Windows Phone 8.1 tool kit

Windows phone tool kit

Microsoft has already started rolling out windows 10 preview codes for some windows phones, so I thought I’d finish this article before I eventually make a switch and probably in the process change a few of my app necessities. These apps that I have chosen for this tool kit are of course my personal favorites, so you may not find all of them to be as useful or as interesting, but my hope is that you at least find one app that may be helpful to your mobile phone needs.

  • Flipboard

It’s wildly known that I am in fact a huge fan of the app called flipboard. It is one of those apps that I have on all my devices that supports it, and it is one that I use on a daily basis. For those that may not have read any of my other toolkits that reference this app I’ll briefly point out that it is an RSS reader that allows the user to keep up to date with whatever is most important to them, from social feeds to keeping up with your favorites websites “hopefully this is one of Them” 😉

Flipboard on windows phone does some of what the other versions of this app does on other devices, however It comes off as being basic in comparison. However, after trying out a few other RSS readers on windows phone I have concluded that even though this one may be basic, it is overall a solid, functional app that achieves the requirements I need it for. It allows for me to read all my news feeds that I already follow on my flipboard account and it does so without crashing. It also uses a font that is suitable for the screen size of my phone.

What it does lack that the other versions have is access to social networks like Facebook and twitter. It also lacks the page flipping animation that this app is known for, heck you could just call this one slide board and be done with it. Silly names aside, what this app is, is the best RSS reader that you can currently get on wp 8.1, but here’s hoping the developers update it with more functionality when WP 10 is released.

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  • Podcast lounge

As a podcaster and a fan of numerous podcasts it should come as no surprise that immediately after getting my phone I tried to find a quality podcast app. I knew that I was not going to find one as great as beyond pod for android, but I at least hoped for the ability to search in app, find all my favorites, subscribe, download and listen to them. When I started this search I started with the podcast app that comes with the phone. That was a load of garbage. Then I tried out a few other free ones and they all had their faults. In the end I ended up choosing an app that requires a small onetime payment. What that got me was a proper working podcast app that can rival the best. It is able to locate podcast stored in iTunes register which is important if you’re serious about listening to podcast, it has a download feature that can be set for auto downloading new episodes, the app is seamless and easy to use and you can find/listen to all of our podcast on it. It’s the beat of all worlds. It has that windows 8.1 look and feel, but all the functionality that we want. All in all you get what you pay for and more with this one.

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  • Calculator²

This is one of those apps that not everyone will find useful. That is because even though this is a multi-functional calculator app, it will only come in handy if you have large numbers to crunch, and that’s out of a school/ work environment because they frown upon the use of smart phones. Outside of that some may find it handy to do their taxes, calculate bills, and or complete work at home. The use I have found for it is none of those, but rather as a currency calculator. I use it to calculate the conversion rate between USD and TTD when I’m shopping online. This comes in very handy when you’re like me and need to budget for multiple important online expenses all at once. This feature can also be used by those that travel a lot and need to constantly check conversion rates. The app has every currency you can think of, even bit coin, so do yourself a favor and install it as soon as you can.

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  • What’s app messenger

There are many other apps like this one in the WP store, and some may be of better use to you than this one. Apps like viber and line have call features that allow their users to call each other, but what’s app lacks that. So why is it on my list? Well its simple. Yes simple. What’s app is a simple easy to use IM app that is available on almost any phone, even some that are not considered smart phones. The app is easy to use because it lacks all of that glamour that its competitors have. Even the least tech savy person can get the hang of what’s app and be messaging in minutes. What’s app also has a group messaging feature that allows multiple people to communicate with each other. We here at The Buttonsmashers are currently using it as our primary means of communicating with each other, as we all have access to our phones most of the day, and the app by association. What’s app on WP has few changes from the other version available on other devices, but one change that is noticeable is the GUI. It has that WP format as well as the ability to set different backgrounds for each contact you chat with. These are minut changes so if you’ve use this app on any other device you should feel right at home.

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  • Onenote

I tried not to include any Microsoft apps in this list because they mostly all come with the phone. That was a hard thing to do because the majority of them are the best apps I have ever used on any smart phone. That is a testament to the quality of apps that you can expect from the OEM.  One of those apps that I was tempted to leave out of this list is OneNote, but it would be an injustice to leave out the app that I use the most productively on my phone, the one that I wrote this very article with. You may ask yourself why is OneNote so special and not office or word? Well the answer is a bit complicated, but I’ll try to explain. You see even though office is on my phone I never use it. When I switched from Android and all the Google apps that that allowed me to sync all my information it was a bit hard. I was unable to use “keep” to make notes for podcasts, start articles and more. Then one faithful day I tried out OneNote on a whim and I have never looked back. This app is a productivity must have. One that I believe any serious writer, blogger or business person should already be using. It is an application that allows you to start working on something on your phone/tablet and finish it on your PC, or vice versa,  but it’s not just that simple. You see even Google keep can do that too. What gives OneNote the edge is that it is organized. It’s like having a filing cabinet that adjusts its size and format depending on your requirements of it. On the phone it fits the screen well, perfect font and all, but on the PC it scales that all up to allow for more use of screen resolution. I use it for taking notes during a game review and then later I use those notes to write a full review on my PC. It’s the kind of app that one could only describe as flexible. It is as useful as you need it to be.

if you’d like to hear more about my thoughts on this topic, then I suggest you listen to the Buttonsmashers podcast.

Qudduws Campbell

That messy hair bloke: Romantic, Food lover, Gamer, Sports Fan, Manga Reader, Tech Head, Podcaster... Pretty much do a bit of everything.