Author: Rachel Kaser / Source: The Next Web
Microsoft’s app store for Windows has become a fairly impressive library of software for users, and we want our readers to go into the new year with apps that will make their PCs just that much better. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite apps from the Microsoft Store.
Some came out this year, while a few are slightly older, but they’re all pretty great.We’re going to assume, if you’re here, you already have the basics — Microsoft Word, a Twitter client, the Xbox app. But there are a huge amount of apps available on the Store you might not have seen. The Windows Store unfortunately suffers from “haystack” syndrome: there are so many apps on the store (many of dubious quality) that it can be hard to find the ones that will actually benefit you and your life.
So here’s a list of some must-have apps from the Store, both for those who use Windows for work, and those who use it at home. Not all of these apps debuted in 2018, but we think they’ll be perfectly suited for Windows users in 2019.
Let’s start with some of Microsoft’s own apps. You can find to-do apps aplenty on the Windows App Store, so it can be hard narrowing it down to one which best suits you. We like Microsoft To-Do the best for its clean interface and easy-to-use lists. It’s not particularly fancy or feature-rich, but nor does it have the learning curve of some other apps in the same category. Microsoft To-Do also uses “smart suggestions” to find the items on your list it thinks are the most important, putting together a daily list for you.
This is a pretty old and basic app, but it just got 10x better this year with the addition of new color options, including a pseudo dark-mode that lets you get some kickass charcoal-colored stickies on your computer screen. Also, they’re just a great option for short-term notes and memos — basically everything physically stickies are for. You can keep your notes in typed or written form (the app supports the use of the Surface Pen) and they can be synced across multiple Windows and Android devices.
Another of Microsoft’s homegrown apps, Whiteboard launched earlier this year. As with the Sticky Notes, it serves the exact same purpose as the physical item of the same name: it’s a space for groups to collaborate on projects. You can draw on it, place stickies and notes, and import pictures and texts. It’s good for professionals, obviously, but I can see it having some uses in the civilian sector as well, particularly for a group of hobbyists or for some families who really love visual elements in their planning. Whiteboard will also eventually be available for mobile devices.
And the last of our in-house apps, OneNote is Microsoft’s answer to a paper notebook. There are plenty of note-taking apps out there, but for our part we enjoy the ease of OneNote and how it syncs with the rest of the Office suite of apps. You can use it as a light word processor, and you can also draw and take handwritten notes, or add various attachments to augment what you’ve written. Until the likes of Bear show up on the Microsoft store, we’ll stick with Microsoft OneNote for the time being.
Amazon launched the Alexa app on the Microsoft Store just last month. Its voice assistant is just as chirpy and useful as she’s always been — and now users can put her skills to the test using their PCs. If you have a microphone on your computer and an Alexa device, you can do everything from setting up new music playlists to controlling your smart home. PC-specific controls won’t be available until next year, but Alexa fans should be gratified by the version of her that appears in the app store.
Fitbit already has a Windows app that lets you access the stats recorded via your wearable, but not an app you can actually use to assist your work out. Then, earlier this year, it launched a dedicated app for Fitbit Coach, which guides you through the workout of your choice. Even better, it’s available for both Windows 10 and Xbox, meaning you essentially have a Microsoft version of Wii Fit on both your computer and gaming console.
iTunes itself isn’t new, obviously. But the app for Windows only launched earlier this year, despite Apple having promised it some time ago. It has all the functionality you’d expect Apple’s music library, and iPhone users will appreciate having their libraries in app…
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