Tag Archives: Windows Store

Computers

The 14 best Windows Store music and movie apps

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Microsoft may be stuffing gratis copies of Office into Windows RT slabs and small-screen Windows 8 tablets alike, but all the spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations in the world won’t change the fact that the modern UI was made for mobile devices—and mobile devices just beg to be used for media consumption.

Fortunately, although the Windows Store
still lags in many crucial app categories, it pretty much has entertainment down pat. Sure, it would be nice if more big-name music services called Windows 8 home, but these 14 stellar music and movie apps can keep you rocking out and tuned in long into the night—especially if you’re into streaming services.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

The state of the Windows Store: How useful are those 100,000 apps?

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More than nine months into the great revamping known as Windows 8, a clear vision of its core is finally starting to emerge. The baked-in apps have been streamlined and Windows 8.1 looms, ready to polish the numerous rough edges found in the original release of the operating system. But Microsoft alone can’t improve what is truly the beating heart of Windows 8: The Windows Store.

Windows 8 revolves around the Windows Store. Every Live Tile that glimmers on the modern-style Start screen is the iconic representation of a Windows 8 app—and you can only snag Windows 8 apps in Microsoft’s own Windows Store. As the Windows Store goes, so goes the Windows 8 experience.

How, exactly, is the Windows Store doing? The obvious indicators are mixed. Windows RT devices can run only modern-style apps, not desktop apps, and they’re tanking hard. But app submissions picked up steam around the time of Microsoft’s Build conference, culminating in the shattering of the 100,000-app barrier in early July, and they’re still going (relatively) strong.

That’s a great milestone for Microsoft, but it’s still paltry compared to the approximately 1 million apps in Google Play and 900,000 apps in Apple’s App Store. So it’s a good time to take the pulse of the Windows Store again: Is 100,000 apps enough to keep a body happy? As I did last February, I spent days scouring the Windows Store and taking notes in five major categories: games, music apps, video apps, social apps, and a catch-all “other” category—to see how well Microsoft covered each. Here’s how they all measured up.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

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

Review: Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga 11 is convertible, portable, and…it runs Windows RT

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Microsoft’s vice president of Windows planning may be confident that Windows RT is destined for great things, but I—and the rest of the world—have some doubts. The ARM-based operating system has limits (such as the inability to install legacy apps, or apps from outside the Windows Store) that just don’t belong on laptops.

A laptop you’ll flip over

And while Lenovo’s $949 IdeaPad Yoga 11 may be trending toward tablet status, it’s still very much a laptop. In fact, the Yoga 11 is much more of a laptop than some of its competitors, such as the Dell XPS 10 and the Asus VivoTab RT. The XPS 10 and the VivoTab RT have detachable keyboard docks, while the Yoga 11 has a more unique form factor: Its keyboard doesn’t detach, but you can flip the entire screen around 360 degrees to have a slate-like experience.

So for all intents and purposes, the Yoga 11 is a laptop, not a tablet, but it’s running a tablet’s operating system. As you can imagine, this creates a few issues: You can’t download a third-party browser, for example, nor can you install some of the older applications you’re used to working with. You’re limited to apps that you can download in the Windows Store, which might not be a great thing considering Windows 8 app development has slowed in recent months. All of this is pretty unfortunate, because the Yoga 11 is an otherwise well-made product with potential as a replacement for your 15-incher and your tablet.

Stylish design, easy to use, and yes, very convertible

The Yoga 11 is the younger, lesser-equipped brother of Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga 13, which, as you may remember, I liked…a lot. The Yoga 11 features the same silver-gray rubbery finish, black chiclet-style keyboard, and moderately thick bezel surrounding its smooth glass touchscreen, as its predecessor. Its 11.6-inch capacitive touchscreen has a native resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels, and features bright, crisp colors. It’s a great touchscreen to use, too: accurate, smooth, and as similar to a tablet experience as you’ll get on a laptop. The touch sensitivity appears to extend just beyond the bezel, which makes certain Windows RT gestures (such as swiping from the right side to see the menu) very easy and intuitive.

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From: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2035697/review-lenovo-s-ideapad-yoga-11-is-convertible-portable-and-it-runs-windows-rt.html#tk.rss_all

Computers

The 10 most glaring Windows Store no-shows

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After grinding to a standstill earlier in
the year, Microsoft’s Windows Store is finally starting to pick up steam, with recent additions such as Nokia Music,Twitter, and MLB.TV bringing big-name clout to the fledgling platform. Nevertheless, spending a week of self-imposed exile in Windows 8’s modern UI made it abundantly clear to me that some glaring omissions in Microsoft’s app catalog remain to be filled.

Still, even if some of your must-have apps appear in this list of the missing, all is not lost. You may be able to make do with Web apps, desktop apps (unless you’re on Windows RT), or third-party replacements. But ultimately there’s nothing like the real thing, which means that these apps need to appear in the Windows Store, stat!

From: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2033876/the-10-most-glaring-windows-store-no-shows.html#tk.rss_all

Computers

Killing the desktop: Can you survive in Windows 8's modern UI alone?

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Can Windows 8’s modern UI replace the traditional desktop? That’s the question everyone’s been asking since Microsoft released Windows 8 last October.

Thus far, the consensus theory has been a resounding NO! There aren’t enough modern apps in the Windows Store, critics point out. And the full-screen view of modern-style apps isn’t conducive to PC-style multitasking, they say. And hey, the control panel is still located on the desktop!

But so what?

For all the gripes, no complainers have yet to answer the basic question: Even with these limitations, is it conceivable to spend all of your time in the modern UI, and shun the desktop completely?

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From: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2033875/killing-the-desktop-can-you-survive-in-windows-8s-modern-ui-alone-.html#tk.rss_all

Computers

Could Outlook alter the sorry state of email apps for Windows RT?

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Windows RT users have a hard life. Not only are they locked out of the Windows desktop ecosystem thanks to RT’s ARM-based processor architecture, but they face a limited supply of great app choices on the Windows Store are limited. Sure, we’ve seen a few nice additions lately—a barebones official Twitter client here, an equally barebones MLB.TV app there, and Nokia Music. But if you bought your RT device to get some work done, your app choices remain few and far between.

Microsoft has made some steady improvements to the built-in Mail app for Windows 8, but that client only covers the basics such as folder management and flagging messages. Power user features from Outlook like working with notes and tasks, color coding, and easy calendar integration are non-existent.

Beyond Microsoft’s built-in app, the Windows Store currently suffers from a dearth of mail clients. If you have a Yahoo account, you can get the official Yahoo Mail client, and there’s a smattering of third-party Gmail apps. For generic IMAP/POP email clients, there’s nothing worth your time. Business users requiring an Exchange client can get Nitrodesk’s TouchDown for $20. But TouchDown for Windows 8 and Windows RT has so far earned a three-star rating on the Windows Store; user reviews there cite complaints about poor functionality and slow response times.

So what’s an RT user to do: Use nothing but Web apps? Not for long, if the latest rumors are to be believed. Microsoft watcher Paul Thurrott on Thursday reported seeing with his own eyes the desktop version of Outlook running on a Surface for Windows RT tablet during a recent trip to Microsoft’s campus. Thurrott’s sneak peek at Outlook RT was unofficial and came via representatives from Microsoft third-party business partners who were given early access to the app.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Hands on: Nokia Music app for Windows 8 hits the right notes

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Following on the heels of an updated Windows 8 Music app from Microsoft, the software maker’s BFF in the mobile space has released its own Windows 8 modern UI jukebox. Nokia Music is now available from the Windows Store as a free download, providing access to Nokia’s Music+ subscription service, which launched in the U.S. in February for $4 per month.

If you’ve never used it, Music+ is similar to Pandora or Spotify’s free radio service, allowing you to listen to an uninterrupted stream of music in the form of playlists—known as “mixes” in Nokia’s parlance—defined by genre, artist, or themes, such as “most played country music.”

The new Nokia Music Windows 8 app features a one week trial of Music+, unlimited skips to pass over songs you don’t care for, offline playlist listening, song lyrics, artist bio pages with concert listings, and access to your Windows music library. Without a subscription to Music+, Nokia Music only plays 30-second snippets of music you don’t personally own.

Nokia Music‘s Music section.

If you’re an Xbox Music fan on Windows 8, the look and feel of Nokia Music will be immediately familiar. Each section of the app is divided up into a series of tiles showing you a list of available mixes, recent mixes you listened to, mixes you’ve created, and your own music library. Unlike the Windows 8 Music app, which shows your Windows Music library first, the track you’re currently listening to on Nokia Music is the first thing you see when you fire up the app.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Hands on with the MLB.tv Windows 8 app: More bunt than home run

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Just in time for baseball season, the official MLB.tv app has slid into the Windows Store.

As with MLB.tv’s existing apps for iOS and Android, the Windows 8/RT version allows you to watch live and recorded games, see scores from around the league and listen to gameday audio.

Of course, you’ll need an MLB.tv subscription to do most of those things ($20 per month or $110 per year for basic; $25 per month or $130 per year for Premium; or $20 per year for audio). The app itself is free, and one game is available for free viewing every day.

Even the app’s preferences are limited.

In terms of features, the Windows 8 app is an absolute wasteland compared to other platforms. On MLB.tv’s iOS and Android apps, you can look at stats, box scores and recaps. You can also read news about your favorite teams, and watch video highlights of the games you missed.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

How Microsoft is trying—but failing—to court indie game developers

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At last week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, record numbers of industry players converged to showcase their latest titles. In full force were smaller, independent developers, showing off their indie games on a variety of hardware: Mac and Windows laptops, and iOS and Android devices.

Windows-based devices, however, were conspicuously absent—outside of the Microsoft booth, of course.

This is troubling. GDC is the place where game developers and publishers convene to talk shop, and neither Windows 8/RT nor Windows Phone was a significant part of anyone’s conversation. And while the Gaming category was one of the most promising sections of the Windows Store when we took stock earlier this year, we’ve also seen a sharp, sudden decline in new Windows app releases. This alone should have spurred Microsoft to ramp up its courtship of game developers, big and small.

I sat down with Microsoft representatives at the conference, and I’m confident that the people working on Windows understand how games are a critical component of any healthy app ecosystem. Nonetheless, Microsoft still has hard work ahead. Some indie game developers don’t like Microsoft’s business philosophy, while others haven’t had access to the development tools they need.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Unity opens beta program for Windows Phone 8 game developers

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Unity Technologies has opened a beta program for Windows Phone 8 apps, and invites experienced developers to start testing.

Unity’s cross-platform development tools can be used to create games for a multitude of different platforms, including smartphones, PCs and game consoles, simultaneously. The new beta program is “a chance to preview Unity 4 for the Windows Phone 8 platform and get a foothold in an all-new marketplace that is looking for great games,” the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.

Windows 8 phones

Unity underlines that support for Microsoft’s smartphone OS has not yet reached maturity; it is still working on optimizing the performance, according to the blog post. There are also bugs and some features missing, it added, but it feels that experienced developers can take advantage of what it has to offer. They will, for example, be able to port existing games to Windows Phone 8 using the early builds.

The Wednesday announcement comes just three weeks after a similar program for Windows Store apps was announced. Together the two programs allow developers to create games for the entire Windows ecosystem, according to Unity.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

In This Area, Microsoft Is 3 Times Better Than Apple

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By Tim Beyers, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

Microsoft
‘s Windows Store is now home to more than 50,000 apps, according to OS tracker MetroStore Scanner. By contrast, AppShopper puts Apple‘s Mac App Store count at just over 14,000.

Developers write code for PCs three times more often than they do for Macs. So much for the death of the PC, eh?

To be fair, while the comparison is interesting, it might also be meaningless: AppShopper also found more than 1 million iOS apps for the iPhone and iPad. Mr. Softy’s Windows Store also includes Windows RT apps designed for the Surface tablet, which hasn’t sold well despite initial enthusiasm.

Cash might also be driving development. Microsoft is in the midst of a promotion whereby every app submitted to the Windows Store, or the Windows Phone Store, earns an extra $100 — as much as $2,000 in total consideration per developer.

In the following video, Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova says Microsoft is making the right move to boost software for Windows 8, even if it means paying coders a little extra to get behind the new platforms. Do you agree? Disagree? Please weigh in using the comments box below.

For further analysis of Microsoft, try our newest premium research report, in which we take a closer look at Mr. Softy’s expanding empire and assess the risks and opportunities for your portfolio. Access your report now by clicking here.

var FoolAnalyticsData = FoolAnalyticsData || []; FoolAnalyticsData.push({ eventType: “TickerReportPitch”, contentByline: “Tim Beyers“, contentId: “cms.26698”, contentTickers: “NASDAQ:AAPL, NASDAQ:MSFT”, contentTitle: “In This Area, Microsoft Is 3 Times Better Than Apple”, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Computers

Windows 8 Music app update hits the right notes but gets no standing ovation

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The Windows app update parade keeps on marching. Mere hours after an update for Windows 8’s Mail, Calendar, and People apps popped up in the Windows Store, the operating system’s baked-in Music app is receiving a refresh of its own, though the alterations are subtle tweaks rather than a substantial overhaul.

In fact, the changes are so slight that you might not even notice them if they weren’t pointed out. A new in-app volume indicator allows you to fiddle with the music volume independently of the overall system volume, and a tweak to the Now Playing screen now shows a list of songs queued to play after the current track.

Here, you can see both the volume indicator and the new playlist queue.

Buried deep in the Preferences tab of the Settings charm, the update also includes a new option that allows the Music app to scan your local music collection. It then compares those file signatures against its cloud-based music library, and any song matches it finds are then made available for streaming to any Music-supporting device.

Finally, The Verge reports that as with the recent Mail, Calendar, and People updates, the Music app update brings a performance boost designed to smooth out its oft-bumpy performance on Windows RT devices such as Microsoft’s own Surface RT tablet.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

New updates streamline the Mail, Calendar and People apps in Windows 8

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Microsoft is nothing if not tenacious, and that’s a good thing when it comes to Windows 8’s baked-in apps.

Those modern-style apps might be eye-catching, but they’ve been disappointments in terms of pure usability. In fact, Windows co-chief Tami Reller has admitted that Windows 8’s default apps need some hardcore tinkering before they can truly compete with top-tier alternatives. But rather than sitting still and waiting for the big release of Windows Blue later this year, Microsoft’s engineers rolled up their sleeves and created a series of updates for Windows 8’s core communication apps—Mail, People, and Calendar—which will begin rolling into the Windows Store late Monday or early Tuesday.

None of the updates reinvent the proverbial wheel, but each app is receiving numerous tweaks designed to improve basic usability. Windows tablet owners will be especially happy with the new-look apps.

The new updates provide increased performance on Windows RT tablets.

“If you used the apps before on Windows RT systems like Surface, you’ll notice a pretty significant improvement in responsiveness and overall performance (in the updated apps),” Gabriel Aul, Microsoft’s director of program management, told PCWorld during a demonstration. Common functions such as creating new messages and moving or deleting information benefit greatly from the speed boost, he says, and this greatly enhances the general feel of the apps.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Windows 8 Store cracks 50K app mark, but now what?

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After a sluggish 2013 start, Microsoft’s Window 8 App Store appears to be attracting new titles again.

The online outlet vaulted the 50,000 app mark Saturday, according to MetroStore Scanner, a website that unofficially monitors app activity at the Microsoft outlet.

That’s a global number, so all those apps may not be available to U.S. users.

Since the high-profile launch of the Windows 8 Twitter app on March 13, only 49 new apps have hit the US version of the Windows Store. However, Metrostore Scanner—the tracking service this report is based on—shows that 3000-plus new  apps have appeared globally during the same time frame.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Ingersoll Rand's App Now Available in Windows Store

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

Filed under:

Ingersoll Rand’s App Now Available in Windows Store


Interactive game takes players to pit row

DAVIDSON, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Ingersoll Rand‘s (NYSE: IR), mobile app, Thunder Gun Pit Crew Titans, is now available in the Windows Store, giving race fans with a Windows 8 device a taste of pit row.

Named for the Ingersoll Rand Thunder Gun, an impact wrench used by the top NASCAR pit crews to remove and tighten tire lug nuts, the game puts players in control of an eight-person pit crew to change tires, operate the jack, refuel the car and clean the grill. Times are recorded to determine the fastest pit stops.

“Windows 8 users can now experience the thrill of the pits with this app from Ingersoll Rand,” said John Richards, senior director of Windows App Marking for Microsoft Corp. “This is such a fun, interactive way for our Windows 8 community to utilize the new touch technology and to connect with Ingersoll Rand.”

The game features paint schemes from the Ingersoll Rand family of brands – Club Car golf cars, Ingersoll Rand air tools and compressors, Schlage locks, Thermo King transport refrigeration and Trane heating and air conditioning.

“We are excited to be able to offer the app to Windows 8 users now,” said Chad Melton, digital media manager for Ingersoll Rand. “We hope that Windows 8 users enjoy the fast-paced action of NASCAR at their fingertips.”

Thunder Gun Pit Crew Titans is also available through iTunes and Google Play. Join the conversation on the Thunder Gun Pit Crew Titans Facebook and Twitter pages. More information on the game can be found at www.thundergunpitcrewtitans.com.

To learn more about Ingersoll Rand tools, including the Thunder Gun, products and services, visit ingersollrandproducts.com.

About Ingersoll Rand

Ingersoll Rand (NYS: IR) advances the quality of life by creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and efficient environments. Our people and our family of brands — including Club Car®, Ingersoll Rand®, Schlage®, Thermo King® and Trane® — work together to enhance the quality and comfort of …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Computers

Microsoft's cash-for-apps pitch to devs smells like desperation

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Microsoft yesterday kicked off a promotion that rewards Windows 8 and Windows Phone developers $100 for each app that they publish in the company’s app stores.

Dubbed “Keep the Cash,” the promotion is Microsoft’s first overt cash-for-apps program, a tactic rivals Google and Apple have never used to attract submissions.

To one analyst, the $100-per-app pitch was an ill omen.

“It looks a little desperate,” said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. “It sends the message that Microsoft is having a hard time building out its app categories. And it doesn’t bode well for the Windows Store.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Microsoft stokes Windows app development with cash

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Once again, Microsoft has opened its coffers to app developers, offering them up to $2,000 to build new Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps.

Microsoft will pay U.S. developers $100 per app published in the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store, with a limit of 10 published apps per store. The company is pitching it as a temporary promotion, running the offer through June 30, or for the first 10,000 published apps, whichever comes first.

Microsoft
Microsoft’s offer to developers

Microsoft has lured app developers with cash before. When Windows Phone launched in 2010, Microsoft paid developers for new apps.

Last year, the New York Times reported that for certain big-name apps, such as Foursquare, Microsoft even subsidized the cost of development—to the tune of $60,000 to $600,000 per app.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Staples New App for Windows 8 Makes Shopping Easier for Small Businesses

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

Filed under:

Staples New App for Windows 8 Makes Shopping Easier for Small Businesses


App enhances Staples.com experience by using innovative new platform

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Staples, the world’s largest office products company and second largest internet retailer, announced today the launch of its own Windows Store app for Staples.com. The app provides customers with access to Staples Rewards and features tools that make it easier for small businesses to research and shop for everything they need for their business or home office.

Staples announces the launch of its own Windows Store app for Staples.com, which provides customers with access to Staples Rewards and features tools that make it easier for small businesses to research and shop for everything they need for their business or home office. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Staples customers are very excited about the new computers and tablets featuring Windows 8, and we’re enhancing the Staples.com experience for Windows 8 users,” said Steve Bussberg, senior vice president of Staples.com. “Staples makes things easier for small businesses by using the latest technology, and the Staples Windows Store app enables customers to shop Staples even faster.

“Staples’ new Windows Store app is an example of how retailers can best incorporate the platform to meet their customers’ everyday shopping needs,” said John Richards, senior director of Windows Apps Marketing for Microsoft Corp. “Windows 8 is an engaging and immersive experience for users, and that includes interacting with their favorite brands.”

Users can pin commonly used features of the Staples app to their Windows 8 Start screen, including an ink & toner finder, a printer finder, and their “lists” section, where they create and share distinctive lists of Staples products, like “my favorites” or “recent orders.” With the snap view, users can set up a list of their favorite features from the Staples app on either the left or right-hand side of their screen. The Staples Windows Store app also works in conjunction with Staples other e-commerce properties, allowing customers to view or add items to their cart on the Windows Store app, the Staples smartphone app, the mobile website, the tablet site or Staples.com, making it easy for them to shop whenever and however it’s convenient for them.

The Staples Windows Store app supports …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance