Invoice 360
Every freelancer and small-business owner has a different
method of filing and tracking invoices, but they all have the same needs: an
invoicing system that makes filing and tracking invoices quick and easy. The
Invoice 360 app does all of that and more, with custom invoice templates that
you can use to create a professional-looking bill or pricing quote in minutes.
The option to save company and transaction details helps you quickly plug information
into invoices. You can also manage every granular option in the drill-down
Inventory and customer pages. Invoice 360 supports printing, PDF generation,
and soft-copy sharing via the Windows 8 Share charm, with a copy of each
invoice popping up in your History page. Even better, it’s free!
Skype
Skype is a fantastic tool for communication, and it’s
available via an equally fantastic Windows 8 app. Download it for free and keep
Skype running in the back-ground; it will display notifications of your messages
and calls, while the live tile shows you previews of messages or missed calls
right from the Start screen. Skype for Windows 8 will also pull contact
information for your friends, family, and coworkers from your People app,
making it an excellent communication tool for anyone whose primary machine is a
Windows 8 PC.
Skype
Comixology
Comics and graphic novels have evolved tremendously since
Superman first graced the cover of Action Comics, and there’s no better
way to view them in all their digital glory than with the assistance of the
Comixology app. If you’re never read a comic on a high-resolution screen,
you’re missing out on a truly pleasurable experience; thankfully, a bunch of
free issues are available for download in the Comixology store. If you like
what you see, you can continue to purchase new and classic comics through the
Comixology app, and then download them from the cloud and read them on your
Windows 8 laptop or tablet, or on any other device with a Comixology app
installed.
USA Today
USA Today was one of the first major media outlets to
publish an app to the Windows Store, and the USA Today app remains one of the
best sources for general news and information available there. The app is
separated into sections for news, sports, life, money, tech, and travel: and
within each category you can browse pictures, videos, and other content. It’s
easy to navigate thanks to big, beautiful Windows 8 tiles, and every story
comes with a captivating picture. If you let it, the app will use your location
to update you on your current local weather conditions.
HowStuffWorks
The HowStuffWorks Windows 8 app bundles all of the excellent
articles, and podcasts from the HowStuffWorks website into a package, and plops
it down on your start screen with a live tile that updates you whenever there’s
something new to check out. The app has a few peccadilloes (the tiles look
cramped, and the podcasts stop playing when you switch to another app) that suggest
it was rushed out to hit the Windows 8 launch date, but HowStuffWorks is still
a great free app that deserves a permanent spot on your Start screen.
The
HowStuffWorks.com is one of the best technology related solutions websites
Angry Birds Star Wars
You don’t need to be a fan of angry Birds or Star Wars to
enjoy this excellent game. The Angry Birds games became mega-popular due to an
addictive blend of adorable characters and maddeningly challenging levels, and
this version adds the classic Stars Wars theme into the mix. The
result is an excellent game that forces you to solve puzzles by launching
cartoon birds through space. You can play this game on your Windows 8 PC, but
it’s best enjoyed on a laptop or tablet with a touchscreen.
eBay
The eBay app is beautiful and easy to use, but most
important it takes advantage of the Windows 8 Start screen in ways that make it
more useful to savvy shoppers than the standard eBay website is. Anyone can use
the app to efficiently search eBay for deals and to sort through tracked
auctions and saved eBay searches, but dedicated deal hunters can also pin the
Daily Deals tracker to their Start screen to stay abreast of the savings
opportunities at a glance. It’s a must-have for eBay enthusiasts, and even
casual shoppers may find the new Windows 8 interface appealing enough to
transform the typically laborious eBay browsing process into a pleasant
shopping experience.
Anyone can use the
app to efficiently search eBay for deals
