Our 5 favourite new Windows Phone apps of the week
We hope everyone kicked the month off right with a fantastic May Day! Summer is just around the corner for those of us in the northern hemisphere, so why not try out a few fab Windows Phone apps while you wait.
Happily, we’ve done the digging and have come up with five super new apps for you to play with. This week we’ve found a little something for everyone, whether it’s listening to the latest podcasts, following one of the world’s biggest televised music events, or doing the practical thing and backing up your information. Read on to discover what they are.
Pocket Casts
What is it: a popular podcatcher
Why we love it: Pocket Casts, newly released from Shifty Jelly, is a full-featured cross platform pod catcher that lets you listen to your favorite podcasts in style. The app is easy to use and has a fantastic design that’s a perfect fit on Windows Phone, with a list of features that make for a rich listening experience. Auto download and instant refresh get you your podcasts quickly and there are plenty of filters to sort your episodes, with over 200,000 podcasts to search and browse. You can also customize a start time to skip specific intros, as well as customize the rewind and skip buttons. Pocket Casts currently costs $3.99.
Who it’s perfect for: podcast listeners
Eurovision Song Contest
What is it: the official app for the Eurovision Song Contest
Why we love it: It’s that time of year again! Starting May 19th, 40 countries will face off in one of the world’s most-watched television programs, with talented singers and songwriters representing their country by singing their hearts out. Now you can follow all of the beloved cheesy goodness on your Windows Phone. The official Eurovision app has artist profiles, song lyrics, country info, and of course, voting and results for the big event. Other fun features include a MatchMaker to discover which Eurovision decade you match best with, music and merch shopping (including karaoke versions of the songs), and selfie filters to turn yourself into a Eurovision superstar. The free app is meant to be used alongside the television broadcast, and will be updated in real time with detailed information.
Who it’s perfect for: Eurovision fans and music lovers
Atmosphere (update)
What is it: a weather app
Why we love it: Popular weather app Atmosphere received its biggest update ever recently, with tons of new features and improvements, as well as a complete rewrite. So what’s on the change log? The new version now integrates with radar app AeroRadar, offers a “Time Machine” for historic weather data, has a new “cards” interface that groups data into one readable, scrollable format, and much more, all of which are listed on the app’s Windows Phone Store description. Oh, and of course we can’t forget: Atmosphere is now available for the low, low price of absolutely nothing. Grab it now!
Who it’s perfect for: anyone wanting an in-depth weather app
Heard
What is it: a new social app
Why we love it: Heard is a social app with an interesting concept: “No friends, no followers. Heard is a social content exchange that matches content to its ideal audience.” It lets users post various content such as questions, polls, and posts, and connects the content with a relevant audience. How does it find the right audience, when there’s no following or friends? Heard uses a badge system that’s based on factors such as where a user works and more, without revealing identity. If that sounds interesting to you, give the free app a try and be heard today.
Who it’s perfect for: anyone looking for a more private social app
contact + message backup
What is it: an app for backing up contact and messages
Why we love it: Contacts+message backup lets you backup all of your contacts and messages (SMS & MMS including attachments) to a SD card in XML format so that you restore to either the same phone or a different phone. It’s as simple as that, and handy for those looking to restore when there’s no available internet connection or would like to export information to somewhere like Excel. The app is free, and will appear in Settings rather than Apps.
Who it’s perfect for: users with an SD card slot
Did our selection put you in a summery state of mind? Let us know what you think in the comments, or tell us about one of your own Windows Phone Store discoveries from this week.