Entertainment apps in Windows 8

We continue our review of the most interesting Apps in the Windows Store, this time focusing on entertainment applications in Windows 8 From from children's themes to those with a musical touch and leisure in general so that we do not miss any proposal from the Windows Store. Applications that will liven up our day, or that will even educate us more.

There will be a total of twelve, and in all cases they will be free applications, despite the fact that in some cases some have additional content for the one that will have to drop a couple of euros, three at the most.Let's go then, without further ado, with the entertainment applications in Windows 8

Cooking Channel, to bring out the chef in us

If we can boast of anything in our country, it is having good cuisine. Although that does not mean that we all know how to cook well in our house. No problem. Through the official application of Canal Cocina we can begin to function with guarantees behind the stove.

Its design in Windows 8 and RT is very simple, dividing the sections in its main section by five, the most significant being the recipes, from where we can consult all kinds of dishes, and cook of the month, to find out who are the main chefs of Canal Cocina The other sections are made up of "contests", to be aware of the contests that can be seen in said television channel, “user of the month”, to see the recipes of fans of the program, and even get to know them a little better, and “lifestyle”, to keep up to date with everything related to the culinary theme, from events such as Madrid Fusión to reviews from professional bloggers.

But the most interesting thing about Cooking Channel is that they will present us with the juiciest recipes accompanied by their corresponding photos. We can order by ingredients (rice, poultry and game, fruits, etc), per dish (starter, first course, second course, drinks, dessert, etc.), per program (of those broadcast on TV), or by chef (Koldo Royo, Darío Barrio, Samantha Vallejo-Nájera, etc).

The good thing is that when going to a recipe we can see it in detail, showing a key section, such as the main ingredient, the necessary time, the difficulty of the dish, its price, the diners, or even the program in which it was broadcast, another for the necessary ingredients, as many grams of one thing, so many milliliters of another, and others, and of course, the preparation of the recipe explained in a summarized way.And for more, a last section with recommended recipes, in case after finishing the one we are preparing we feel inspired to make another one.

In Windows Store | Kitchen Channel

Fresh Paint, to develop our creativity

Fresh Paint is one of the freshest and most fun apps in the Windows Store. We already talked about it when we de alt with applications to retouch images in Windows RT, but we come back to it again because it's worth it. Especially if there are little ones around the house. Because anyone likes to paint. But it is when we are little that we get the most creative vein.

As we said at the time, Fresh Paint is the most creative vein of the classic Paint, since it will allow us to paint anything from of a blank canvas.Or pull from predefined templates with children's motifs. What do we want a different touch, more adult? Well, we use our own photos as templates. As if we use the Windows 8 and RT camera to start from our face or from what we are seeing at that moment to, immediately afterwards, start drawing.

We will have a very high range of oil paints, being able to mix them, in addition. We will also have different types of pencils and brushes, as well as different surfaces on which to draw. We will even have an option to dry the paint, which will make the part that we have dried remain in relief if we paint over it. Very useful option.

Although it is an application for all ages, the bulk of the public of Fresh Paint is children, hence the download packages that are available in it are focused on animated films such as Finding Nemo, or on different adventure or pet motifs.The prices of the packages range from 1.19 euros to 1.69, and some come with up to 50 different templates.

In Windows Store | Fresh Paint

Kids Song Machine, the children's music machine

Music is an essential part of our culture, and something we began to learn from when we were little. Music tames beasts, a lot is said, and rightly so. The little ones in the house are stunned when they hear how the notes acquire different shades to form a melody. That is why it is very important to teach them music from an early age.

Kids Song Machine will serve to get them excited about learning songs while having fun interacting with the images that the application generates. We can select different means of transport that in turn will host a specific children's song.

Does it hit her? At the moment all the songs are in English, although at least it has karaoke by default by displaying the lyrics at the top of the screen. But singing “En la granja de Pepito, ia ia oh” is not the same as singing “Old MacDonald had a farm, ee i ee i o”, despite the melody being the same. Although if we want them to learn English, at least they will have fun.

In Windows Store | Kids Song Machine

Music Maker Jam, creating musical mixes

Magix is ​​a well-known company in the fields of music software, although it is also known for other types of programs, such as image or video. A company very committed to Windows 8, as it makes clear on its official page, that in the Windows Store it has left us this Music Maker Jam, a program from which we can create our own mixes based on different styles, tinkering with very basic aspects on each track.

Initially we will have four free styles (dubstep, jazz, tech house and rock), but the list can be expanded by paying for more musical styles (bossa nova, chillout, flamenco, blues, swing, reggae , metal, hip hop, techno, and a long etcetera) whose prices range from 1.99 to 2.99 euros.

Within each project we can play with each instrument, giving it more presence or, on the contrary, removing it, changing its own sound for a different one, or modifying the harmony that will follow based on the ensemble. And of course, then we can save the project. If we are looking to create sessions for our colleagues without complicating our lives too much, but having a minimal musical notion, with Music Maker Jam, from Magix, we have an option of as direct as possible.

In Windows Store | Music Maker Jam

Naturespace, in search of sound relaxation

The program is interesting Naturespace if what we are looking for is relax through soundsFrom its menu we will be shown different sections depending on the theme: storms, rain, sunrises, waves, rivers... Everything that evokes tranquility, in some way. And seasoned with representative images of each moment to take us to that place and immerse ourselves in a more complete way in that sensation of tranquility through sounds, which is well needed. Besides that it has 3D quality for the sound, giving the sensation of really being there.

Naturespace: Holographic Audio has a free package, called “The Journey Begins”, made up of six complete examples of what that we will find in the final version. Although we can listen to the rest of the packages of each theme, but with shorter fragments in this case, being able to buy each theme separately with prices that are around 1.99 and 2.99 dollars.The good thing is that we can have each theme acting in the background, in case we want to leave it playing in the background while we get on with other tasks. Or to sleep

In Windows Store | Naturespace: Holographic Audio

Play Guitar!, to learn to play the guitar

If we are thinking of learning guitar Play Guitar! can be a good complement in the initial steps if we want to know the most basic chords of said instrument. In its free version Play Guitar! offers us the main major, minor and seventh chords in any of its keys, while if we go to the paid version, known as “Play Guitar PRO!”, and which costs 1.69 euros, we will have those of sixth, maj , sus , diminished, or fifth.

Having mastered all of these we could play any bossa nova or jazz song, but with the basic version we will go to more commercial songs, like pop or rock.The most appropriate styles, in any case, when starting with the guitar. Play Guitar! allows us to add any chord at the bottom to see it instantly, after pressing, although we can go freely strumming any string at any fret. And if we are left-handed? Nothing happens, we turn the guitar without problems. Add, by the way, that there is another free version of the same program focused on electricity called Rock Guitar! that we can download from there.

In Windows Store | Play Guitar!

Pocoyo TV, the children's program par excellence

Any child nowadays knows Pocoyo. Others of us have grown up with Sesame Street and company. But today one of the children's programs that takes the cake is Pocoyo TV, and luckily it has an official application in Windows 8 and RT.From it we can access its different chapters depending on the season, being able to watch them in streaming, download them to our team, mark them as favorites, or mark them as seen, so that we don't miss any. Not even our children, of course.

By default Pocoyo TV allows us free access to the first five episodes of the first season, forcing us to go through the box if we want to access to everything else by subscribing for 30 days (3.99 euros), 180 days (12.49 euros) or 365 days (19.99 euros).

Pocoyo TV We have it in our territory in Spanish, but if we go to the language settings we can also put it in Brazilian or English. From the same configuration section we can also access the "More Pocoyo" section, watching a trailer of the series, getting information about Mundo Pocoyó, or downloading the Pocoyize program that we will go on to detail.

In Windows Store | Pocoyo TV

Pocoyize, bringing out the Pocoyo in us

The approach of Pocoyize is simple. Create our appearance following the style of Pocoyo. For this we will have multiple variables for our head, from facial hair or hair, to the size or shape of our eyes or our mouth. Without forgetting the accessories, with a selection of the most colorful shirts, sweaters, jackets or pants. We can even pocoyize ourselves with glasses. But both us and our friends, always with a touch of Pocoyo.

Then we will put a name to our creation and save it later. By default it will be done in PNG format, and in the root folder of Library Images, although we can indicate another path. And if we like the result, we can even use it as an image of our Windows account.

In Windows Store | Pocoyize

Practice your Music, to practice classical music

If we like classical music and we have basic notions of solfeggio Practice your Music it will allow us to test ourselves by playing classical music live Johann Sebastian Bach or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, among others. But what makes this educational style program interesting is that it will allow us to mute the instruments and see the score of any of them.

After accessing Practice your Music and giving permissions to the application, it will automatically create an account for us (we will receive an email message with the password), and immediately afterwards we will be inside. In the Library section we will be shown the classics that we have downloaded, although from the Store we can add more at no additional cost.

Each song will have a degree of difficulty that will be indicated previously, just as each one will have its own string or wind instruments, such as flutes, horns, bassoons, violins or violas. In the background we will see the group in question interpreting the theme, and we can put the score of the desired instrument in the background. If we want, instead of silencing an instrument, we can modify its volume, and if it helps us (highly recommended at the beginning), also activate the metronome in the song that includes this option in Practice your Music

In Windows Store | Practice your Music

TrackSeries, to control the series we see

TrackSeries is one of the most essential applications in the Windows Store if series are our thing. To keep track of what we see, or what we need to see, it is extremely useful.Because we only have to add a series to the list and tell it the episodes we have seen.

The latter can be done in two ways. Either go chapter by chapter, or mark "I have seen this and the previous ones", in case we want to sweep away entire seasons of series that we have already seen. But the utility of TrackSeries does not stop there, since from the main menu, apart from see all the series we follow , it will tell us the episodes that we still have to see from the rest, and it will even remind us from the tile from the main menu of Windows 8 and RT.

And that's it? No. The good thing about TrackSeries is that it will also notify us of the next episodes that are about to be broadcast, based on its original broadcast. Although its database focuses mainly on American series, there is room for some from Spain. They are not all, but with each update of the AdrianFG program the list is growing at a very interesting rate.

In Windows Store | TrackSeries

TwentyOne, following relevant contacts

Social cut services invade us. Today it is very difficult not to find anyone who does not have a Facebook or Twitter account. But with the proliferation of social networks there has also been an excess of information that can become saturated. And this is where TwentyOne comes into play with the simple idea of ​​filtering all information based on 21 contacts per service.

Whether it's Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, we'll tell you, with your permission, which ones we're interested in having on TwentyOne to see at a glance What have you posted lately? And if we are not sure about it, the application itself will recommend contacts from our list, and at the same time it will learn our preferences based on what we mark as favorites or not.

In Windows Store | TwentyOne

Xbox SmartGlass, the media center for Xbox 360

Finally we have Xbox SmartGlass, an application that our colleagues at VX analyzed some time ago and that comes to be an ideal complement to our Xbox 360, showing additional information for the games, and even interacting with some like 'Forza Horizon' or 'Halo 4'.

After accessing our Xbox Live profile to Xbox SmartGlass, and with the console turned on (the message "connected with the Xbox Companion"), we can even navigate from said application through the console menu when activating the controller mode In this way we can launch any game to enjoy it later from our console, or in some cases view content, such as videos, from the Xbox SmartGlassVery useful especially when watching movies or series, as it will show us additional information as a complement to the screen.

If we are not with the console turned on we can also use this application, such as when consulting our most recent games, viewing the file for each one, with the achievements we have obtained of each of them, their additional add-ons, our contacts who have also played it recently, or related products, among other things.

In Windows Store | Xbox SmartGlass