Windows Phone 8.1
is generating a lot of excitement even though it’s only in its beta
stage. When it rolls out to everyone in the fall it could signal a shift
in consumer confidence and be the catalyst Microsoft needs to position
Windows Phone as a true contender against Android and iOS.
The thing that hurts the platform most, however, is lack of apps – or, “app gap” as it is more commonly known. But the good news is this situation is changing, and rather quickly, too, with more and more quality Windows Phone apps and games coming weekly. Which are the must-haves for your Windows Phone? Here are the picks we’re choosing each week.
Uber is the hot personal taxi app that is now available in over
40 countries. The app allows you to hail a private cab at up to half
off the price of a normal black cab fare. The app has caused controversy
in cities around the world, but now that Uber is on Windows Phone
Microsoft probably couldn’t care less about any controversy this app
causes. Why? Because, technically, this is the first official Google app
on the Windows Phone platform. Google invested almost $300 million in
Uber earlier this year and if this app does well on Windows Phone it's
likely we’ll see other Google apps on the third-place mobile platform
sooner rather than later.
Speaking of cars...did you ever wish you could be a delivery
driver? No, probably not. Yet that doesn’t stop this game from being
loads of addictive fun. Half-driving game, half-puzzler, Delivery
Simulator sees you behind the wheel of any number of vehicles including
lories, fork lifts, and army trucks as you go on vehicle-specific
missions such as delivering goods, hitching trailers, and moving
construction equipment. Is it a weird premise for a game? Sure. Is it
fun? You bet.
Plex is a media server software that has been around for years.
It organizes your videos, photos, and music and streams them to any
number of devices you own including mobile phones, set-top streaming
boxes, and PCs. With the official launch of the Plex app on Windows
Phone now users of Microsoft’s mobile platform can have all the access
to their Plex media just as uses on iOS and Android have had for years.
The Veil is one of those games that is as much art as it is
entertainment. In it you guide a submersible into icy waters to find a
long lost ship, the Seymour. While the storyline is compelling it’s the
lighting, soundtrack, and mood that really make this game great. If you
plug in your headphones while playing it, I guarantee you’ll be lost in
its beautiful worlds. The game is in the chapter format, and right now
two chapters--each about 20 minutes long--are available. Killer story,
beautiful graphics, and awesome score. What more can you ask for?
Just because Tinder isn’t on Windows Phone yet doesn’t mean
there are good dating apps. One such app that my single friends love is
POF, which stands for Plenty of Fish. It’s a free dating app that lets
you match and connect to people right away. You can search by any number
of criteria, including your surrounding GPS location, and chat with
matches immediately. Both the app and the service are totally free, so
why not try to find that summer fling today?
Flickpic is a cool photo app that allows you to share your snaps with others--sans wireless network.
You simply select your photo then flick you Windows Phone and the pic
is sent to your friend’s Windows Phone automatically. No Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G,
or data connection is required. Of course what is required is your
friend has to be using Flickpic on their Windows Phone. It’s a great
little feature of an app and I can see a lot of partygoers using this on
the tube to share their snaps on a night out
The great thing about smartphones is that they allow us to quantify
data about ourselves. They do this by tracking our location or biometric
data (like calories burned) via the sensors inside the phone. A really
nice app that takes advantage of the GPS capabilities in Windows Phone
is Time of My Life. This app automatically tracks and labels where you
have been, separating locations into events based on the time you were
there. For example, the app can track how long you were at work, at
home, at the gym, or at the pub. It displays your results on a map and
also as a data on colorful charts. It’s a great way to track how much
time you are spending/wasting where.
Just in time for the World Cup Onefootball Brasil lets you track all
the latest stats and scores right on your Windows Phone. It features a
live ticker with play-by-play match commentary, the latest news before
and during the tournament, pre-and post-game video coverage, push
notifications, and all the match schedules, results, and statistics you
could want. Best of all the app is free.
Six-Guns is a terrific third-person-shooter adventure game set in
America’s Wild West. You play an outlaw who has faked his own death who
ends up battling evil forces in Arizona and Oregon. I love the game so
much because, for a mobile game, its graphics are pretty impressive.
It’s also an open-world game so you can roam wherever you want instead
of being stuck in a lineal level world. In the game you fight both
bandits and supernatural forces, race horses, and take on over 40
different missions. Along the way you can unlock 8 different horses, 19
weapons, and loads of clothes and ammo upgrades.
Unfortunately there is no official Wikipedia app for Windows
Phone yet, but thankfully developer WinUpdates has stepped in a created a
pretty near-perfect one. Wikipedia WP8 gives you full access to
Wikipedia’s 20 million articles in 280 languages in a beautifully
formatted UI right on your Windows Phone. The app allows you to save
articles to read later or offline, search articles nearby and share them
with friends. It also offers features like full text search and more.
Best of all, it’s free.
Spotify has completely redone its Windows Phone app with
version 3.0. The app has been completely redesigned to make discovering
the music you love easier than ever. It also now includes Spotify radio,
which allows you to tell Spotify what track, artist, or album you like
and it will then create a custom station with songs similar to your
like.
Kinectimals was an unexpected hit when Microsoft first released
it and now they’ve unleashed a whole new version that is solely for dog
lovers. In Kinectimals Unleashed players explore the dog island of
Villeria with 85 canine companions to play and care for. As you explore
the mysterious island you can play myriad games including Agility
Courses, Beach Volleyball, Flying Disc, Jump Roping and more. If you’re a
dog lover this might be too much furry cuteness to handle--but it’s a
lot of fun.
Coming from an iOS background, I’m used to the main weather app being
pretty but severely under-featured. That’s why I was so surprised when I
downloaded the Weather app made by Microsoft for my Windows Phone. It
is surprisingly full-featured and looks beautiful. Matter of fact I
loved this Weather app so much I deleted my other weather app (The
Weather Channel) within an hour of installing this one.
Of course the Live Tile feature is nice, too, meaning you can see the current weather right from the Start screen, but what I really love about Weather is its clean interface which is easy to navigate and its hourly, daily and 10-day forecasts are a godsend. The app features beautiful imagery and powerful weather maps as well.
6tag is a third-party Instagram app. Yes, Instagram is now officially
on Windows Phone with a beta, but it still lacks many of the powerful
features of 6tag. One reason why 6tag rocks so much is that it supports
multiple images in one post by framing them as a collage. It’s something
Instagram's official apps don’t do on any platform. The app also offers
instant sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Foursquare and
allows you to use your front or back camera to take snaps.
Halo is Microsoft’s powerhouse gaming franchise so it’s no surprise
the company is pushing Halo on Windows Phone. Halo: Spartan Assault
allows you to battle your way through 30 action-packed missions against
the Covenant as you explore the origin of the Spartan Ops program.
Converting a FPS to a touchscreen is always a challenge but Halo fans
are sure to be delighted by the results.
The thing that hurts the platform most, however, is lack of apps – or, “app gap” as it is more commonly known. But the good news is this situation is changing, and rather quickly, too, with more and more quality Windows Phone apps and games coming weekly. Which are the must-haves for your Windows Phone? Here are the picks we’re choosing each week.
Uber (free)
Delivery Simulator (free)
Plex (£0.79)
The Veil (free)
POF (free)
Flickpic (free)
Time of My Life (free)
Onefootball Brasil (free)
Six-Guns (free)
Wikipedia WP8 (free)
Spotify (free)
Kinectimals Unleashed (free)
Weather (free)
Of course the Live Tile feature is nice, too, meaning you can see the current weather right from the Start screen, but what I really love about Weather is its clean interface which is easy to navigate and its hourly, daily and 10-day forecasts are a godsend. The app features beautiful imagery and powerful weather maps as well.
6tag (free)
Halo: Spartan Assault (£3.49)
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