Top 25 Must Apps For Windows Phone 7

Top 25 Must-Have Apps For Windows Phone 7

Windows Phone 7 launches today in North America on AT&T, T-Mobile, Bell, Telus, and Rogers. That means eager-beaver Windows Phone fans can finally get a taste of the completely revamped mobile operating system from Microsoft. But, there are a lot of Windows Phone 7 apps out there, making the Marketplace a bit difficult to navigate

. So, we thought we’d help you out by showing you the Top 25 WP7 apps that should get you started on your Windows Phone.

As you cozy up to your brand new WP7 handset, take a look at our list of some of the hottest apps for Windows Phone 7. These are all the heavy hitters that you have grown to love on your iPhone or Android handset and are now available on Windows Phone.

1. Twitter

The official Twitter client for Windows Phone offers realtime search, top tweets, trending topics, and more. The app brings the full Twitter experience to Windows Phone 7, as the platform has yet to integrate the service into its People Hub and Me Tile – as it does with Facebook and Windows Live. The only drawback here is that the Twitter app does not run in the background, and so will only pull updates from your social network once you fire it up.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.



2.

AP Mobile

AP news come to your Windows Phone handset courtesy of the AP Mobile application. The app includes breaking stories, exclusive photos, and video from the AP’s 1,200 trusted news sources. It also uses GPS to pull down local news stories. Sharing news stories on social networks like Twitter and Facebook is possible, but this feature launches a web browser and does not integrate with the native Facebook client or an installed Twitter client.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

3. Netflix

Netflix comes to Windows Phone with support for streaming, Instant Que management, and playback sync so you can resume your show where you left off across devices. Video quality is exceptional and the app streams over 3G and WiFi. Instant que management is made easy with the Metro UI of Windows Phone. Windows Phone definitely has leg up on Android with this app as Netflix has not debuted on Google’s mobile platform.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

 

4. Weatherbug

Weatherbug comes to Windows Phone with a set of features familiar to those jumping from Android or iOS. Weatherbug includes local weather conditions, forecast, Doppler radar, live weather cameras, and more. The app can be pinned to the start menu and is an active live tile that shows the current weather conditions on your home screen.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

5. GoVoice

GoVoice is one of the first Google Voice applications to hit the Windows Phone marketplace. It is developed by a third-party developer and is not an official version. It  displays your Google Voice inbox, call history, and transcribed voicemails. While it is a good first effort, the app lacks notifications and would benefit from a Live Tile that shows incoming information on your home screen.



Available for $2.99 from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

6. Loopt

The social mapping program comes to Windows Phone and allows you to connect with your friends by sharing your location and status with friends. WIth Loopt, you can find your friends on a map and view their photo and status updates in real-time. The application supports Live Tiles and lets you know when friends share their location, update their status, respond to your Ping, or comment of your updates.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

7. Poynt

Poynt is a location-based app that lets you find local businesses, restaurants, movies, and weather. The app grabs your GPS co-ordinates and pulls down phone numbers, websites, and map directions for these local points of interest. You can also make dining reservations and buy movie tickets from the application. The app is only available for customers in the US and Canada.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

8. Shazam

The popular music identification application, Shazam, hits Windows Phone handsets. Similar to its iPhone and Android counterparts, Shazam helps you identify a track that is playing on the radio, on the bus, or in the elevator by merely holding up your handset. When a song is identified, Shazam will link to the Zune Marketplace where you can buy it or add it to your Zune Pass. The Windows Phone app is available with unlimited tagging as a launch offer.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

9. Yelp

The popular location-based review application lets you find and voice your opinion on local restaurants, shops, bars, and more from your Windows Phone handset. Unfortunately, the app does not integrate into your Yelp account so you can not pull down personalized content like bookmarks and favorites or check-in to locations.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

10. Flixster

As the name implies, Flixster is a movie-themed application that  lets you find local movie listings, watch trailers, and read Rotten Tomatoes movie reviews from your Windows Phone handset. If you find a movie of interest, it also supports ticket purchases through movietickets.com. Overall, a solid offering for movie fans.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

11. Slacker Radio

Slacker Radio is a popular online radio service lets you listen to 130 pre-configured stations or create your own using your favorite artists or songs. The app lets you search for an artist and pull up biographies and album reviews within the application. The biggest drawback to this app is the lack of background support so the music ends when you switch to another task.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

12. Photobucket

The Photobucket application lets you upload photos and videos from your Windows Phone handset to your Photobucket account. The application also links to Photobucket’s Find Stuff categories and Search feature so you can download content from Photobucket to use as a wallpaper on your phone.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

13. Adobe Reader

The Adobe Reader application lets you download and read PDF files on your Windows Phone handset. The application reads PDF email attachments and PDFs available via a web link. It also supports multi-touch gestures and accelerometer so you fine-tune the view and orientation of the documentation. While a good initial offering, the Reader application lacks support for search, bookmarks, and page jump.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

14. YouTube

Support for YouTube comes to Windows Phone courtesy of the official YouTube application. The YouTube application lets you view YouTube videos embedded in emails, MMS messages, Facebook, and websites. The app also integrates into the Music & Videos Hub so you can view YouTube content from within the Hub. While the app does enable YouTube playback on Windows Phone, it merely is a conduit that links to YouTube’s mobile website. It is not a full application like its iOS counterpart.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

15. Seesmic

Seesmic is a popular social networking tool that supports multiple twitter accounts and Facebook. The application displays your twitter accounts, searches, trending topics, and lists in its customizable “spaces” dashboard. The application lets you chose the photo sharing service of your choice and lets you post an update to multiple accounts at the same time. Notably missing from the application is landscape support and notifications of new, unread tweets.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

16. U-Verse Mobile (AT&T exclusive)

The U-Verse Mobile application is available exclusively for AT&T customers with a Windows Phone handset. The U-Verse app lets you view and download media content to your handset, even if you are not a U-Verse customer. The app offers a free 30-day viewing trial and will cost $9.99 per month once the trial expires. U-Verse customers can also use the application to manage their home DVR.

Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

17. eBay Mobile

eBay lands on Windows Phone with the official eBay application that lets you buy and sell from your Windows Phone handset. Buyers can search, bid, and check on their buying activity on their handset. while sellers can check their listings and respond to messages. The Windows Phone version is comparable to its Android and iOS counterpart and is a significant improvement over the mobile website.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

18. Travelocity

Travelocity is a popular online travel service that is now available in the Windows Phone Marketplace. The application  lets you check flight and hotel information from your mobile phone. You can check flight status, airline schedules, and Airport delay information from the FAA. The application also grabs your GPS co-ordinates to find local hotels and lets you read reviews, check room rates, and even make a reservation from your handset.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

19. BBC News Mobile

The BBC News Mobile application brings your favorite BBC News content to your Windows Phone handset. The application lets you pick your favorite BBC news views and lets you read your news articles within the application. If you find a compelling article, you can share it with your friends via SMS or email. This is a third-party application and is not affiliated with BBC News.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

20. Last.fm

Last.fm is a popular music recommendation service that brings its wares to Windows Phone. The last.fm application lets you listen to streaming music on your Windows Phone handset and logs your listening habits. The service then compiles this information and uses it to recommend new music that you may like. The application has a minor glitch with the login screen which appears when you navigate back using the back button.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

21. FourSquare

FourSquare is the popular social check-in application lets you earn badges from your Windows Phone handset. You can follow you friends and see the places they frequent. You can also use the app to check-in, share your location with friends, and unlock rewards. Be patient with this app as it is reportedly prone to crashing, a problem that will be addressed in future updates.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

22. musiXmatch Lyrics

MusiXmatch is music lyric app for diehards who have to know the words to a song.  The application integrates into Zune and will match lyrics to the music within your phone’s library and to your current playlist. When you launch the application without music playing, it lists the most popular lyrics by country. A tap on any lyric will bring to the Zune Market where you can purchase the song. Nice.

Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

23. Fandango

Fandango is a popular movie and ticketing app lets you find local movies and secure your tickets on your Windows Phone handset. The app uses your GPS co-ordinates to find local movie listings and you can hone those resulting using the integrated search tool or by browsing listings alphabetically. The app also provides Metacritic reviews, trailers, and lets you purchase apps via your Fandango account. If you are looking ahead, the app also provides information about upcoming movies.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

24. Realtor.com Real Estate Search

Realtor.com brings its Real Estate searching application to Windows Phone. The application lets you access over 4 million real estate listings and helps you find local listings based upon your location. You can view pricing information, property details, multiple photos and more for each listing. An excellent app that makes it easy to find your dream house or apartment rental.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

25. IMDb

Browse actor, movie, and television information on the fly with IMDb, the authoritative television and movie database. More than just facts and trivia about movies, actors, and directors, the application lets you find showtimes, browse US-based TV listings, and watch trailers. A must-have for any movie or television buff.



Available for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.