Tag Archives: Bing Maps

Computers

The new Redbox app for Windows 8 isn't perfect, but it sure is handy

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You can’t shop anywhere without running into a legion of Redboxes. Now it looks like the cardinal-colored entertainment kiosks are keen to transfer their physical omnipresence over to the digital world.

After shoring up its presence on iOS, Windows Phone, and Android (including the forked Kindle Fire tablet), an official Redbox app has just touched down in the Windows Store.

Redbox lovers will find a lot to like, though there’s nothing groundbreaking here. In addition to the Most Popular, Coming Soon, and Newly Released lists of movies you’d expect to find in an app like this, the Redbox app can tap into your device’s location to pinpoint kiosks near you, using Windows 8’s baked-in Bing Maps as a backbone. Not sure where a particular kiosk is located relative to you? The app can even provide directions.

That’s a lot of Redboxes!

Once you select a specific Redbox location, you’re able to search the games and movies available in that particular kiosk. (Pro tip: Right-click on the main screen to bring up a bar with Movies, Games, and Featured tabs at the top of the screen.)

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Bing Windows 8 apps updated, boosting RSS functions

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Microsoft is keeping a steady flow of updates to its suite of Windows 8 apps, and this week’s refresh goes to Bing News, Maps, and Finance. Even better, Microsoft added video tutorials for each of the apps, which guide users through the features.

The most interesting update of the bunch is for the Bing News app, which now includes an option that lets you add your favorite RSS feeds to the sources list, as well as place custom feeds on the Start Screen. Its arrival is timely in the wake of Google’s decision to kill Google Reader this summer, leaving a lot of RSS lovers scrambling for alternatives.

The updated Bing News is not a Google Reader replacement yet, though. It doesn’t sync the read items with its Windows Phone 8 counterpart and there is no Web interface to use. A good alternative on Windows 8 is the Nextgen Reader app, but since the app uses Google Reader to sync items, Bing News remains Windows 8 users’ best bet for the future—and Microsoft still has some time until the summer to improve the app.

Maps, Finance refreshed

Next up is the Bing Maps app, which is updated with an improved local search option. This lets you search for nearby amenities, including restaurants, hotels, hospitals, or shops. Bing Maps has improved walking and transit directions for several countries, and you can now click on landmarks and also report problems with the map imagery.

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From: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2034645/bing-windows-8-apps-updated-boosting-rss-functions.html#tk.rss_all