The Windows Phone apps on my phone!

So you got a brand new Windows Phone device for Christmas and still don’t know what to install on it?

Then look no further: here is the list of the best apps I have installed on my own phone! :)

Social

  • Twitter - The fully featured Twitter app with multiple account support and push notifications that actually do work!
  • Facebook Beta - There is also a non-beta Facebook official app, but I prefer the beta one as it gives me the latest features sooner! ;)
  • 4th & Mayor - I know that there is an official Foursquare app and that it’s a lot better than the first version, but I still prefer 4th & Mayor from Jeff Wilcox as it is quite simpler and uses a more direct approach!
  • WhatsApp - free messaging that works on pretty much any phone? Yes, thank you very much! :)
  • Skype - The official Skype app, really good when it actually works… this is the one app I really need and sometimes fails me miserably :\
  • 6tag - developed by Rudy Huyn, probably the best Instagram app for Windows Phone. There is an official Instagram BETA app, but it’s still lacking some features…
  • Disqus - It’s probably the most used network for commenting on forums and blogs everywhere!
  • LinkedIn - LinkedIn official app, to keep in eye on your professional connections.
  • Viber - Another VOIP app, quite known out there

Tools + Productivity

  • Authenticator - In a time where security and privacy are lacking more and more, using two-factor sign-in whenever possible does help a bit (Microsoft, Google, and other websites use this approach)
  • Google - not that different than accessing www.google.com with the browser, but nevertheless it’s the only app that Google has on Windows Phone…
  • Adobe Reader - Official Adobe Reader app to open PDF files on the phone. There is also a PDF Reader from Microsoft as a really good alternative.
  • BoxFiles for Dropbox - There are quite a few Dropbox apps right now for Windows Phone (none is official) and I personally like this one.
  • SkyDrive - full featured official SkyDrive app from Microsoft.
  • GDrive - Using Google Drive? Then this is what you need! It’s not a fully featured client, but at least it is better than nothing!
  • TeamViewer - Access your machine remotely using TeamViewer.

News + Weather

  • Nextgen Reader - this is the #1 app in my phone!!! I just couldn’t go by without reading my RSS feeds, and given it uses Feedly as source, all my feeds are synchronized; just perfect!!
  • Amazing Weather HD - A really good weather app with nice look and quite a few features. A free alternative is Bing Weather, also quite nice!

Lifestyle / Shopping

  • Amazon Mobile - Search Amazon, purchase stuff, check your order status…
  • eBay - The app is quite simple and could use a better look, but it works well and does a proper job alerting when auctions are about to end.

Travel + Navigation

  • Geosense - quite useful to convert from different GPS coordinates types, to get my location, open KML files from Google Earth… and yes, I wrote it and that’s also another reason why it’s here, so sue me! :P
  • TripAdvisor - I always like to read the reviews on hotels and restaurants on TripAdvisor before I actually go to the place.
  • Currency - Currency exchange, provided by XE

Entertainment

  • IMDb - The official IMDb app for Windows Phone, probably the best showcase for a WP app and the best IMDb client you’ll find in any mobile device!
  • Helium Voice Free - Because it’s fun and I like to show kids! :)

Business

  • Office Remote - do you do PowerPoint presentations? Then do yourself a favor and install this in your Windows Phone!

Personal Finance

  • PayPal - I like to keep a close eye on my PayPal transactions!

Photo

  • Pictures Lab - Nice, clean, and fast, picture effects app, developed by René Schulte.
  • Tile Me! - Create a Windows Phone tile picture with this app, and use it everywhere! :D

Music + Video

  • YouTube - a couple a months ago there was an official YouTube app (and it was really good, I might add), but Google pulled the plug on it and so we are stuck with just this miserable plugin and YouTube mobile website…
  • Shazam - You know when you’re in a party, listening to a music that you actually like and don’t know who the artist is? That’s when Shazam comes quite handy!
  • Sax - A simple fun way of playing saxophone without one!

Books + Reference

  • Wikipedia - it’s Wikipedia, and that is all anyone needs for reference…

So go on now, install some apps in your phone and have fun!

And by the way: Happy New Year!!! :)

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