announcement, the API changes are mentioned in a brief note in the developer console. The new Web API allows developers to build scripts or applications to automate deployment and update product listings without directly working with the developer console. Most of the new functionality is bundled into the Publishing API, a transaction-based system for managing Play Store listings and APKs.

The Play Store API update also enables modifications to testing groups and price changes for in-app products managed outside of the Publishing API system. – Rob Marvin

Microsoft announces open-source Windows support for CMake cross-platform code generator
Continuing its recent trend of releasing and supporting various open-source projects, Microsoft has announced Windows support for CMake, a popular cross-platform file generator that enables shared C++ code reuse.

Microsoft group program manager Adam Denning announced CMake support in a Windows blog post detailing an early build of CMake, allowing developers to target Windows Store and Windows Phone apps. The platform generates code that works across multiple IDEs or file systems.

The early Windows CMake build is available on CodePlex, and Microsoft has also released a sample CMake code and installer tutorial for Windows Store and Windows Phone. – Rob Marvin