Microsoft has shared a million and one details on its upcoming refresh of the Windows operating system, and one thing the software titan mentioned was that it would release new in-house developed apps with the OS.
For better or for worse, Redmond did not go into too much detail for these apps.
Luckily, the folks over at Engadget got a chance to see some of these new applications in action, and they have confirmed that Windows Blue will contain a number of shiny new Metro apps.
These include the previously seen Calculator and Alarm apps that were revealed in the leaked builds of Windows 8.1. Another new one is Bing Food and Drink — and this app offers cooks a way to find recipes along with the ability to create a shopping list among other features.
According to the source this app includes a native “hands free” mode. In other words, it will allow users with a webcam installed on their PC to wave their hands and the app moves to the next page.
This will obviously also come in handy for people using Windows 8.1 on notebooks or tablets.
Another new app is called Bing Health and Fitness, which is designed to monitor a person’s health. And finally, there is an application called Reading List, which essentially saves text and online content, which can then read at a later time, even offline.
The report does not mention anything about the Sound Recorder of Movie Moments apps. These are two Metro applications that have been heavily analyzed in the leaked builds of the operating system.
Also now word yet on whether there is going to be a Modern UI variant of the File Manager app, that again, was seen in one of the leaked builds.
But on the whole, it seems that Redmond is well aware of the difference that these rich, useful apps make for a new platform. Windows 8, itself, includes several popular Metro apps that have been well received by the consumers, and Windows Blue seems to be on the right track to continue this trend.
