Author: Clinton

As an American that has transplanted to the United Kingdom, I’m reminded on a daily basis of the history that surrounds me.  I’m fortunate enough to live very near Windsor Castle, the home of Queen Elizabeth, and my house, believe it or not, was built in 1649.  If you are going to do the whole EXPAT thing, do it properly I say. Part of living in the UK is the monarchy.  Like, love it or hate it, it is very much a part of English life (I’m not here to debate its merits peeps… this is an app review).  For those who are interested in learning a bit more on the modern history of the United Kingdom monarchy, take a look at the UK Monarchs app for Windows Phone.  This simple app gives you the history of every monarch from 1707 through to today with multiple different ways to view this information – from House to timeline.  It’s a free app and well worth it for you history and monarch buffs out there.

UK Monarchs App for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now

This is one of those things that has been a long time coming and certainly needed.  Microsoft announced yesterday that they are changing the policies for apps in the Windows and Windows Phone store, aimed at making it easier for consumers to find the real  app and not a closely named knock off.  I personally think this is a big step forward as it is something I’ve been fighting since I came back to Windows Phone this month.  Simply put, when you compare the Windows Phone store to the App Store from Apple, there is… well there isn’t much of a comparison.  This looks to be changing for the better.

Weather, especially for those of us who live in England, is a constant source of discussion for many.  In fact here in England it is jokingly considered rude if you don’t ask someone their thoughts on the current weather conditions at the beginning of a conversation.  Jokes aside, knowing what the weather is going to do later in the day, tomorrow or the coming weekend is important for planning of events.  That makes a good weather app for your Windows Phone equally as important.

Amazing Weather HD for Windows Phone is arguably one of the most complete and comprehensive weather apps in the Windows Phone Store today.  It has continually updating weather information with support for both Live Tiles and your Lock Screen, forecasts, location awareness and of course current conditions.  The app also is beautifully done with animated screens as you look at the weather location for locations literally around the world.  While there are some limitations for those who don’t live in the United States – most notably weather radar support – this app provides outstanding weather information in a beautiful presentation.  In my opinion it is well worth the $1.99 price of admission.

Amazing Weather HD for Windows Phone – $1.99 – Download Now

It is a rainy holiday here in England today so I’ve taken advantage of the forced inside time to get a little editing done.  Over on the Windows Phone Wallpaper page I’ve added 14 new 720×1280 wallpapers that I’ve been busy creating this morning.  All of these you are free to download and use on your own devices and share them as you please.  I’ve also added them to this post after the break.

I’ve also taken some time this morning to generally clean up the page, dividing it into two sections.  The top section remains the 480×800 Windows Phone wallpapers that are for Windows Phone 7 and 8 devices with lower resolution screens.  The new 720×1280 section is just below it on the page.

Microsoft has released an update to the OneDrive for Windows Phone app, bringing on device access to your recycle bin in the cloud based storage service.  To this point, in order to access your Recycle Bin, you had to visit the OneDrive website.  This is no longer the case for Windows Phone users.

The updated OneDrive for Windows Phone is version 4.3 for those keeping score and aside from the added Recycle Bin support, Microsoft states that there are other “bug fixes” in the release.  What those fixes are exactly is unknown but likely are around keeping the app stable.

OneDrive for Windows Phone – Free

I love wine but I fully admit that I’m a bit of a neanderthal when it comes to being able to pick a good wine from a not-so-good wine.  As I have discovered, price isn’t necessarily a reflection of a wine that is good and there is certainly an element of personal tastes that come into the picture.  Compounding my problem is when I go to my local grocer or “bottle store” (AKA Liquor Store), there is a dizzying number of wines of all times and all price ranges.  Regardless of your wine selecting skills, there is a great app that can help you find that perfect wine as you stand there looking at a wall of bottles.  The Vivino Wine Scanner app allows you to scan the label of any wine and instantly get peer ratings, price ranges and reviews of that wine.  It helps eliminate the guess work so you can find wines you like at a price that is right.

The Vivino Wine Scanner app is one of those apps that just makes life easier.  It works amazingly well and I’ve yet to find a bottle of wine that it didn’t recognise.  Literally all you do is snap a photo of the label of the wine bottle and it does all the work of giving you information about that wine.  It has become my favourite app to use while I’m stood in my grocer trying to find that bottle of wine that goes with that meal.

Vivino Wine Scanner – Free – Download Now