Did you snag yourself a new Windows Phone 8 device, such as a Samsung ATIV, HTC 8X, Nokia Lumia 920, 925, 928, 1020, or the 1080p 1520, this year for Christmas? If you did, you are likely looking for some key apps to install to make your device feel complete. Well, you are in luck. Presenting our ten best apps for Windows Phone 8 – 2013 edition!
It’s important that you snag the right apps from the Windows Phone Store so you can experience the platform like it was intended. We are going to go over ten apps we believe you should download right now – both free and paid – and why these apps are a must for your device.
Of course, these are just our recommendations. We would love to hear your recommendations as well via the comment section below. Tell us what apps you think first-time Windows Phone users should snag immediately. In the mean time, enjoy our list of the ten best apps.
Just like we mentioned in our “ten best apps for Windows 8.1” post, nearly everyone in the world uses Facebook. If you don’t use Facebook, congratulations, you’ve managed to avoid the madness. However, for all you Facebook lovers out there, the official Facebook app is a must for your new Windows device. The app comes with a plethora of features and is constantly updated with improvements. Best of all, its free.
MoliPlayer Pro
For those of you who have no clue what MoliPlayer Pro is, it’s an application that can run almost all video formats on your Windows Phone handset. “If you enjoy watching videos on your Windows Phone, but can’t stand the hassle and time to do “trans-coding”, MoliPlayer Pro is the right app for you. With significant enhancement to the video playback capability on the WP platform, MoliPlayer Pro basically plays “anything you throw at it”, RMVB, AVI, MKV, FLV, FLAC, APE… you name it,” says the app description.
This app has emerged as the all-in-one app for media playback and has been featured as the top paid app in the Windows Phone Store for a while now. A great app and highly recommended by us.
Twitter is a very popular social networking service and nearly everyone has a Twitter account nowadays. Nothing beats the official Twitter app available for Windows Phone and best of all it is free.
“With Twitter, you can watch the world unfold like never before. Get real-time stories, pictures, videos, conversations, ideas, and inspiration all in your timeline. Follow people and your interests to get unfiltered access and unique behind-the-scenes perspectives. Express yourself with photos, videos and comments,” the app description reads.
6tag, 6sec
Instagram is another popular social service and while Instagram recently rolled out their official Instagram Beta app for Windows Phone, we are recommending 6tag instead. Just because you slap an official name to a half-baked app, doesnt make it a great app. 6tag, on the other hand, is regularly updated and comes packed with tons of Instagram features – making it the best app in the market. Grab 6tag for free here.
“6tag is the most full featured Instagram app for Windows Phone.Upload picture and videos on Instagram, apply filters, tag your friends, view posts on a map, and more,” the app description reads.
Rudy Huyn, the man behind 6tag, also has a Vine app called 6sec. Vine, for those that did not know, is yet another popular social service that features short six second video clips. Thanks to Rudy, we have a very cool and always updated app for the Windows Phone platform – albiet the official Vine app that is also available. We chose 6sec instead due to the robust features and constant updates. Grab 6sec for free here.
“6Sec for Vine is the best way to see and share life in motion. Create short, beautiful, looping vine videos in a simple and fun way for your friends and family to see,” the app description reads.
Temple Run 2
You must have at least one good game on your new Windows Phone device and we recommend Temple Run 2. This new app was recently released and is a sequel to the popular Temple Run game, which is a “runner” type of game. Grab the free app and give it a whirl. Congrats, you are now going to be addicted to playing games on your Windows Phone device.
“Temple Run redefined mobile gaming. Now get more of the exhilarating running, jumping, turning and sliding you love in Temple Run 2! Navigate perilous cliffs, zip lines, mines and forests as you try to escape with the cursed idol. How far can you run?!” the app description reads.
Battery
Here is a simple but cool app for your Windows Phone device. Battery does exactly what the name says – it offers you a battery tile that showcases your remaining battery life. You even have access to battery related stats. This app is a great way to visually keep track of your battery life.
Bing News, Weather, Sports, Finance
You must have the Bing suite of apps for Windows Phone. They are free and represent the modern experience on the platform. Bing News is an excellent app that provides you with an easy way to stay up to date on the news that matters most to you. Bing Weather is a beautiful app that keeps you on top of your forecasts while Bing Sports is a fantastic app for keeping track on your favorite sports team. Bing Finance is also a superb app to keep track of all-things finance. These are all well-designed apps and should be installed on your new Windows Phone device.
HERE Maps and HERE Drive
HERE Maps is one of our favorite mapping apps for the Windows Phone platform and highly recommended. “No matter how you choose to travel, HERE Maps shows you the smartest way across town with fast, offline maps in 95 countries. With fast, offline maps in 95 countries, you can find your way even without a data connection. With new collections, you can now group, save and sync your favorites with here.com. And with LiveSight, HERE Maps brings the power of sight to your map. Hold up your phone to see floating labels on nearby places through your screen,” the app description reads.
Here Drive is a fantastic app for navigation and directions. Very fast, responsive, and accurate. “HERE Drive offers true offline, turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation. Just download the map for your country and HERE Drive will get you there without an Internet connection,” the app description reads.
Translator
Translator is the perfect companion for those of you who travel or need to “translate” a picture to identifiy signs, menus, newspapers, or any printed text with your device’s camera in an instant. You can also type and translate text into more than 40 languages.
“Bing Translator is your companion when you need to overcome the language barrier. Use your camera, voice or keyboard to enter text you want to translate. Use Bing Translator on-the-go, even when you don’t have an Internet connection,” the app description reads.
Waze
Waze is by-far our favorite app when it comes to monitoring traffic. If you live in Southern California (or any other area with heavy traffic), this app is a must. “Waze is a fun, community based mapping, traffic & navigation app, 60 million strong. Join forces with other drivers nearby to outsmart traffic, save time & gas money, and improve everyone’s daily commute,” the app description reads.
Your recommendations?
These were just our ten best apps – okay maybe more than ten. These are the apps we thought you should have on your new Windows Phone device. Of course, this is all subjective. Lets hear what our readers have to say. Comment below and give us your app recommendations! If you post a comment with a link, it has to be approved first (spam prevention measure) before going live so don’t freak out if you don’t see it right away.
