There has been so much made of the Windows Phone App gap, but not many people talk about the ones that are there that they can’t live without. So, without further ado, once you buy that new Windows Phone, give my top 5 a test drive. Of course, these are listed in no particular order, so don’t think it’s a one through five list, they are all great Apps.
The Amazon Kindle App brings your e-books to your Windows Phone. Sure, it is much more useful on the larger screen devices, but even on the smaller 4” 500 series screens, books are very readable. Some have experienced some glitches in syncing, content and function, but I can say I haven’t had the issues that they have. Hopefully when you give it a test run, you won’t either. (FREE)
SkyDrive is a must have for every new Windows Phone user. Although the individual components of Windows Phone allow you to download images or documents from your drive, the SkyDrive app gives you almost total control over it. For those that are totally new to Windows Phone and SkyDrive, it is a cloud storage system that works with your PC, your Xbox and your Windows Phone. The free account includes 7GB of storage with more options being available for paid users. (FREE)
PDF Reader should really be a part of the Office bundle for Windows Phone. There are just too many users that use PDF attachments constantly to not include it. That said, there isn’t a PDF reader built in to the Office suite, so Microsoft had to build one that needed to be installed separately. That said, the Microsoft PDF Reader is nothing amazing, but it does a great job filling my needs and doesn’t take up much storage space. (FREE)
MyAppFree is one of those must have Apps so you can test drive one of their free Apps of the day. Everyday there is something new for you to try and they are all free. The important thing to remember is to download the new App everyday and delete it if you don’t want to use it. Once you purchase the App, even if it is free, it stays in your account so you can grab it again later without paying for it. MyAppFree is a must have just to play with all the goodies they offer. (FREE)
This one comes down to personal preference, but I love the content on Hulu+. During the fall, there are plenty of ‘new’ shows to watch and during the summer there are reruns and original series to stream. Now, some would say Netflix is a better choice and I would agree for movies that it is, but I don’t want to watch a 2-3 hour movie on my phone. I’ll save that for my netbook, tablet or home PC. On my phone, I like to catch the clips, or maybe even a 25 minute show while I am killing time. Hulu+ is the perfect solution for that. (FREE – Some content requires a subscription)
Honorable Mentions
MetroTalk or MetroTalk Free only get an honorable mention due to the fact that Google is killing all 3rd party API Apps in May. For those that are buying in now, MetroTalk will give you the ability to use your Google Voice account for texting and voice calls. It’s not WiFi calling, but it does give you the option to call from your voice line using your Google number instead of your standard cell number. MetroTalk also gives you the ability to view your messages before you listen to them – and some of the time, they are even close to the actual text translation. (Free or $1.99)
I have to say that if I had a Lumia 1520, Crackle would be much higher on the list. The original content is funny and the free movies are a great addition to any device. The limited selection of good movies and the fact that I just don’t like to watch full length films on my phone anymore just push this out of the top rankings and down to an honorable mention. (FREE)
I LOVE this App… When it works right… There I said it. I have a love/hate relationship with this App. I love that it reads my mind and puts together some brilliant mixes for me to listen to, but I hate the fact that about 50% of the time, the songs don’t actually play and I have to waste a skip to blow past the 4 minutes of silence that would be. Overall, if the folks at Nokia Mix Radio ever figure out why my 810 hates their App, or if Nokia just sends me a new 1520 to replace it (yes, call me greedy, I’m fine with that) then I will bring this into my top 5 immediately. The drawbacks – Lumia devices only… The positives – Free streaming, download up to 4 mixes for offline use and you can set up your own mixes using artists you like as guides. (FREE or $3.99 a month for additional content)
No comments:
Post a Comment