Microsoft today released the final build of the developer toolkit for Windows Phone 7, which is due to arrive in the EU next month and November in the US. Coders have had access to beta dev tools since July, but the newest version adds features like the ability to put ads in apps. Today's release is also required to submit apps to the marketplace, which will open alongside the launch of WP7. Any application built with an older version of the tools will fail certification, so be sure to update.
Microsoft hopes to ship its platform with a healthy amount of applications, but it's in no rush to tackle Apple's 250,000 or Google's 50,000 apps. Instead, the company is placing more focus on quality. "Some of the biggest names in apps and games are working to bring the right mix of high quality content to Windows Phone 7," Redmond said in a blog post today. Netflix, Twitter, OpenTable, Flixster, and Travelocity are among the larger names working on software for WP7's launch.