14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8 and 8.1 have both been around for a while and since the number of apps listed for download in the store is constantly growing, it’s easy to pick a bunch of favorite apps.
The overall app count is no longer the main issue for Microsoft, but the quality of the items that are offered for download to users, as the store is still full of spam and sometimes could trick people into buying fake software that does nothing more than to steal their money.
Leaving all these issues aside, high-quality apps do exist somewhere in the store and because it’s important for every user to create his own software arsenal, we’ve created a list with the five apps that we consider to come in handy to the majority of Windows 8.1 adopters.
Basically, these apps should help with your daily activities, but of course, in some cases you might have one or more alternatives for the ones we’re listing here.
So here’s our list of top five must-have Windows 8.1 Metro apps, but we also invite you to mention your favorite Metro apps using the comment box after the end of the article.
The official Windows 8.1 version of the Facebook client is here and comes with a great collection of features, so it’s easy to chat with friends, post photos, and update your status without leaving the Modern UI.
The app obviously comes with a straightforward interface and easy-to-use options and offers support for both desktops and tablets running either Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1.
The feature lineup includes options to share updates and photos, get updates on the Start screen with live tiles, receive notifications, run the app in snap view, and launch group conversations.
There are several good Twitter clients available in the store right now, but MetroTwit isn’t just one of the first that got to see daylight, but also one which comes with a freeware license and an overwhelming feature package.
MetroTwit for Windows 8 has everything you’d ever want from such an app, including a touch-optimized UI that makes it just perfect for tablets, options to set up live tiles to stay up to date with the latest messages you receive, settings to pin multiple columns on the home screen and simple tools to tweet, reply or retweet.
Of course, Windows 8 integration is also offered, and so are options to run the app in snap view, autocomplete user names, search Twitter, and chat via direct messages.
If the built-in Weather app isn’t exactly your cup of tea and you’re looking for something a little bit more, AccuWeather is clearly one of the apps that are worth a look.
This free solution comes with severe weather notices to stay informed when a storm is approaching, current weather conditions that are automatically updated every 15 minutes, long-term forecast, fully interactive Bing Maps with weather data, snap view support and live tiles on the Start screen.
The amount of weather details offered to users is overwhelming, so you can see humidity percentages, visibility, UV index, wind speed, direction and wind gusts, and real feel.
Just like any other Windows 8.1 user, you probably want to change your desktop and Start screen wallpaper on a regular basis.
That’s why Backgrounds Wallpapers HD is such a great app. It comes with a large collection of high-quality wallpapers, plenty of categories, options to preview a specific wallpaper as lock screen, download options and tools to create your own slideshows.
You’re also provided with some very special categories, including wallpapers of the day and weekly wallpapers contests to encourage users to submit their photos and add new high-resolution backgrounds to your collection.
Google no longer creates apps for Windows 8.1, but third-party developers are hard at work to release alternative solutions that could bring back a few bucks from users looking for powerful tools.
Such an example is the so-called Hyper for YouTube, an application which, just like its name suggests, brings the popular video-sharing service YouTube in your Modern UI.
The app not only that allows you to view YouTube clips, but it also packs options to create your own playlists, play videos in the background, download clips, browse your uploads, search from the home screen, post comments, run the app in snap view, and receive notifications for complete downloads.
Support is being offered for both desktops and tablets running Windows 8.1, so the interface is completely optimized for the touch.
As usual, use the comment box below to share your top 5 Windows 8.1 Metro apps and thus help other users find out about high-quality software in the store.