What’s ‘Appening is a series of lists by Microsoft Singapore detailing some must-have apps for your Windows 8 or Windows Phone device. Many of these lists were meant for release weeks, or even months ago, but the app list is still more or less relevant. Do check them out and discover some hot new apps!
Note: A flurry of What’s ‘Appening lists will be regularly published until the latest release has been caught up with.
‘Appy new year!
It’s the time of year again— the beginning of it all, where we are geared up for fresh starts and new beginnings.
It’s also the time we get fired up with resolutions for the year, in the hope that they will guide our path for the rest of the year.
Do your personal resolutions include commitment to get fit and healthy? Or planning to finally pick up that foreign language you’ve been meaning to learn? More often than not, this is easier said than done.
However, with Windows and Windows Phone, you’ll find all the apps you need to help you achieve your personal goals for the new year.
Whether you’re starting the new year with a bang or recovering from the flurry of parties and festivities, make this new year better than the last with this collection of apps.
From all of us at Microsoft, ‘Appy New Year and happy App-ing!
Succeed in achieving your resolutions (finally.)
Hands up if you find resolutions harder to keep than promises! Fortunately, it can be much easier to find motivation and succeed at your resolutions with the help of our personal devices and apps.
Here are three commonly broken resolutions and how you can stay faithful to them with apps:
1. Learn something new
Whether it’s a new language or a skill outside your comfort zone, learning something new always requires a measure of commitment. However, we can get too caught up in our daily schedules to follow through our resolutions for the year.
 On Windows and Windows Phone however, there are a wide range of education and learning apps for your selection to guide you through your goals. The best place to start is Khan Academy (Windows and Windows Phone), a popular video service for learning almost anything for free, from statistics and computer science to the humanities. |
2. Get healthier
Partied hard over the festive season or feeling guilty for the extra pounds which you have mysteriously piled on? There’s no better way to fight the flab than with these apps to keep you on track.
 Bing Health & Fitness (Windows) is an app that lets you track everything from your cholesterol to height and weight. You can also track your workouts, and stay in shape with an exhaustive list of fitness videos in-app. |
Of course, for a fitness app to be really effective, it has to be with us all the time.
You wouldn’t want to strap a Surface tablet onto your shoulder as you work out!
This is where Windows Phone apps such as Gym PocketGuide and Nike+ Kinect Training shine.
With Gym PocketGuide, a library of over 100 workouts with high quality images, videos and step-by -step guides is at your fingertips.
Have an Xbox with Kinect at home? Achieve your fitness resolution for 2014 with the Nike+ Kinect Training with Xbox 360 and Windows Phone, where you can keep track of your progress towards your goal from your Windows Phone.
3. Travel to new places
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
Nothing broadens our horizons like travel or a quick getaway amidst a busy work schedule. But planning a good itinerary is always a hassle!
With Windows and Windows Phone apps, however, the process can be a little less daunting.
Tap on the power of apps like TripAdvisor (Windows and Windows Phone) and Kayak (Windows and Windows Phone), and experience how easy it can be to plan a holiday!
Of course, let’s not forget the built-in Bing Travel (Windows), which pulls together flight and hotel information plus travel guides, all in one slick interface.
Now, isn’t that easy? There’s no more excuses for you to embark on the trip of a lifetime!
Picture perfect
Harboring regrets that you didn’t capture and store enough memories in 2013?
Be sure to change that in the new year with these top photo and video apps on Windows and Windows Phone!
 Instagram (Windows Phone): Everyone’s favorite photo-sharing app has arrived on Windows Phone! Choose from a variety of filters to spruce up your photos and share them with your friends with just a few taps. |
 Foundbite (Windows Phone): Give your photos a new twist by adding sound! You’ll be surprised how much emotion you can capture just by simply adding ambient sound to a still photo. |
 Movie Moments (Windows): Turn any video you take into a memorable moment with Movie Moments for Windows. Trim clips, highlight key moments with captions and effects, and set the mood with music. |
 Oggl (Windows Phone): From the folks behind Hipstamatic, Oggl lets you create beautiful photos from various custom lenses and films, and share them on all popular social networks including Instagram. |
Backup and organize 2013
Take the time to do a little IT back up and organizing before the new year truly takes off. There are numerous apps that will keep your data and memories from 2013 safe so that you can enjoy the new year with peace of mind.
Hold on safely to all your memories from last year by backing them up on OneDrive (Windows and Windows Phone). From your favorite photos and videos to all-important documents, store them all up in the cloud for easy access and sharing from virtually any device.
Already have stuff stored on other cloud storage services? No problem — popular services such as Dropbox (Windows), SugarSync (Windows), Box (Windows and Windows Phone), and more can all be found on Windows or Windows Phone!
Are you a media hoarder with hundreds if not thousands of music tracks and movies deep in your hard disks?
It’s time to do some spring-cleaning and get organized, and thanks to Plex (Windows and Windows Phone), that task is much less daunting than you think. Organize all of your personal media, wherever you keep it, and enjoy it on any device. Plex can also stream your videos, music, photos and home movies to your devices from your home computer.
Celebrated an anniversary? Backpacked across Europe? Ran your first marathon? With those milestones safely marked and stored digitally, it’s time to re-create those magical moments with the 7Days app (Windows). This handy app lets you save and lay out all those important life events from the year that you just don’t want to forget.
Recap: Highlights of 2013
With the deluge of apps pouring into the Windows and Windows Phone Stores every day, it’s easy to miss out on one or two. Here’s a recap of the top marquee apps that you absolutely can’t miss, so be sure to equip your devices with all of them and start the new year with your devices ready to roar.
 Facebook (Windows and Windows Phone): The world’s most popular online social networking service is now on Windows! |
 Flipboard (Windows): Follow your favorite reads in this flipping user-friendly interface. |
 Instagram (Windows Phone): If it wasn’t Instagramm-ed with vintage looking filters, it didn’t happen. |
 Vine (Windows Phone): Are 6 seconds enough to tell a story? More than 40 million Vine users say yes! |
 VEVO (Windows): Watch music videos, live concerts, and discover new artists with Vevo. |
 Halo: Spartan Assault (Windows and Windows Phone): For the first time ever, Halo comes to touch-based mobile devices! |
 Despicable Me: Minion Rush (Windows and Windows Phone): It’s time to impress your boss, Gru! Can you become Minion of the Year? |
 Star Wars: Tiny Death Star (Windows and Windows Phone): Join life on the Dark Side and help Emperor Palpatine build the Death Star! |
Some app descriptions have been edited for relevancy.
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