14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft announced this A.M. that Windows 8’s Modern App will receive major updates in the next few weeks, starting with “Bing” that’s scheduled to be revised tomorrow.
Almost every single Modern App included in Windows 8 by default will receive several new goodies, just in time for the big launch of the new operating system on October 25.
Microsoft said that “Weather,” “Video,” “Music,” “Games,” “Sports” and “Travel” will be improved in the near future, with Windows Store to be used as updating platform. Windows 8 early adopters will be notified via the Windows 8 live tile that a new update for one of the installed Modern Apps is waiting to be downloaded.
We’ve already told you about the updates some of the most important apps will get, but since Microsoft has released the full list of improvements, we’d like to share it with you. So here you are, the complete update guide, as was published by the Redmondians:
SkyDrive
- Search within SkyDrive - Rename and move folders and files - New first-run experience - Custom sort order
Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging
- Conversation view of your inbox - Complete IMAP account support - Accepting and declining invitations in email - Capturing and updating your account picture - Improved search - Search for a contact within the Messaging app
Photos
- Crop and rotate photos - New auto-curated collage slideshows - View photos and videos on network locations in your Pictures Library such as Windows Home Server, network shares, and HomeGroups - Move through photos in your Pictures Library even when you open them from the desktop
Maps
- Bird's eye view - 3,000+ indoor venue maps - Driving directions hints - Improved navigation and layout - Improved customization, including custom pushpins and roaming options - Integration with Bing and Travel apps
Bing
- Richer search results for local content and images - Bing rewards integration - Use zoom on your search results to see related queries - Use the file picker to select an image from Bing to use on your lock screen or in your other apps
Finance
- Additional news and magazine content - More market exchanges enabled - Finance videos
News
- Additional news content from partners such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal - Enhanced article reader, including font customization, zoom, pagination, and more - Improved offline reading experience - News videos - Slideshows
Sports
- Additional news and magazine content - Sports videos - Slideshows - New soccer leagues, including MLS, J. League, and Brazilian League
Travel
- Additional news and magazine content - Improved flight search and new flight progress indicator - Improved hotel listing page - Interactive 360-degree panoramas (gyroscope supported)
Weather
- Improved default location usability - Hourly weather forecasts, up to 10 days - Day & evening high/low temperatures
Video
- Purchasing in local currencies - Closed captioning - Search by actor or director
Music
- Expanded music services - Rich "Now Playing" experience - Discover more music with SmartDJ
Games
- Exciting new games - In-game purchasing - Invites and turn notifications