Top 25 Windows 8 Apps Netflix Why pay for cable when you watch all your favorite shows at your leisure via Netflix? The app for Windows 8 comes with your Netflix membership, so you can watch thousands of TV shows or movies per month for a monthly price of $7.99 (base version). Plus, you can search for titles, browse a huge selection of titles and rate your favorite picks. The coolest part? If you start a movie on one device, the app lets you pick it up on any of your other devices. IM+ There is nothing worse than having 10 different chat windows from all your different chat accounts open -- what is this, 1999? IM+ supports multiple IM services such as Facebook, Google, AOL, icq, Skype, Yahoo, and Windows Messenger and it lays out your chats in an organized way. You can view new IMs in live tiles in metro view. If chat is your main way of communication during the work day, this free app is a must for productivity and reducing clutter. Twitter Twitter for Windows 8.1 is here, so you no longer have to use third-party clients to read the latest on one of the top social networks. The app features the standard Connect and Discover tabs. However, on the Windows 8.1 version of Twitter, you can scroll horizontally through Discover stories, so it appears as a collage. The Snap view lets you drag Twitter to the narrow side of the screen and look at another app simultaneously, so you can view a video live while tweeting about it, without having to keep hitting pause to get down your thoughts. Everyday Food For chefs looking for new ideas or beginners looking to learn how to make a simple dinner,Everyday Food has all the bases covered. The app lets you search recipes on your terms, by main ingredient, course, occasion and prep time. And no one wants to spend an hour doing something that should only take 20 minutes: Everyday Food features daily featured-recipe videos that teach time-saving tips. How-to videos are perfect for visual learners who need the extra push. Comixology Put a comic book store inside your Windows 8.1 machine with Comixology. With this app, you can browse more than 20,000 digital titles, and with the largest digital selection around, you’re sure to find your favorite characters. We particularly love running this app on Windows 8.1 devices with touch because the page flips feel so natural. Jewel Fever RayThose in the market for an addicting yet not-too-difficult game, look no further. Jewel Fever is a basic matching game where you connect three of the same color jewels to eliminate jewels, and features three different modes: Normal, Quick and Infinite. With a 60-second limit on each game, its great for short subway rides or waiting in line. Amazon Kindle Don’t worry, Amazon will not let you suffer a single day without your thousands of Kindle books and magazines, no matter what device you’re using. We continue to appreciate how Amazon automatically syncs our last page read across all our devices. Each day, Amazon offers a new deal on one book, and for Amazon Prime members, you’ll also have free access to the lending library. Slacker Radio The popular Internet radio service Slacker Radio has arrived in the Windows 8.1 store. The app offers users genre stations that include music, comedy, news and sports shows, and you can personalize your experience by pinning and accessing stations from the Windows home screen. Evernote Touch Evernote Touch is one of the best free apps for note-takers of all stripes. The Windows 8.1 app will seem familiar to anyone who has used Evernote online, or via Android or iOS apps. Plus the info is synced across all your devices. Use it to take notes for meetings or classes. You can even use the app to save Web snippets for later reference. Xbox SmartGlass SmartGlass lets you interact with your Xbox 360 by turning your Windows device into a controller with a screen. You can sync up your Xbox music, get interactive info for the content you are viewing on TV, sync up your achievements, and more. Dropbox Enjoy all the perks of cloud storage on your Windows 8 device with Dropbox. The app lets you save files, photos, videos and more to your account, so you can access that content from any and all devices. Dropbox for Windows 8.1 have the ability to open, edit and save files from other Windows 8 apps as well as share any files using the Share charm. Plus, you wont have to search for files: The Search charm lets you locate what you need on the fly. Ball Strike Get out of your chair and get moving with Ball Strike, an augmented-reality fitness game that uses the webcam on your Windows 8.1 system to simulate objects flying at you. Hit them with your hands or bump them with your head. This is a perfect diversion for when you’ve been sitting down for too long. OneNote If you’re familiar with Microsoft Office on the PC, you’re probably already familiar with OneNote. This version for Windows 8.1 has a very engaging layout that makes it simple to make notes that you can save to the cloud. The app lets you create lists, draw and write and even take photos (if your device has a camera). Need to look at a note while you multitask? Just snap it to the side of the screen. Sketchbook Express This robust sketch app is much more intuitive and versatile than MS Paint, as you would expect from a professional-level artistic app. You can work with up to six layers in drawings, as well as easily import photos using Sketchbook Express. There are multiple brushes from which to choose, as well as a Color Picker. Pure DJ Dream of making your own tracks and being a world-renowned DJ? Now you can test out your skills with Pure DJ. Users can mix two songs together and rotate the record to scratch, rewind and jump forward on the track. Plus, built-in sound and transition effects such as looping let you feel like a pro on your own Windows 8.1 device. File Brick & LaceFile Brick acts as an amalgamated switchboard for linking files on your local drive to various cloud storage sites such as SkyDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox and Facebook, among others. It includes basic file-management capabilities for local folders. A paid version ($2.49 one-time charge) adds access to Picasa, Flickr, YouTube and more — all without the advertising included even in the free version. News360 Using artificial intelligence, News360 lets you bring together the news articles and blog posts you like to read regularly. However, unlike other RSS services, its learns what you like (and have already collected) and, with your permission, tailors other news feeds you might find interesting. The more you use News360, the more focused it is on your interests — adding coverage from other sources including text, photography and video. It claims to help you identify bias and inaccuracy as more content is added. Skype This formerly eBay-owned global phone call app now belongs to Microsoft. Accordingly it is included as a native app in Windows 8.1, but for Windows 8.0 users it still must be installed. Skypeis the de facto voice over IP for global phone calling, chat and IM and with a video camera on your system, video calling as well. Skype-to-Skype calls are always free but low cost monthly and annual plans are available for calls to landlines and cellphones. Flow Free Optimized for touch screens but certainly just as addictive with mouse play, Flow Free works as you connect matching colors by dragging a pipe from each to create a flow. Pair all colors, and cover the entire board to solve each puzzle. But watch out: pipes will break if they cross or overlap. There are more than 600 free levels, and hundreds more than be purchased in $2 to $2.50 packs or the whole shebang for $5. Hulu Plus Catch up on episodes of broadcast and cable TV shows, current and old movies, and a choice selection of well-edited TV clips with the instant streaming app, Hulu Plus. The Win 8.1 version lets you view in full screen or snap to the side and watch while you multitask. You can pin your favorite shows for instant access from the Start screen and search content from the Charms bar. After a free trial, Hulu Plus is a $7.99 per month subscription, which can also stream to your TV as well. Adobe Reader Touch Specifically designed for Windows 8.1 touch screens but still available for mouse-driven systems, the Adobe Reader Touch PDF viewer extends beyond just reading documents with numerous, robust editing functions. Advanced navigational controls such as scroll, zoom and tap let you print, share, email and surf directly to URLs noted in documents. Wikipedia 8 The online encyclopedia, Wikipedia 8, with more than 20 million articles now has extra power with integrated functions such as search, share with other apps, and pin articles for later reading online or off. None of these functions have been possible in the raw online version. The beauty of the Windows 8.1 app is the fluid, right to left scrolling optimized for touch screens. Halo Spartan Assault Lite The renowned Xbox and Xbox 360 series “Halo” morphs into this equally pow-pow-powerful sequel for Windows 8.1. Optimized for the touch screen experiences, this legendary first person shooter video game explodes with dazzling graphics and a music score that makes the nonstop action even more intense. The free lite version is limited to a number of patrols but the full $6.99 version gets you weekly and mission-specific challenges to keep the game fresh. Metro Commander What Windows Explorer is for file management on the Desktop, Metro Commander is the go-to for managing your files and folders from the modern Windows tiled interface. In fact, it one-ups Windows Explorer with its swifter touch navigation and its convenient features such as dual panes to copy, move, rename and delete files, extract files from common archiving formats (zip, iso, cab, etc.). And its built-in viewer and media player along with quick access to SkyDrive and Dropbox makes this app essential. Adobe Photoshop Express This slimmed down free version from the paid Photoshop Elements package nevertheless has the essential features to make your photos pop. All the basic editing functions are available in Adobe Photoshop Express – crop, straighten, rotate, flip and red eye remover. Added to that is auto-fix for one touch brightness and shadow adjustment, slider controls for exposure, contrast and other enhancers. There are 15 one-touch filters in this starter pack and more available via in-app purchases.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 11:35:47 +0000
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