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Lumia
January 11, 2015

Our 5 favourite new Windows Phone apps of the week



It might be cold, dark, and dreary outside, but we’ve got something to help you beat the January blues.

And that something would be five great apps, straight from the Windows Phone Store to you. This week we have a fun game to get your mind moving, a couple of sparkling new beta apps, an update to a favourite, and an app so cool you’ll need to put on another pair of gloves. So cozy up and read on to find out what we’ve picked as our 5 favourite apps of the week – there’s no better cure for the seasonal blues.

Definitionado

What is it: a word game

Why we love it: With Definitionado, you’ll need to use your knowledge of word meanings, idioms, riddles, and trivia to solve a series of 540 puzzles. The game will give you a clue and a letter jumble, and it’s your job to come up with the correct answer. Many of the puzzles are perhaps a little too easy, but there’s also a fair amount of head-scratchers thrown in that will make you think a bit.

Who it’s perfect for: word games fans

Definitionado

 

Tubecast (update)

What is it: a third party client for YouTube

Why we love it: Tubecast, which has been around for awhile now, is a handy app that lets you cast YouTube videos on Smart TV, Xbox One or 360, and Chromecast (among others). It received a few new user-requested improvements this week that make it an even more useful app, such as new 480p SD video quality, new HD audio download quality, much faster startup, and a bug fix for the problem of disappearing downloaded files.

Who it’s perfect for: YouTube watchers

Tubecast

 

Social News beta

What is it: an app for sharing and discovering local news

Why we love it: Although it’s still in beta, Social News has an interesting concept: create and share stories with a chance to get your articles published by professional media. Designed to let you unleash your inner mobile journalist, you can report on local events as well as see what your friends are reporting on. You’ll need to sign in via Facebook and it’s exclusive to Lumia, so Social News may not be for everyone, but it’s a cool app worth a look nonetheless.

Who it’s perfect for: aspiring citizen journalists

Social News

 

SkyType

What is it: an app that lets you use your computer keyboard to type on your Windows Phone

Why we love it: SkyType lets you use any other device in the same Wi-Fi network to type SMS, chat messages, and emails. For example, you can send and open links on your phone, copy text from your computer to your phone clipboard, copy text from your phone to your computer or OneDrive with one tap, and more. The app is in active development so expect a few bugs, but all in all, it looks extremely promising.

Who it’s perfect for: anyone that wants to type quickly using a keyboard

SkyType

 

VLC beta

What is it: a free media player

Why we love it: You’re likely already familiar with VLC from other platforms, and we’re excited to say that the well-known media player is finally available for Windows Phone, although it hasn’t reached its final form just yet. The app has been in private beta until this week, when it was opened to the public, still in its beta version. If you want to give it a try before its “official” release, keep in mind that there’s a good chance you’ll experience a few kinks.

Who it’s perfect for: everyone

VLC beta

 

We hope these 5 apps warmed your heart as much as they did ours. Let us know what you think of our choices in the comments below, or drop a mention for your own new favorite app.