We really love our Windows Phones and the Windows 8 operating system here in our house. If there’s one argument I frequently hear as a reason not to go for a Windows phone is the lack of app. While they Windows marketplace may not have as many apps as Android and Apple devices, there are still tons of awesome Windows Apps available for your phones, tablets, and even your home PC running Windows 8 operating system! Here are some of the great apps you will want to check out!
Great Apps for Windows 8
Productivity & Tools
- Khan Academy – Learn something new or brush up on old skills with a library over over 3,800 videos
- My Study Life – Store class schedules, tasks, exams all in one place
- Fotor – All-in-one photo editing
- Adobe Photoshop Express – Quickly edit photos
- wordBrush – Create fun photo captions or headlines by drawing your phrase with your fingertip
- Wikipedia – Find photos, facts, articles, history and more about your topic
- Kinect Health – Find workouts and track your progress
- TouchMail – Keep your inbox clean and organized with your fingertips
- AccuWeather – Accurate local weather and forecasts
- To-dos – Organized to-do list
- Fitbit – Get active, track your goals, and see your progress
Home & Shopping
- Envvied – Find local fashion finds close by
- Housekeeping – Organize and decor tips blended together
- All About Money – Keep a budget balanced and on track
- AboutOne Family Organizer – Everything you need to track and remember
- NVIN Home Inventory – Create an inventory of your household items
Foodie
- Urbanspoon – Sort your dining options by neighborhood, cuisine, or price to find a restaurant recommendation
- Grilling & Chilling – Find step-by-step instructions to cook up your perfect barbeque
- Great British Chefs – Over 300 recipes from 28 of UK’s greatest chefs
- YumvY – Restaurant-quality meals at home made fast and easy
- CookBook – Over 300,000 delicious recipes searchable by keywords
Entertainment
- Songza – Listen to one of thousands of playlists from Country, Swing, Techno, 80’s and more
- edjing – Mix and create your own music
- Vevo – Music, video, entertainment in one place with over 75,000 HD music videos and concerts
- Vyclone – Capture and share social videos
- justWINK – Personalize greeting cards that flip open like real cards
- Skype – Keep connected and video chat
- Kindle – Access over 1 million books and sync your bookmarks across devices
- Piano8 – Acoustic piano with the real sounds of a piano at your fingertips
Travel
- Bing Travel – Secure last minute flights on the go
- FlightAware – Keep on top of your flight schedule and travel
- Tasks By Telerik – Last minute reminders and checklists for your day of travel
- TimeOut – City guides for top cities around the world
- Kayak – Compare hundreds of travel sites for flights and hotels
- GuidePal – Never miss a popular local hotspot and must-see classics
- XE Currency – Convert real world currency with live rates
Top Windows App Games for Kids
- Toy Story: Smash It – An adventurous puzzle play game amidst outer space, alien chases, and the Wild West.
- Dr. Jolt – Shoot electricity from your fingertips to power up crazy contraptions
- Angry Birds: Star Wars – Battle with your favorite movie characters mixed with your favorite birds
- Disney Fairies – Follow along with the fairies on two stories collecting treasures and playing mini games
- BrainPop – New animated movie daily with interactive quiz
- Number Tap – Learn math concepts and compete to be a champion
- Where’s my Mickey – Life-like science lessons with quizzes and humorous animations
- Zoo Train – Learn letters and the alphabet with picture puzzles
- Animal Sound Box – Teach kids to recognize animals and their sounds
- PuzzleTouch Jr – Dozens of jigsaw puzzles
- Fresh Paint – Set your creativity free with all the tools you need to oil paint
Built-in Windows Apps
Windows 8 and Windows RT come with pre-installed apps to help you get the most out of your computer or device. These apps are available as tiles on your Start screen and include:
- People – Get real-time updates from your email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts
- Mail – Send and receive email from different accounts all in one spot
- Photos – See and share your photos and videos including those from Facebook, SkyDrive and Flickr
- Music -Stream songs for free and get personalized music recommendations
- SkyDrive -Seamless sharing and access of all your files
- News – Catch up on the news in a dramatic, photo-rich format
What is your favorite Windows 8 app? Share in the comments so we can all check out the app!
Disclosure: I am a Windows Champions blogger and I received a loan of a laptop and may receive other awards from Microsoft to post my opinions about Microsoft products.