Our favourite 5 new Windows Phone apps of the week
Just as the Earth continues to turn, the Windows Phone apps continue to pour in.
Each week we’re awash with work from the world’s best developers, and, we’ll be honest, it’s hard to pick which ones we like best. However, we’re a public service provider here at Nokia Conversations, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make your lives easier. So, after much toil (which was quite a lot of fun, shhh!), here’s the top five new and updated apps that made us smile over the past seven days.
PressReader
What is it? A newspaper subscription service
Why we love it: It’s a fab way to read the news on your smartphone. You get seven downloads (issues) for free, and then after that you either pay-as-you-go or choose a subscription plan. With access to over 2,300 titles worldwide, there’s a good chance your favourite paper’s going to be on the PressReader list. You can set the app to download new issues of your selected newspaper automatically, so it’s like a regular RSS reader in that respect, or you can browse manually. The interface is neat: you can browse the full page spreads as though the papers were on the table in front of you, and then use gestures to zoom and out. It’s really intuitive and easy to read and it looks very, very good.
Who it’s perfect for: current affairs geeks
Tap The Frog
What is it? A game that tests your reaction speeds!
Why we love it: See the frog, tap the frog! Clear the screen of frogs, paint the frogs the proper colour, make your frog jump across the pond: whatever the challenge (and there are more if you for out for the paid version) you’ve got to do it as quickly as possible if you’re to get through the level. Very simple, very cute and very, very addicitive.
Who it’s perfect for: gamers of all ages
Booklet (beta)
What is it? An alternative way of viewing your Facebook newsfeed
Why we love it: It’s a snazzy new way to browse your friends’ activities on Facebook. While we’re fond of the regular interface, this is a decent alternative – it’s more oriented around imagery and we think it uses our phones’ screens to greater advantage, and it allows you to group stories into themed sections to make your browsing more targeted. It’s still in beta, but it’s a public beta, so hop on board and let’s see what happens next…
Who it’s perfect for: Facebook users
Marvel Run Jump Smash! (RJS)
What is it? An infinite running game
Why we love it: It stars all our favourite Marvel characters! Play as the Hulk, Spider Man, Captain Marvel himself, Thor and more. It’s an infinite runner, but each character has a different skillset, so you’ll get to try out your swinging, jumping and smashing skills. There’s super-villians, special attacks, and a load of locations that you’re sure to recognize. Note, though, that you’ll need internet access to play, so watch your data allowance, and that you’ll also need a device with 1GB of RAM. Gameplay can be a bit slow, but it’s early days yet, and we like it a lot, so we think it’s one to watch out for.
Who it’s perfect for: Gamers of all ages
Bing Health & Fitness
What is it? A comprehensive lifestyle app
Why we love it: This is a real all-in-one treat for WP8 users who want to keep track of their fitness and diet and overall wellbeing. It’s got diet and activity trackers, if you want to log what you’ve been up to; a database of foodstuffs with calorie breakdowns and nutritional facts; a list of different diets – some more trendy, some based on health issues, like a high-fibre diet; a directory of workouts to try; a GPS tracker for your own workouts; a dictionary of medical conditions and a symptom checker (for the hypochondriac smartphone user!); and links to news particles relating to health and fitness from sources like the UK’s The Independent newspaper. Phew! If that won’t keep you busy, nothing will.
Who it’s perfect for: Anybody health-conscious
Now if this little lot don’t keep you entertained over the weekend nothing will. That said, we’re always open to more wonderful apps, so if you think we’ve missed any worth a mention let us know down below.