Top 10 Apps for Windows 8

1.      The Desktop App – I think my reason for this app being my most favorite is pretty obvious. Keeping the traditional “Desktop” was crucial to the success of Windows 8 for Microsoft. There are a lot of PC users out there that still use XP as their operating system because of its solidity. Getting those users to understand that Windows 8 still has the desktop in the form of an app is what often makes the sale when I’m working at Staples. Not only that, the Desktop App is crucial to my success as a programmer.

2.      Music App – The music app is awesome! As an avid fan of the Zune platform from Microsoft in the past, this Xbox-integrated app replacement of the Zune store is pretty cool to me. I like how I can search for music through the “Search” charm too! Having an Xbox Live Gold membership or Xbox Music Pass is necessary for this program though. However, without one or the other, it isn’t really any better than any other music program out there because ads still exists for song previews.

3.      PCWORLD App– This app essentially wraps up the top headlines from my favorite magazine. PCWORLD Magazine gives me the most exclusive news and reviews of the computer industry. I used to pay for the magazine a few years ago but stopped because I couldn’t afford it. For a while now, I have followed the magazine’s twitter feed, but they only post the top headlines. The app gives you everything inside the magazine for free!

4.      Xbox SmartGlass App – The idea that Windows 8 has been integrated with the Xbox 360 is just phenomenal. Before I started this internship, I wasn’t completely hooked on the Xbox brand. I had an original Xbox several years ago and didn’t like it because the controllers were way too large for my small hands. The development of the Xbox 360 has brought many new features to the Xbox brand that I was unaware of. Aside from controllers with a slimmer design, one of those features is the concept of Xbox SmartGlass. Your computer can control your Xbox 360. I use it quite a bit because it helps for searching for movies in the Netflix app on my Xbox 360.

5.      Amazon App – The Amazon app is an app that I use quite a bit. This year, I have already purchased three Christmas gifts from Amazon. I used the Amazon app to make each of those purchases. I like how the app shows the items that are recommended for me based on other items that I’ve searched for in the past!

6.      Skype App – The Skype app allows for live video communication and is possibly one of the greatest acquisitions that Microsoft has gained thus far! With my dad having thirteen brothers and sisters, I have a very large family, and most are spread out across the country. Since my family is so spread out, many of them aren’t able to attend all the family events throughout the year. Instead, I am able to communicate with them using the Skype app! I even used it on Thanksgiving so the whole family could communicate with my cousin who was travelling in Europe.

7.      ESPN App – I wouldn’t be able to stay up-to-date on the latest sports scores without the ESPN app. I love this app because ESPN now allows you to use your Microsoft account as your ESPN account. That’s one less username and password that I have to remember! With the ESPN app, I can check out my sports team’s stats and can compare them to other teams in the league. By the way, go Hoosiers!

8.      SkyDrive App – The SkyDrive app allows for me to put all of my documents in the cloud. I love how it is integrated with Microsoft Office 2013 to make it easy to save a document. I also really like that Microsoft developed the app with cross-platform compatibility in mind. I’m not due for a cell phone upgrade for a year and am stuck with a HTC phone running Android. However, Microsoft kept me in mind and I can still access my documents from the same SkyDrive app my phone!

9.      Finance App – Though I am a Computer Science major, finance and marketing have always interested me. Due to my curiosity and education of finances thus far, I have recently purchased some stocks that I feel are at a point in which they have real potential for growth! Even the economy is still in the state that it has been in for quite some time now, I feel like recent market changes are showing positive results. The finance app allows me to stay on top of market trends that I only wished I could have followed in the past. It’s a rather ingenious idea to also add financial news headlines to the live tile of the app. That was what pulled me in!

10.  Bible App (YouVersion) – Last, but not least, the Bible app from You Version is definitely for me. Before YouVersion released an app for Windows 8 devices, that had one for practically every other platform. About a week before the Windows 8 release, I saw it appear in search results. I used to use the app on my phone, but never really liked it because it was hard to read the tiny or too much scrolling for larger text. It was also too hard to write any notes in the phone app that I had. However, I carry my computer everywhere like I do with my phone. Now, carrying my computer (in some weird sense) is like carrying around my Bible now that I have the Bible app. Writing notes is easy and the text size can be set to whatever I wish. It’s the perfect app to wrap up my top ten list of best apps for Windows 8!