Windows Phones have got enough makeovers in the recent times and now it’s well placed to compete with iOS and Android, who are still leading the smartphone market. Newest versions of the Windows have plenty of features to compete on par with iOS and Android devices.
But the Windows Phones have always lacked behind in providing variety of applications for users. Now, at last this problem has been solved with the Windows Phone 8. Microsoft has added 120,000 apps to its Windows store. Although its still less when compared with Apple and Play store, its still a great improvement. The best feature, I found out, is that apps created for previous versions of Windows like Windows 7.5, will also be compatible with newer devices.
Here’s a list of some must-have applications for Windows Phone 8:
Bing Maps
The Bing maps which is the default map provider on the Windows Phone 8 is not really up to the mark and has some similar problems as the maps of the iOS 6. Bing maps are unfit for navigation in many countries like India, and this could be major factor for people turning away from it. After all, one of the major reasons people buy smartphones these days are the navigations and maps that they provide.
So, if you are seriously inclined towards a Windows Phone 8, then I have the perfect solution for you. Go to the settings of the Bing maps app and change the source of the maps from Bing to Google. Here let me make it clear that all the features available in the Google Maps are accessible via the Bing maps app. You can also make bookmarks on the map and access it later on your PC.
Connectivity Shortcuts
While one of the major attractions of the Windows 8 OS is the live tile interface it does not offer any connectivity shortcut options customized on the home screen. There’s a app called Connectivity Shortcuts, which resolves this issue for you. This app lets you customize any of the connectivity options on your home screen all the while keeping the style quotient of your home screen intact, with the shortcuts appearing on the home screen as tiles.
Even though many cross platform messengers are available, there’s none that offers the functionality of the Whatsapp messenger. This is a true cross platform messenger available for all major platforms like iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows. The most convenient feature of this app is that it uses the user’s phone number as identification and hence needs no registration. Also its worth remembering that the Whatsapp allows the sharing of pictures, audio, video with other users.
When you download and launch the app for the first time, the application automatically scans your contacts list and syncs it with its databases. Then it checks the people who have Whatsapp installed from within your contacts from its own database and presents to you a list of available people on Whatsapp. The messenger allows for text chats among friends and it sends messages through mobile data which means you won’t be charged for SMS, however data charges will apply.
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