Today the Windows Team announced the availability of the Windows 8 Release Preview, ready for download. Building off the momentum from the three apps that we previously announced at the Consumer Preview in Barcelona, we’re excited to announce three additional Bing-powered apps in the Windows 8 Release Preview: News, Sports, and Travel.
Similar to the Finance, Weather, and Maps apps we previously announced, each app is optimized for touch devices but works with a mouse and keyboard as well. These apps are visually organized, intuitive to use, easy to personalize, and they offer content from multiple, trusted providers. They let you complete key tasks such as browsing news headlines, checking sports scores, and finding a flight or hotel room quickly and confidently. Here’s a closer look at each app:
The News app is a beautiful, photo-rich app that makes it easy for you to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the world from reliable sources from around the web. Swipe through the app for a quick read of national, world, technology, entertainment, politics, sports, and health headlines and tap on specific headlines to read the full article. With the My News feature, you can track news stories for topics that you care about – like your favorite sports team, a celebrity, or a new gadget. And, our Sources feature makes it easy for you to see your most used news sources all in one place.
The Sports app is your personal sports companion that helps you stay on top of the sports, teams, and players that you care most about. Swipe through the app to get an overview of the top sports headlines, live scores, schedules, standings, extensive statistics and much more across all major sports. Personalize the experience, so you can track the leagues and teams you are most interested in. The app features high-resolution pictures to give you an immersive experience that makes you feel like you are sitting in the front row.
The Travel app lets you explore more than 2,000 destinations from all over the world. Swipe through rich resources, such as in-depth articles, attraction information, maps, weather conditions, beautiful pictures including 360 degree panoramas, and much more. Simply enter where you want to go and the dates you want to travel and then filter the flight results by price, number of stops, airline name, or departure time to find the best flight for you. Use our hotel search to find the right hotel too – filter your hotel results by price, hotel class, and specific amenities. The travel app not only offers you a window to explore the world, but it also makes it easy for you to find the right flight or hotel.
We are also pleased to announce that all our apps – News, Sports, Travel, Finance, Weather, Maps — are now available in 62 countries in 12 languages, including English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Swedish, Arabic, and Catalan. Please note that not all features and content are available in all markets.
We think these apps help showcase the endless new possibilities with Windows 8 and Bing. Give them a try and let us know what you think!
– Brian MacDonald, Corporate Vice President, Bing Application Experiences Team
