Facebook, Foursquare, and Flipboard lead a flood of big-name Windows 8 apps - lopezbrounally

Don River't be fooled by all this palaver about Windows 8.1 being Microsoft's grand chance for a re-do—spill the beans I'm admittedly fineable of myself. Windows 8.1 does a terrific job of refining Microsoft's modern-day-manner vision, but arsenic an operative system built from the ground ahead to revolve about an app-settled experience, information technology—and specifically the Start screen—can never truly strike unless the Windows Computer storage is full.

That's a big problem, since some the quantity and the quality of the Windows Store's selection has been lackluster thus far. Microsoft seems to equal tackling the issue foreland-along, though: Non only did the number of apps in the Windows Store empale in the weeks ahead of Physical body 2022, merely Microsoft took advantage of the developer conference to announce a slew of high-profile apps coming to Windows 8's realistic marketplace.

Here's a rundown of the biggest apps destined to land on the Windows Store's currently dusty shelves.

Facebook

At length—finally—a proper Facebook app is coming to Windows 8, where we hope it bequeath encompass the modern style as wholeheartedly as the Windows 8 Twitter app. While no established launch date was proclaimed, you potty look send on to a day where "Pin an IE shortcut to the Start screen" isn't Microsoft's official serve to the missing Facebook-app question.

Squarely

Yes, the favorite elite group ensure-in service is climax to Windows 8 at some unspecified point in the futurity, Microsoft announced yesterday. Live Tile fanatics will no more give to rely happening third-party alternative apps to become the mayor of their favorite taco carts! The few screenshots Microsoft showd in truth seem to nail the Modern theme.

Flipboard

Don't care, we'll get to apps that don't start with F soon.

Flipboard is a newsreader app with an image-heavy style that should translate well to Windows 8. It's similar to the Microsoft-only New Bento. Flipboard pulls in non just news, simply too posts from your various social feeds, making it approximately a one-stop, current news shop. It's incredibly popular happening iOS and Android, so look for the app to make waves in the Windows Store whenever IT launches, too.

Rhapsody

Streaming music services haven't exactly stampeded to Microsoft's camp. Aside from Slacker Radio, Nokia Music, few apps that play appendage streams of terrestrial radio set, and Microsoft's own baked-in Music app, all has been unpretending along the Windows front. Microsoft's storefront still doesn't have dedicated Pandora, Spotify, MOG, OR Rdio apps—but at once, it does rock uncomparable of the most storied names in streaming music: Rhapsody.

Available now, the Rhapsody app is extricated, though you'll need a premium Rhapsody subscription to use it. Don't have one of those? You can foretoken leading for a free trial right from the app's starting screen.

OpenTable

OpenTable lets you work period of time reservations at tens of thousands of restaurants nationally, qualification it handy-dandy for Windows-pill-wielding foodies. Seriously, if a eating house has any screen of Web presence whatsoever, you can likely witness it on OpenTable—and you can find the OpenTable app in the Windows Store right wing now.

Rockmelt

Rockmelt is kind-hearted of like Flipboard, but with a few extra wrinkles. In addition to displaying the sites, YouTube feeds, and elite group feeds you follow (in modern-tinged visual fashion, natch) on the opening screens, Rockmelt lets you check out the latest news in to a higher degree a dozen preset categories, like Cars, Business, Travel, and Technical school & Geek. IT's a pretty swell app, and information technology, likewise, is for sale in the Windows Store right straightaway.

Now we know what all those NFL coaches are doing with all those Surface tablets: Playing fantasy football! At the Build tonic on Wednesday, Steve Ballmer announced that NFL apps are Windows 8-bound, starting with a Fantasy Football app. The exact release date is yet to personify announced, merely Hera's hoping we'll picture it before hatchway day (September 5, in case you were nosy).

Walter Elias Disney apps

The somewhat creepily named Where's My Paddy? is already addressable in the Windows Store, but that's just the tip of the torrent. Microsoft announced that Avengers: Initiative, Monsters University, Tabernacle Run: Oz, Toy Story Smash IT!, and Wreck-It Ralph apps are all inward this fall.

Microsoft stairs up its game

That's a flood of fairly big-name apps. In the weeks and months in advance of Build 2022, we saw additional high-profile Windows Store releases look-alike MLB.telly, Nokia Music, Chirrup, Vevo, and a Uncovering Channel app. Build also brought a momentous under-the-hood announcement when the uber-popular Unity game locomotive announced support for Windows 8, on with Windows Earpiece 8 and Xbox One. And naturally, Windows 8.1 packs a few new native apps of its own, like Reading List and Health & Fitness.

Yes, in that respect are still some prominent Windows Store nary-shows, but the recent announcements show up that Microsoft's suit of developers is at length opening to buy off. The Windows Salt away still has a long road to travel before information technology becomes a compelling destination, but at least IT finally appears to get on the right track.

The next question: Can Microsoft celebrate up the momentum, or did it exhaust complete its whizz power in a big Build blow-out? Keep an eye on the Windows Store in the coming months.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/452679/facebook-foursquare-and-flipboard-lead-a-flood-of-big-name-windows-8-apps.html

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