Connect to Your Friends with Social Networking
The mobile app world of Windows 8 is teeming with apps that will enable you to connect with your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social network accounts easily and with the existence of the “People” app, everything that you used to do separately on your favorite browser in previous Windows versions such as checking for notifications, instant messages or looking at the latest tweets are now done in one place. The People app also combines all contact information that it gets from Facebook, Twitter, Skype and other social media and email accounts into one making the process of contacting someone a lot easier by creating a well laid out profile for each person on the list.
Most of use mobile apps on our smartphones and tablets so why should this be any different in our Windows 8 PCs? Thankfully, there are legions of apps, both paid and free that are available for you to use and it all comes from the Windows Store and in this tutorial, we have prepared a list of our favorites which you can also download and try on your Windows 8 computer. Now, you will never be out of the latest tweets or Facebook updates and you can even make Skype calls or send instant messages to your friends anytime using your Windows 8 machine.
1. Skype
Although there already exists a messenger app in Windows 8, having something better is always a plus. Skype allows you to do free video calls to your friends and you can also send instant messages with it anytime you want. It also merges your Skype and Microsoft accounts so you can see all the recent calls and conversations you had using different devices and see your favorite contacts and all the people you previously talked to in a well organized and properly arranged tiles. You can also access your full address book so keeping in contact with someone only takes some simple clicks and taps on the screen. Download Skype now for free from the Windows Store and see how well it works in keeping you connected with friends anytime, anywhere.
2. FlipToast
Want to see what’s latest in your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts in one place? If that is the case then you need to try FlipToast. This app allows you to get access to the latest notofications, photos, messages or even birthdays on all four social networks without the hassle of opening your accounts separately using different apps or wasting time in accessing each one of them on your favorite browser. Once you open the app, simply click or tap on a pane to get a longer list of updates on each of your social network accounts. You can also pinch the screen to zoom out and you’ll see some tiles which you can pick from.
3. Tweetium
Windows 8 doesn’t have an official Twitter client yet and we still don’t know when one would be released but there are a bunch of excellent Twitter clients available in the Windows Store. Tweetium for instance is one of our favorites and runs very well in full-screen environments. Although you can only see two columns at once such as your account timeline and the replies to your tweets, there exists a clear area for writing new tweets and all of the web links and pages open in a large pane which can easily be seen.
4. IM+
Whatever instant messaging you’re using right now, chances are it’s already supported by an awesome app which you can find in the Windows Store called IM+. This app support all popular instant messaging clients such as Google hangouts, ICQ, Messenger, AOL, Facebook, Skype, Yahoo plus other clients which are known in other countries such as RenRen and others. There’s also a lot of useful options available such as getting email alerts for all the messages you missed on any of the instant messaging clients you are using or blocking some people you don’t know so the next time you look for a perfect instant messaging assistant app, be sure to make IM+ as your first choice! If it works well for you then be sure to share the joy with friends by spreading the word about this awesome Windows 8 app!
5. AudioBoo
AudioBoo is an app that allows you to listen to different audio clips coming from varied artists or even ordinary people around the world. These audio clips are referred to as “boos” and you can listen to all the latest ones featured in some reputable news channels such as Sky News, BBC, Absolute Radio and more! You can also use the app even if you are doing some other tasks by taking advantage of the “Snapped view” feature making it extremely comfortable to use.
6. Rowi
If you’re searching for a free Twitter client then you can try Rowi. The app features a black and green interface and it only has one column showing your tweets and all the replies to it and another column for your photos giving you a lot of space for viewing tweets in large fonts complete with its replies underneath. You’ll also see a fixed ad on top of the screen which can be a bit distracting. It is not the most comprehensive Twitter app available in the Windows Store but it will already serve the purpose especially if you are a heavy Twitter user.
7. Facebook Touch
If you are looking for a Facebook app that resembles the one you regularly use on your smartphone but works perfectly with your Windows 8 PC then Facebook Touch is worth looking at. The app takes Facebook into a new world by bringing the familiar mobile Facebook site into the Windows 8 environment and putting a set of options on top of the screen. With this setup, it is a lot easier to control certain aspects of our account or even make tweaks on it anytime and the best thing about it is that it works perfectly on any Windows 8 device that supports a touchscreen interface.
8. Mine for Facebook
This is probably one of the best Facebook clients we have ever found from the Windows Store. This awesome app allows you to see your Facebook feed in whatever way you choose. You can just view it using standard settings and see your timeline, latest posts of your friends, comments and you can like posts or respond to any communication or even customize a lot of aspects so it will exactly match your preference and see the things that you want to see whenever you log in to your Facebook account with it.
Get More Social and Leisure Apps From the Windows Store!
I have only shown 8 apps here but you can always download and try some other apps from the Windows Store. There’s still a lot of wonderful apps lying in Microsoft’s app marketplace for sure and it only awaits for someone to discover them. You can download games, productivity and even news apps so be sure to take some time and explore the mobile app world of Windows 8 by accessing the Windows Store.