50 Interactive Silverlight Applications

Microsoft Silverlight enables development of the next generation of Microsoft .NET-based media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web. Silverlight is delivered as a cross-platform and cross-browser plug-in that exposes a programming framework and features that are a subset of the .NET Framework and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).

Silverlight offers rapid creation and delivery of sophisticated internet applications through a Web browser. Forged from technology used in over 100,000 companies and understood by over 4 million developers worldwide, Silverlight has the full support of Microsoft's tools, technologies, and thriving partner ecosystem.

Today, we present 50 interactive Silverlight applications as sample to give you an overview as to what you can achieve with Silverlight.

Advertising

YeeJie's Silverlight Magazine
This website features a Silverlight carousel.

Mazda Car Configurator
Build your own Mazda using the new car configurator's high resolution images, 360-degree exterior view and deep-zoom interior views to bring you closer to your choosen Mazda.

SEAT Exeo Launch eMagazine
SEAT has created an eMagazine to support the launch of new model Exeo. This is the first time that Silverlight technology has been used to deliver this type of solution for a major brand.

Rich Media

Ultra Mashup Studio
Create rich, interactive Silverlight applications by mixing together audios, images, text captions, and feedback forms and then splitting them into chapters and tracking markers. Ultra Mashup Studio transforms simple one-way videos into high-impact RIAs.

LuckyLight
This is a casual raffle application which could be used to pick a lucky number, using a random number generator from a specified range.

Extreme Chatroom
This is a chat application where the user can chat with other users, create chat rooms, update their avatar, all done via sockets.

Video Transcript Viewer
Experience a Silverlight video player with synchronized text transcript which features audio plot or transcript to jump video to that time point. Liquid layout with fonts globally resizable on-the-fly.

SpatialWiki
SpatialWiki is a geography portal that encourages users to create, edit and share map layers. Created entirely in Silverlight, SpatialWiki stores data from user contributions in the cloud using Microsoft's SQL Server Data Services.

Inkable Search Tip
Write your search query in the Silverlight panel and then have your handwriting recognized and the query sent off to a search engine. If you have a stylus, this may be the most natural way to search the web.

Online Classroom
This application is a tutor.com sample online classroom having a better, faster and interactive way to communicate with online tutors.

MSN ClipClub
MSN Video and Windows Live Messenger merge into a fascinating and new user experience: high-quality content and direct web-based communication. The multimedia Silverlight interface links the best of both worlds.

Ecardoo
This site is placed for you to create customized video ecard. You can search images on Flickr, and compose them in many ways you want.

MeWorks - Experience Website with Fun
A fascinating way to show your websites with enhanced user experience.

Information

Wildfire Information Portal
Pitney Bowes FireLocator disseminates timely wildfire data and information. Data from multiple sources are integrated to provide a multi-media enriched, map-based view of current and past wildfires.

Tarantula
An interactive search engine for Amazon.com. Users can explore links between similar books as a graphical web that has a tactile physical feel.

Silverlight Weather Widget
This widget returns five day weather forecast from The Weather Channel given a valid 5-digit US Zip Code. Uses Silverlight 1.0, ASP.NET AJAX, LINQ-to-XML and C#.

WorldWide Telescope
A rich interactive application to explore the universe.

WorldByCharts
WorldbyCharts is a web application which allows one to draw charts of a combination of variables, most typically economic variables, on-demand.

WorldNews
WorldNews is a free service webpage that can tell you what is happening in the world real-time using Silverlight.

Buzzoggi
Buzzoggi is a mashup that analyzes over 30 RSS feeds to find the hottest concepts at this moment on the web, displays them and helps you quickly explore them further by accessing original sources and automatically sending searches to other popular sites.

Parcel Atlas
Parcel Atlas is a Silverlight application which uses MapDotNet UX to allow users to search and visualize over 62 million property parcels in five hundred counties throughout the US Parcel geometry. The data is stored in a SQL Server 2008 database.

Galleries and Slide Shows

Imaginalaxy.com
This is a massive image sharing and real-time collage application. Upload images and reposition, rotate and resize in real-time within your own image galaxy. Edit collages in real-time with friends or share your images on Myspace, Facebook and more.

Slide Show
Slide.Show is an open source Silverlight slideshow control that allows you to publish and embed highly customizable photo galleries and image slideshows anywhere on the web.

Drag-Twist Album
This application allows you to drag and scale images or video using Silverlight technology.

Postcard Viewer
Photo Viewer is a Silverlight application used to convert photographs into postcards. You can add captions, click to zoom, and switch between postcards using the arrow keys.

Art Collection Viewer
The deep zoom art collection viewer enables visitors to navigate, zoom, and view the stunning artworks from this world class collection. See artworks closer and in more detail - right down to each individual brush stroke.

E-Commerce

Brighton's Interactive Charm Builder
This is an interactive charm builder with a real-time cost calculator. It can also create a PDF of the assembled design and e-mail the order.

DShop
The DShop is a shopping cart built using Silverlight 2, .NET 3.5, WCF and LINQ to demonstrate how all of these technologies can work together seamlessly.

Social Media

Sobees
Sobees Web is a Twitter/Facebook client with support for multiple accounts and real time search.

Twitterlight Twitter Web Client
Twitterlight is a Silverlight 2 Alpha/Twitter API mashup showing how to utilize a local web service to consume external API data. Uses the Sapphire control set.

Business Applications

Financials Demonstrator
The demonstrator is a mock-up website that shows the interactions and experience you could get from a Silverlight enabeld site. Features like interactive video that drives charts, client-side charting, drag and drop, client-side calculations, cross-domain web services calling etc. come together seamlessly.

Price List Calculator
This Silverlight application was developed by Ebsolut Switzerland. It calculates over four million price calculations on the fly and was awarded the Silverlight Early Adopter Award by Microsoft.

My Travel Management
A Silverlight application that allows you to compare airfare, book flights, check flight times and flight duration.

Kaldeera 2009
Kaldeera Workflow Designer 2009 is a SharePoint workflow designer using 100% Silverlight.

Scheduler for Silverlight
The first Outlook-like scheduling component for Silverlight. Fully template-based with default templates for Day View, Week View, Month View and Timeline View. Group by resource or by date. Supply your own template for your own custom views.

Real-time Streaming Stock Charts
Stock charts with true real-time streaming data, lots of indicators, drawing tools, watch lists and integrated news.

MillionID - Finance
A new way of presenting stock exchange data and charts with Silverlight.

Games

Server Quest II
An exciting game to manage IT priorities online.

Silver Games Cribbage
Silver Games is a collection of open source, multiplayer networked games developed in Silverlight. All games are tied together with a common lobby server featuring a global ladder ranking system.

Fall In Game
FallInGame.com is an online browser game constructor, where you can create your own games, share it with friends, write comments, rate other player and games, and earn experience and progress.

Strategic Command
Use strategy and deception to maneuver your armed forces into your opponent's territory and conquer their headquarters. The winner will be crowned with glory and live to see their name thunder down the hallowed corridors of time. The loser will be buried in infamy.

Link and Learn Educational Games
Simple, intuitive and self pace math and science concept learning through link and learn games.

Further Resources

Following articles are suggested for further reading:

Silverlight Showcase

50 Silverlight Applications

Flash vs. Silverlight Gallery

About the author

Muhammad Usama Alam is a software engineer and web developer with over 8 years of experience in designing and developing business solutions for enterprise. You can follow him on Twitter.

Featured Image by Caspar Camille Rubin on Unsplash