Home is where the heart is, as the old saying goes, but it's
also ripe for suggestions and ideas from mobile apps. Among those featured this
week in the Windows 8 category are Remodelista for hacking stuff for your home,
Allrecipes for culinary adventures and Architectural Digest on the topic of
interior design plus Easy DIY for building and repair tips and the Oprah
Winfrey Network for celebrity advice.
Here's a look at the top five free Windows 8 apps for the
home.
Among the offerings covered in this
week's All Things Appy are apps for Windows 8-based home-tech hacking on the
cheap -- or not so cheap -- plus cooking, home repair, gawking and some spiritual
guidance.
About the Platform: Windows 8 apps can be obtained in the Windows Store. Click
on or touch the Start page store tile in Windows 8 and browse to the category
that you'd like to see. Or, search for an app by choosing the Search charm's
icon.
No. 1: Remodelista
The
Remodelista app is rated 4 stars out of a possible 5 with one rating in the
Windows 8 Store.
Here are some great ideas for repurposing,
or hacking stuff for your home: Door mats made from recycled fire hoses;
Spanish lighting made from fishing traps; school buses converted into mobile
homes; and spacious, barn-like living are all in the current version.
Other articles found within recently
have included useful advice, like how to maintain your home in order to save
money in the long run.
This is well-thought-out,
forward-thinking stuff, and it mixes high-concept with low.
No. 2: Allrecipes
The
Allrecipes app is rated 3.6 average stars out of a possible 5 with 985 ratings
in the Windows 8 Store.
Got some bacon left over from
breakfast, or a wedge of bacon sitting forlornly in the fridge?
This app lets you customize your
meal based on ingredients you have available.
I'm just using bacon as an example,
but you could choose anything. Unfortunately, there aren't any recipes based on
chocolate and pasta -- but you get the idea.
No. 3: Architectural Digest
Architectural
Digest is rated 3.1 average stars out of a possible 5 with 21 ratings in the
Windows 8 Store.
While it carries only samplers --
not full magazines -- from Condé Nast's peculiarly titled, residential interior
design staple, there are a bunch of free, full articles in this app and plenty
of high-quality inspiration if you're thinking of remodeling your Aspen
mountain retreat or just appreciate the ideas and expansive pictures.
This app's navigation is also highly
simple and logical and worth checking out from a user interface perspective.
Easy DIY is rated 2.7 average stars
out of a possible 5 with three ratings in the Windows 8 Store.
This app collates YouTube-like
building and repairing video tips related to the home, including such items as
how to best waterproof a basement, kitchen cabinet makeovers using vinyl,
building a paved pathway and more.
The videos are sourced from
establishments like retailer Home Depot, among others. A similarly
video-oriented sister app from the same publisher is also available in the
store, called Easy Garden Projects.
The app offers useful, solid videos,
but it gets a downgraded position in our Top 5 due to the nagging attempts to
try to get an upgrade out of the user.
No. 5: Oprah Winfrey Network
The Oprah Winfrey Network app is
rated 3.5 average stars out of a possible 5 with 237 ratings in the Windows 8
Store.
If you think you might be having a
spiritual crisis while sitting around the house all afternoon, here's your
one-stop destination for celebrity advice on the subject -- plus gems such as
why making the bed in the morning is a good habit.
A popular mid-afternoon TV franchise
goes free Windows app, with large amounts of free video and article content
that may just start you on a new path. Did you know that couponing, for
example, isn't as easy as it looks? Learn why with this app.
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