Tag Archives: Windows Phone 8

Itsdagram Is A Neat Instagram Client For WP8 With Upload Capability

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Apps like Metrogram and InstaCam were the only way for Windows Phone users to get a taste of Instagram on their devices, until recently. While both these apps look great and have some nice features, they can never be true alternatives to an official Instagram client, since you cannot upload photos to your account using them. In a bid to get the official Instagram app on WP8, Nokia even came out with the #2InstaWithLove campaign, but that hasn't done much good so far. Things took a turn for the better recently though, when Instagraph was released. The app was the first for WP8 to offer the ability to upload photos to Instagram. People might have been content with it, but competition makes everything better, so it is good to see that another app with support for uploads has appeared in the WP Store. Itsdagram has a really neat interface, which resembles Instagram’s UI on other platforms. The app offers a variety of filters and account management options, and unlike Instagraph, has a free trial version. Read More

Vyclone Brings Its Collaborative, Multi-Angle Video Shooting To WP8

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Apps like Streamweaver and WeVideo introduced the concept of collaborative media capturing and editing to the masses but in recent times, Vyclone has come up as the most popular release in this genre. The app has been available for both iOS and Android for quite a while, and out of the blue, it has arrived at the WP Store as well. It is a pleasant surprise to see that Vyclone for WP8 has an interface that goes well with the platform, and doesn't seem to be a mere port of its iOS or Android versions. In case you aren't familiar with Vyclone already, the app allows users to collaborate with others in their vicinity to shoot a scene from several angles, and then stitches the results automatically to give you a really cool end result. Read More

Easily Convert MP3, WMV & M4A Songs To Ringtones On Nokia Lumia

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Just a few days back we discussed #trending, a Windows Phone app that lets you get ringtones of your favorite songs from Twitter's new music discovery service, among other things. While ringtones were just one feature in the #trending app, Windows Phone has had plenty of other apps that focused solely on loading your phone with tons of free ringtones. Trying to find readymade ringtones can be a bit tough though, since you might not be able to find the right tone of your favorite song despite having it in your music library. If you are really desperate for it, there is the possibility of exporting the music file to your computer, and then cutting it to an appropriate length using a desktop tool of your choice. Thankfully, users of Lumia devices have a much easier solution to this problem. The Nokia Ringtone Maker has been around for quite a while, but the beta of its latest version has taken the app to a whole new level. The app can now handle several file formats, rather than just MP3. Read More

Juice Brings Its Habit-Moulding Tips To Windows Phone

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On a new platform that desperately needs popular apps to stay alive, genres like lifestyle and games can end up getting ignored to a large extent. Windows Phone is catching up with its competitors if you look at app categories like photography and navigation, but there aren't many options in the WP Store if you want to get motivated. iOS has apps like Alpha Goals, while Android’s ididit! serves a similar purpose. Both these apps, however, aren't particularly good-looking, and their interface isn't enough to keep a lot of users coming back for more. Juice, on the other hand, is pretty effective, and ensures that anyone can use it effortlessly to stick to healthy life choices. The app was previously around for iOS and Android, but has now been released for WP8 as well. Read More

YouTube For WP8 Gets Revamped With Better Live Tiles & Playlists

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Just like Microsoft pleasantly surprised WP8 users with a revamped Facebook app last week, they have shown that the state of the rather dismal YouTube client for the mobile platform hasn’t slipped their mind either. The YouTube app just got a major update for WP8 a few hours back, adding a lot of improvements and new features to the mix. For one thing, the app is now ready to be pinned to the Kid’s Corner, thanks to the new content control options. Also, the interface of playlists has been overhauled to make it convenient for users to scroll through them and get to their favorite videos with ease. All major WP8 apps support live tiles, but YouTube 3.0 shows the full potential of the feature, as it lets you pin individual videos, search queries and channels to the Start screen. Read More

Baconography Is A Reddit App For Windows Phone 8 & Windows 8 With Easy Subreddit Management

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Until now, Windows Phone users have had some pretty satisfactory Reddit clients at their disposal. Baconit and InstantReddit exemplify the kind of Reddit apps that have been available in the WP Store in the past. These apps might not be too heavy on features, but are great for everyday use, owing to their neat UI and easy navigation options. With the release of WP8, however, the demands of users have changed to some extent. Since Microsoft has been trying to work towards merging Windows 8 with their mobile platform, a lot of developers have started coming out with apps that are great on your phone, but can also come in handy on your Windows PC or tablet. Baconography is among the first Reddit clients that are available on both Windows Store and the WP Store. The app is perfect for all Reddit users who have very particular preferences regarding subreddits, since Baconography allows them to pin any subreddit to the app’s main screen. The comments view is great in both apps as well. Read More

Browse Twitter #music On Windows Phone & Download Track Previews As Ringtones With #trending

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For some reason, Twitter chose to make their new #music service really tough to access, with iOS being the only smartphone platform having an official client for it. Even Android has been ignored so far, which means there is little chance of #music appearing in the WP Store for a long time. Apart from lack of support for various platforms, there are also a bunch of region restrictions that have so far limited the availability of #music to only a lucky few users when seen at a global scale. Despite all these adversities, a Windows Phone developer has somehow managed to bring an unofficial #music client to WP7 and WP8. #trending displays the latest charts from #music, keeping users in the loop regarding the tracks gaining popularity on Twitter. You can listen to a 30-second snippet of all the listed songs, and even download these samples as ringtones for your device. Read More

Switch to Windows Phone Finds WP8 Alternatives For Your Android Apps

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Windows Phone has slowly started to establish its position as the ‘other’ smartphone platform, for people who have had enough of Android and iOS and want something different. You have to admit that Microsoft’s mobile OS is pretty unique and comes with a neat interface. Furthermore, it got a slew of new features with the release of WP8. A fair amount of users are willing to make WP8 devices their first smartphones but in order for the platform to grow rapidly, there's still a great need for more users to switch from competing platforms like iOS and Android. The biggest hurdle faced by Microsoft in getting these smartphone users to give WP8 a chance is the perception that WP Store lacks quality apps. This was true till a few months back, but Microsoft has lately been actively trying to dispel the notion. There are some pretty decent apps available for WP8 now, and you are likely to find an alternative for most iOS/Android apps if you are not too picky. To prove the point, Switch to Windows Phone has been released in the Google Play Store and WP Store. The app suggests Windows Phone alternatives to Android apps for people who are thinking about switching platforms. Read More

Hands-On With The Revamped Facebook Beta App For Windows Phone 8

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In the days of Mango, Windows Phone was the best platform for fans of Facebook. WP8 improved upon WP7’s integration with the social network, but with the release of Facebook Home for Android and Facebook 6.0 for iOS, the WP8 app started to look pretty primitive. Fortunately, Microsoft has taken note of the issue, and has decided to release a revamped version of the official Facebook app for WP8 soon. However, to make sure the new app is absolutely perfect, the MS guys have decided to employ Windows Phone users as the app’s beta testers. Facebook Beta won’t show up in the WP Store search results for now to avoid confusion, but anyone can download the app for free and check out the future of Facebook on WP8. Read More

Fidelity Investments Just Might Be The Best Stock Market App For WP8

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Fidelity Investments is among the biggest names in the market when it comes to financial services. A lot of big players in the stock exchange rely on data acquired from Fidelity to conduct their businesses and make investments. You can stay in touch with your Fidelity Investments account using its web version of course, but it is always nice to get on-the-go access for any service in form of dedicated mobile apps. If you work in the finance indistry and own a Windows Phone, the service’s WP8 app can prove to be an asset. It supports account login but even if you are not a registered Fidelity Investments user, you can use the app to keep an eye on the stock market, read latest news stories related to companies of your interest, and get detailed exchange stats for any particular stock. Read More

Indigo Is An Android & WP8 Voice Assistant Capable Of Casual Conversation

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It is no secret that Windows Phone does not have as many alternatives to Siri as Android, and even the personal assistants that are available in the WP Store have their shortcomings. Speaktoit Assistant is good for having a fun chat every once in a while and has a very customizable UI, but you can’t get it to perform a plethora of useful tasks. Ask Ziggy, on the other hand, has often been accused of being a little too simplistic. So it is nice to see a new talking personal assistant that has been released at the same time for both Android and WP8. Indigo is a voice-controlled personal assistant that can entertain you while having the basic purpose of making your life easier. Read More

Discover Content & Create Posts With The Official Tumblr App For WP8

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It has become pretty much the norm for Windows Phone versions of apps to be quite different from their iOS and Android counterparts. WP has a unique interface featuring live tiles instead of icons, along with side-scrolling screens that focus on content rather than the UI elements themselves, and many developers feel compelled to take full advantage of these features. Recently though, the trend has started shifting and we saw that the official LinkedIn app got updated with a new interface that makes the app look similar to its other mobile versions. The Tumblr app for Windows Phone has just been released today, and it looks a lot like the iPhone version of the service as well. A few things are missing from Tumblr for WP8 but overall, the app gives a pretty good account of itself. Read More

Overlay Weather & Location Info On Photos In Windows Phone With Ciel

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To varying extents, all photos capture the essence of the moment when they were snapped, but there are times when you need to add some written information to the image in order to ensure that anyone who views it can gauge the environment in which the photo was taken. iOS has apps like InstaPlace and InstaWeather for this purpose, while Android has CamWeather. These type of apps usually offer certain templates that let you overlay real-time weather and location info on your photos. Ciel does the same for Windows Phone users, but the number of templates it offers make the app more than a match for similar apps on other platforms. Ciel has readymade overlay effects that deal with weather, location, lifestyle or a mixture of all of these. The sharing options are pretty good as well, while the app's integration with Foursquare ensures availability of data on all nearby places. Read More

Ding Is A Vibrant, Gesture-Based Alarm Clock App For Windows Phone

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In the past, we haven’t covered a lot of alarm apps for Windows Phone, or any other platform, for that matter. Most people aren’t in a particularly rosy mood when they get up in the morning, and a feature-laden alarm clock app is likely to annoy you more than anything. While apps like 627.AM and Clever Alarm are useful in some situations, you are likely to prefer a more run-of-the-mill app in your daily routine. Ding for WP7 and WP8 doesn’t come with a host of customizable features, but it looks good and is very convenient to use as well. It reflects the accent color you have chosen for your phone, fitting right in with the overall theme, and sports a unique gesture-based UI for quicker, easier setting of alarms. Read More

Face Retouching App Perfect365 Makes Its Way To Windows Phone 8

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Perfect365 started off as a desktop application, and has had a mobile presence for quite a while now as well. The service has pretty decent apps for iOS and Android, but a few Windows Phone users started anticipating the app’s arrival on Microsoft’s mobile platform when Perfect365 for Windows 8 came out. The anticipation wasn't unfounded at all, it seems, since the app is now available in the WP Store. Having used most Perfect365 apps, I must say that the WP8 app is actually better than other mobile appsof the service. The interface is really neat, making the process of configuring the editing points on the face quite easy. In addition, you can also make any face look prettier by applying one of the predefined filters available in Perfect365. Read More

LinkedIn For Windows Phone Gets Live Tiles, Voice Controls & Dynamic Lock Screen Support

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A month shy of its first release anniversary, LinkedIn for Windows Phone has received a major update. Windows Phone has native integration with the world’s largest professional network since WP7, but you do need to have a decent app if you want to properly go through your updates, message someone or explore new jobs. The previous version of the official LinkedIn client for Windows Phone was pretty decent, but it did not take full advantage of all the awesome new possibilities added to the mix by WP8. With LinkedIn 1.5 however, you get to control many aspects of the app using WP8’s native voice commands; resizable live tiles are supported now, and it is possible to configure your lock screen to automatically cycle through images taken from the LinkedIn Today section of the app. Read More

NBC News Comes To WP8 With Full Shows, Narrated Articles & Video Clips

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For some reason, the WP Store has a particularly strong news category. Windows Phone still can’t compete against iOS or Android if you are looking at photo editors or games, but almost all major news services have released their WP7 and WP8 clients. Last month, Al Jazeera became the latest big name to join the ranks of WP8 news apps, and now we have an even bigger release in the Store. The NBC network already had some Windows Phone presence, thanks to its Breaking News and Nightly News apps, but with NBC News, there is now a proper WP8 app of the news giant that takes full advantage of the features available in the OS. Read More

Play Any Game Boy Or GB Color Title On Windows Phone With VGBC8

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VGBC8 for WP8 might not support as many platforms as RetroArch for Android, and those it does support are nowhere near as high-end as what PSSP emulates on iOS, but this Game Boy emulator does everything it is supposed to do in a really efficient and lag-free manner. The app is capable of running any Game Boy or Game Boy Color ROM, offering full controls and game saving options. VGBC8 is not the first emulator of this kind for Windows Phone, as the developer of this app has previously released a Game Boy Advance emulator in the WP Store as well. The new app works flawlessly, and loading new ROMs is really easy. Any game’s save state is uploaded to SkyDrive so that your progress doesn't get lost even if the app is uninstalled, and you start playing it right where you left even on another device. Read More

Use Native WP8 Voice Commands To Get Directions To Any Location

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The fact that Microsoft hasn’t given Windows Phone’s voice control feature a proper name in WP8 (it used to be TellMe until Mango) might have contributed towards it remaining a bit underrated. The fact remains though that WP8 supports some decent voice commands, letting you launch apps, perform searches, and even control some internal aspects of a few apps (like creating reminders). Having said that, some recent releases in the WP Store have demonstrated that there is even more to voice controls in WP8 than you might imagine. We all know that Windows Phone’s integration with HERE Maps, and Nokia Drive makes it a good platform of choice for people who rely on their smartphones for driving or walking directions. With the newly released Go To app, the WP8 navigation experience might just feel complete. The app lets you use WP8’s native voice commands to get driving, walking or public transit directions for any place you want. Read More

Get Galaxy S4′s Dual Camera Photo Capture On Windows Phone 8

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The importance of front-facing cameras in smartphones has increased manifolds due to apps like Tango and Skype, but there are other perks of having cameras on both sides of your phone. Front cameras make sure you don’t have to hand your device to strangers when you want to take a picture of yourself, or even use the front cam as a handy mirror every once in a while. Despite all these advantages though, there are some things that even two cameras can’t accomplish. While taking a group photo, there always has to be one person who is forced to assume the responsibilities of a photographer and is left out of the picture. iOS and Android already have a few apps that can solve this problem by simultaneously activating front and rear cams to take a photo with both views. Signature Camera is a perfect example of this, while eyeReport is based on the same principle as well. It is good to see that a similar app is now finally available for Windows Phone. With Dual Cam Photo, users can easily add a shot from the front camera every time they take a picture from the rear one. Read More