In my blog post for Mother’s Day , I wrote about apps related to my super-cool mom, Laurie. Since Father’s Day is coming up, I thought I’d write about some apps for dads, and take the opportunity to brag a little bit about my incredibly awesome dad, Mike. My dad, Mike D ( not the one from the Beastie...

In my very first App roundup back in December, I looked at some of the Xbox games from the Windows Store. It’s been about six months since that first post, so when I sat down to write a post this week, it seemed like a good time to share more Xbox games I’ve been enjoying recently. Bejeweled LIVE Bejeweled...

Hi, it’s Brittany K again. Last time, I talked about some of the apps I use to plan a trip . And since I got back from a trip to Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago, this time I thought I’d tell you about some of the apps that came in handy while I was traveling. FlightAware For me, the downside of traveling...

I’m fairly certain that my rather unrefined palate precludes me from referring to myself as a “foodie,” but even without the label, there’s no doubt that I love to eat (just ask my friends). Luckily I live in Seattle, a city full of fantastic restaurants waiting to be explored. With all those choices...

Hi, my name is Kirsten, and I’m a writer at Microsoft. My work days are filled with writing, meetings, and getting coffee in the lunch room. But after hours, I swap out my mouse and keyboard for my bass, my guitar, and my other keyboard (or sometimes my keytar). I spend pretty much all of my free time...

I’d like to say I was into digital photography before it was cool, but really all I can claim is that I was into it before it was easy. If I could travel back in time to 2003 and show my past self some of the apps that exist today for editing and sharing photos, I’m pretty sure my past self’s mind would...

Hi, I'm Antonia, a writer on the Windows team, but visual art was really my first creative passion (I majored in painting in college). These days, it can be a challenge to still find time to draw and paint, so when I got my new Surface, the first thing I did was start exploring its possibilities as an...

My dad (God rest his soul) used to say, “I just want to check the news to make sure the world didn’t end.” That always stuck with me as a perfect expression of his sense of the absurd. But it also captures the strangely reassuring quality of the news. No matter how bad it is, the fact...

Maybe it’s conditioning left over from years of going to school, but every year around this time I start to get spring break fever. In Seattle, the worst of the winter is usually behind us in March, but it’s still cold enough to make a tropical getaway sound really appealing, and I haven’t been able...

Puzzles are one of those things that a lot of people tend to outgrow as they get older. But I’ve found that if you put a puzzle in front of someone that hasn’t played one in a while, they tend to drop whatever it is they’re doing and spend the next few hours completely engrossed trying to solve it. This...

Last week when David questioned my love of learning and knowledge, I’ll admit my feathers were ruffled. “But my liberal arts degree!” I said to myself. “Those free verse poems I wrote in college about Roman history! That book on Quantum Mechanics and String Theory that I’ve been meaning to read…” So...

My fellow bloggers were a bit peeved when I posted about cooking apps . " I was going to write about cooking apps!" said everyone. But when I mentioned that I was going to do a roundup of educational apps, there wasn't a peep. What's going on here? Could it be that Tatsuo , Amy , and the rest of them...

With the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season kicking off last weekend and leading up to the 55 th running of the Daytona 500 this Sunday, February 24 th , I thought this would be a good a time to share some of the apps in the Windows Store related to cars. NASCAR I’ll admit that I’m pretty new to the...

Hi there. My name is Amy, and I'm new around here. I’ll be writing from time to time about using Windows and various cool things that go along with it. I’d like to get started by talking to you about what I think is one of the best things to happen to my exercise routine since the invention of Zumba...

Hi, I’m Brittany, a writer on the Windows team. Usually I write about things like the Start screen and personalizing your PC, so it’ll be a nice change of pace to talk to you about apps. I'll be joining David and Tatsuo with regular posts here. I got a new Surface with Windows RT in December, and it...

Some of my friends are still conflicted about electronic books. “Oh, but the tactile experience of REAL books!” they exclaim, their eyes growing misty. “The smell of old bookstores, the sun-bleached spines of my favorite books glowing warmly in the corner!” But when it comes to pure usability, even these...

When I was a kid and the weather was so miserable that I couldn’t go outside to play, I’d mope around the house complaining about how bored I was to anyone that would listen. If you’ve got kids stuck indoors this winter, here are some apps that might help keep them busy. PuzzleTouch Jr. I spent many...

As you might have seen here , there are now four times the number of apps in the Windows Store as when Windows 8 was released a few months ago. There were 10,000 apps added in the last month alone! In this week’s roundup, I’m taking a look at some of these new apps that I’ve been playing around with...

Happy New Year! Like many of you, I start off every year with a list of resolutions for the coming year. Although my intentions are always good, experience has taught me that as the months go by, those resolutions tend to fall by the wayside. This year, I’m looking to break that trend with the help of...

The holidays are in full swing, but there’s still time to get that last bit of celebrating in with friends and family before we ring in the New Year. For this week’s app roundup, I’m taking a look at some apps in the Windows Store that I think will help you get into the holiday spirit...