Apps

Camera Preset+ is a nifty Windows Phone 8 photography app that lets you create custom preset settings for your camera. The app was recently updated to version 1.3 which adds Live Tile support to let you pin presets to your Start Screen.

This option can really come in handy by letting you jump right into the application with the settings you need.  Live Tiles for presets can be customized with a descriptive title and custom color.

Like shoes, Twitter clients are a personal preference where one size doesn’t fit all. We all have our favorites and Tweet It! happens to be one of mine. It’s fast, smooth, packed with features and just has a lot of personality.

Version 5.6.5.0 just landed in the Store and it brings some significant and important changes to charming Twitter client, including continued support for Windows Phone 7.x and 8 users.

The popular Instagram client Instagraph was updated just a short while ago to version 2.0 and as promised, Metrogram is now part of the mix.  The two apps really didn't become one but rather integrated where you can access Metrogram's features from within Instagraph and visa versa.

The Metrogram integration is only for the Windows Phone 8 version of Instagraph. Windows Phone 7.x users shouldn't feel left out in the cold though.

Liquid Daffodil, the developer behind many popular apps available across the Windows ecosystem, has announced that all apps now support the Klingon text effect. Bing originally unveiled that the service will be 'translating' Klingon. For those of you who aren't too sure what Klingon is, it's a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.

For Xbox fans, the best part of the weekly Red Stripe Deals promotion is undoubtedly the Xbox Red Stripe Deal. Each week, one game with juicy Achievements drops its price - often as low as 99 cents. The sale price depends on the starting price though.

Case in point: Puzzle Quest 2 from Namco Bandai usually sells for a crazy $6.99, but this week it costs only $2.99. The puzzle RPG previously went on sale for five bucks way back in March 2012. Three dollars might not be as sweet as 99 cents, but it’s certainly an improvement.

Also on sale this week are Drift Mania Championship 2 (only for Windows Phone 8), the indie racing game and a musical app called Synthpling. We’ve got descriptions, screenshots and Store links after the break.

Microsoft has given in to Google's requests by updating its YouTube app for Windows Phone, but only to a degree. The company will be complying with some (but not all) of Google's terms of service. The two giants have been locked in a fist fight for some time regarding the official YouTube app for Windows Phone. It doesn't look like it'll be over anytime soon either. 

We’ve covered SoundGecko before, the media project that Long Zheng is a part of and veteran Windows Phone users will familiar with. The app and service allows users to “flag” articles to be converted into audio format, perfect for those of you who want to “read” while driving or who’s eyes are just too tired. What’s more, the service in its basic form is free (though there is a paid option with more features) and it launched with a fancy Windows Phone app.

Now we’re excited to announce that version 2.0 is live in the Store. So what’s new? The app now features “stations” for easier content discovery. Basically, you can now follow specific topics of your choosing or even specific brands and websites (or a combo).

Eventbrite (www.eventbrite.com) launched back in 2006 and quickly established itself as the go-to site for event organizers. It’s a platform that allows promoters and organizers to easily set up ticket sales, promote events, plan, and more. Potential attendees can also search for events in their area. There are official apps for other platforms, but not Windows Phone. That means an opportunity for third party developers. One that’s been filled with Events For Me.

The last update we got to HERE Maps was way back in late March. Those updates were mostly little bug fixes and nothing major. Today however, HERE Maps gets an impressive new feature called LiveSight. Let’s check it out.

Although for many, Internet Explorer is a fine and dandy web browser for their Windows Phone, having an alternative (even if it can’t be native) is still a nice thing to have as an option. Step in UC Browser, which for many offers a different perspective on web browsing in addition to some unique features.

Currently, UC Browser sits at a lofty version 2.9 but 3.0 is right around the corner. With 2.9, users can already take advantage of UC’s cool feature list, including cached video for offline, “modes” for viewing at night, incognito, text-only, etc., customized themes, Lockscreen wallpaper, Smart Downloads for grabbing ringtones, wallpaper, music and more.

Good old Microsoft has released an official Live Event app for Windows Phone 8 devices that will allow users to stream tomorrow’s live NEXT Xbox announcement to their devices.

Microsoft has previously has such an app for their Xbox 360 console, allowing users at home to watch on their big’ol TVs but they didn’t have anything available for their Windows Phone lineup. Now, they seemed to have rectified that with the official Live Video Player app.