Windows Phone

I mentioned yesterday I had a handful of apps I was missing from my Windows Phone experience.  There are probably others but these are ones that I have noticed more than others.  There are some work arounds I have come up with though, and some of these are more critical than others.

Dropbox

This is probably the single most important app I miss.  There are some third party apps and I’ll probably just break down and use one of those but I’m slightly apprehensive to using a third party application for something that is somewhat critical to my overall workflow.  I’m not sure how likely it is that there will be an official Dropbox app since Microsoft has One Drive but I can hope.

Don’t get me wrong, I like One Drive.  I have like 150 GB of One Drive and the new pricing plans announced recently are super great.  The problem is, so many more services use Dropbox, and Dropbox in general is a bit more versatile for sync operations.  Skydrive is great for storage, Dropbox is great for sync.  Just some examples, I use ToDo.txt which syncs via Dropbox, You Need a Budget syncs with Dropbox, Oreilly.com lets me send my eBooks to Dropbox, I have my screen shots (used for reviews and such) synced via Dropbox.

It’s just… really useful, and serves a slightly different purpose to me than Onedrive.  I also like to use it to temporarily store crap I download online for later archival and use.  I save all sorts of stupid Meme and cat photos from the web, Facebook, Reddit, and 4chan, and I much prefer using Dropbox as a temporary hold for those than futzing with Onedrive.

Amazon MP3

Once again, I don’t know how likely this one is to ever come (Xbox music competes, Amazon seems all in on Android) but this is definitely number two on my missed list.  

I buy all my music from Amazon.  They have good deals and it’s always been DRM free.  It’s also a straight MP3 not some lame MP4 BS that Apple uses.  Plus, everything is all in one place.  I already have something like 3000 songs from Amazon, why would I want to hassle with somewhere else?  I really am not a huge fan of streaming music like Xbox Music, Spotify, etc, I prefer to buy my music and make my own playlists and such.

I’m still using the S3 as a media device though, so this is less of an issue.  Its got plenty of space to just download what I care about listening to.  The main issue is I can’t buy and play on the go but that’s not a huge issue.  Ultimately this may be a better solution anyway because my car’s Blutooth set up is "wonky".

Comixology

I only read one series of comics, but I like to read it and I like to buy it via digital means.  You might think reading comics on a phone would be a pain but Comixology does this amazing job of zooming and panning between panels. 

I CAN of course, just use my Galaxy S3 still, but this becomes less and less viable if I start keeping that device in my car instead of on my person.

World of Warcraft Armory

I was pleased to see that the Battlenet authenticator is available on Windows phone.  Less pleased that the Armory app is not available on windows Phone.

I don’t care that much about being able to access my character info as much as I want to be able to access the auction house.  I’ve been trying to make some in game money but playing the auction house when I am bored and not able to get online in game.

Once again, not a super critical loss, but it is a loss.  Given Blizzard already made the Authenticator, I could see this app actually coming to Windows Phone eventually.

Target Cartwheel

Target has this neat little coupon program where you can use your phone and clip coupons and such.  It lets you scan items in store too if you want to see if they are available.  I use it occasionally for coupons on toys, Tina uses it more often when we are out together for household goods. 

Fortunately the website works pretty well in the browser for clipping, but you lose the scan functionality.  I can even bring up the QR code for my account, but I keep a screen cap of the barcode on my phone for easy access.

Starbucks

I don’t shop at Starbucks a lot, but when I do, I like to get my points for buying, which requires I pay with the app.

Like Target, I can fake this with a screen shot of the QR code, I just don’t get the benefit of knowing how much money my account has left or how many points I have earned.

DOGEcoin Wallet

There are several Cryptocurrency tracking apps on Windopws Phone and I even have one that will track my (tiny) DOGE balance.  There isn’t one which will actually keep my account and let me use my DOGE.  Not that I have ever used it or have a need to, and not that I have more than ~$1.50 in DOGE, but it’s something I’ve been following and having it available is handy.  Also, there is the whole part where the device with your account effectively owns the coins you have, which means my DOGE is currently attached to my old S3.  I could transfer it to a more secure wallet but I’m not entirely sure the best way to store my coins yet.

Not critical, just mildly annoying.  I think I can fake this one too with a QR code screen shot.