Apps

As well as Ringtone Maker, Nokia has also pushed out an update for its beta instant messaging solution. We previously looked at Nokia Chat when it was released for Windows Phone 8 last month, but the app was limited to a select number of markets. The company has now increased that pool to cover more regions.

A common complaint among most of you is that Microsoft sometimes appears to be lacking dedication to its own platform. When a Microsoft owned property, like Skype, gets a feature on iOS before Windows Phone it’s hard to argue. Apps like Photosynth took months after Windows Phone 8 launched to come to the Store. So when Microsoft launches a new game Halo game you’d expect something to happen with the Halo Waypoint app right? That didn’t exactly happen last year, but the app was updated updated this week. Let’s see what’s new.

So Microsoft Studios updates the Halo Waypoint app. An app that hasn’t seen any love or attention since Halo 4 launched. The latest update (version 1.7) finally includes “stats” for Halo 4.

One day after Windows Phone 8 users received the new Hulu Plus app, they’re being treated again to another major app: Foursquare. While Windows Phone has had an official Foursquare app for some time on the platform, the new version is a complete overhaul.

Co-developed with Microsoft and Nokia, the new app is a completely new UI, is much faster to use and is simply gorgeous.

It was only yesterday when we covered NAVITEL's Windows Phone app, which is available for those who still wield older generation hardware. Should you be on Windows Phone 8, the team has confirmed on Facebook that a version is well on the way. Good news should you be eagerly awaiting the turn-by-turn navigation solution.

The developer of the popular RSS Reader Nextgen Reader has announced on the official blog that an update has been released for the Windows Phone app. Version 4.5 includes numerous improvements, but the main points we walk away with is that plans for the app to continue to function after Google Reader is closed down are still in the works. More on this in a moment.

Although we have the stellar and frequently updated Beem Plus for Windows Phone to deliver your thumping Digitally Imported (www.di.fm) electronic music, having an official app always gives a nod of true authenticity and some legitimacy to the platform.

So it’s quite exciting to see DI.fm list Windows Phone as “Coming in 2013…” under their supported apps section. Hoorah!

Navitel has announced that its Windows Phone 7.5 app is now available on the store. As one would imagine, this restricts use to those who are running older software on previous generation hardware. So what's Navitel all about?

No sooner than we posted our hands-on video did the link go live, which means you can go ahead and experience high quality video of your favorite shows, streamed to your phone yourself.

There’s not much else to say about the app except that you do need a premium account but in our opinion, it’s totally worth it (especially if you have an Xbox 360 and/or Windows 8 machine).

There are numerous ways to enjoy music while on the go with your Windows Phone. Xbox Music and Nokia Music to name but a few. But what about finding out more about an individual artist? Microsoft's music service provides a biography for major artists, but consumers may wish to read more into the background of the individual (or group). Cue Music Scene.

Location Finder is a location finding/sharing app for your Windows Phone 8 device. The app goes beyond just telling you where you're at but also provides geocoding, reverse geocoding, live tile support and the ability to generate driving/walking directions to saved locations.

Location Finder was recently updated to version 2.4 and adds the ability to backup your saved locations to Skydrive and generate voice commands for saved locations.

Marketplace Dashboard for Windows Phone 8 is an app designed to help developers keep track of the apps and games they have in the Windows Phone Store. The app gives you a view of your apps including crash count, submission status and download counts.

Marketplace Dashboard has main pages that will list your published works and a page for those apps/games still in the certification process. The paid, version of Marketplace Dashboard, which is currently on sale, allows each app to be pinned to your Start Screen that will display app stats.