Get started on your new Surface with these 10 Windows apps

Microsoft today has released the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop for interested buyers. To aid new users, we’ve put together a list of 10 apps to light up your new Surface device.
These apps will help you get started on your new Surface when it arrives, it’s not intended to be an exhaustive list, but we think you’ll be fime with this selection of apps.
Here are a few apps to get you started on your Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.

From the Windows Store

Microsoft’s Windows Store has grown and is robust enough to handle full-blown apps like Spotify, iTunes(both later this year), the Microsoft Office Suite, and more. While the app store probably won’t have all you’ll need if you’re a heavy user, you should be able to

Microsoft Office

Microsoft has now made its Office Suite available for download in the Windows Store. It’s not the 64Bit Windows Office you might be used to, and it doesn’t offer all the apps that only advanced users acknowledge if you’re running an Office for Education install, but if your needs are simple, you should be covered with Word, PowerPoint etc. Surface Laptop and other Windows 10 S owners will get a 1-year free subscription as part of the perks.

Facebook Messenger
While Facebook has a Windows 10 app you’re better off using the website for that. Messenger, on the other hand, is a messaging app and benefits from being able to be pinned to the taskbar and or start screen, notifications support, and running independently from the browser on the Windows 10 OS.

[appbox windowsstore 9wzdncrf0083]

Tweeten
If there’s any one Twitter app you should be using, Tweeten is one of them. Tweeten is probably the most powerful Twitter client you can get on your new Surface. It’s on the Windows Store, which means you can download it on your Surface Laptop that comes with Windows 10 S out of the box. Tweeten lets you keep track of everything that’s happening on Twitter in real-time, and there’s also a lot of filters you can use throughout the app.

[appbox windowsstore 9nblggh52xbx]

Instagram

Microsoft’s Surface Pro’s gorgeous screen is just perfect for viewing photos on Instagram. In addition to that, while the social network had been criticised for being aimed at casual users in the past, it has made some acclimations to serious photographers can share their posts on the network with ease and have them viewed in high quality, For a device like the Surface which lends itself well to photo editing, Instagram can be a perfect canvas to share your work.

[appbox windowsstore 9nblggh5l9xt]

Netflix

Netflix’s Windows 10 app is what you’re looking for if you want to access HD videos on Netflix. The Netflix app for Windows provides access to high-quality streams – you won’t get that in many browsers – and lets you download your favourite shows so you can watch 13 Reasons Why on the train, Sense8 on the bus and House of Cards on the plane should you choose.

[appbox windowsstore 9wzdncrfj3tj]

VLC

VLC remains the gold standard for media players in 2017, featuring support for a wide amount of codecs (file types), both obscure and mainstream. You’ll be able to play most of your media on this, both legitimate and more dubiously sourced files. While Microsoft’s media players are much improved from their debut, VLC still remains a contender if you prefer local files over streaming.

[appbox windowsstore 9nblggh4vvnh]

Todoist

With Wunderlist gone, ToDoist is the next best thing. It’s adeptly customised for Windows 10 with a multi-panel layout, customisation for both the small screen and the large screen, and support for device sync. While you’ll need to pony up for Todoist Premium if you want custom label support, the app is still usable otherwise.

[appbox windowsstore 9nblggh1rl1k]

Off the Windows Store

Now the Windows Store is nice and all, but there are a few tools and social apps that one may need to use that don’t necessarily exist on the Windows Store. If you’re on the Surface Laptop, you can upgrade to Windows 10 S and gain the ability to install apps outside the Windows Store again.

Spotify

Spotify needs no introduction. It is the most ubiquitous music service we have right now and runs on everything from an iPhone to a Surface to a Chromebook to the web. While it’s coming to the Windows Store later this year, mother hen always said an app in the now is worth two in the soon. Or something. You can snag Spotify via the desktop app link here.
WhatsApp

WhatsApp’s desktop app brings the mobile service to your PC and laptop. While it is  — like many apps are nowadays — a port of its web-app wrapped in an electron interface, it works very well and integrates with Windows. WhatsApp will also be bringing its desktop app to the Windows 10 Store later this year for easier installation and uninstallation purposes.

Clover
Microsoft is bringing tabs to Windows 10 in the coming months, in the meantime, you can get a taste on ow it works with Clover in the file explorer. Clover is a utility app that adds tabs to your File Explorer of your Windows PC. The tabs very much resemble Chrome and allow you to easily open multiple folders without needing to launch new Windows for Chrome.