Windows 10 is ready to take the next step in its evolution, and find its way on millions of smartphones currently running Windows 8.1. This is the perfect time to take a look at the greatest innovation brought by the new software platform: Universal Apps. You could run apps on Windows-powered phones until now, through a web interface like the one at the Royal Vegas online casino, or by downloading them from the Windows Store. But now, with Windows 10, the borders disappear: the new breed of apps will run on both smartphones, desktop PCs and tablet computers.
Here are the five most impressive Universal Apps we’ve come across so far.
Adobe Photoshop Express
An app to make your images look great. While it doesn’t have the feature set of Photoshop CC, Adobe’s lightweight image enhancing and photo editing software comes with many useful features. Among them a set of Instagram-like filters, automatic brightness and color correction. The touched-up images can be saved to Adobe’s own cloud service, as well as to social networks.
FreshPaint
FreshPaint has been around since before Windows 10 was released. It is a small painting app that’s filled with resources like realistic textures, pencils and brushes, as well as line drawings for when you don’t have inspiration. When your artwork is done, you can export it in a PNG format or share it on social networks.
Words with Friends
A very popular app, considered a time-waster by many, but so are so many other mobile games. Except this game combines crossword puzzles with Scrabble, and adds a bit of social interaction on the top with its built-in chat feature. A great way to spend (or waste) time with friends online, no matter if you’re on your laptop or your phone.
Wunderlist
Wunderlist is the best example for what a Universal App is capable of. This excellent to-do list app, considered one of the best across all Windows editions, does exactly what you would expect from such an app: it adjusts to your screen size on the fly (perfect for when you use your Windows Phone as a PC via Continuum) and automatically switches to a more basic interface on a smaller screen.
OneNote
Microsoft’s own Universal Apps are the most numerous at this time, and OneNote is the one that stands out both through its function and its looks. OneNote is a powerful digital note-taking app, powered by Microsoft’s Office system, perfect for capturing ideas, writing shopping lists and whatever else involves note-taking. It has a clean and clutter-free, flat interface. Existing users will find the new look amazing, while new users will have the chance to quickly familiarize with the app, no matter what platform they might use.