With the thousands and thousands of apps on the Windows Phone Marketplace, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? And with new apps coming out every day, how do you keep up? In this article, we'll show you how to answer these questions using AppFlow App Discovery.
What is AppFlow?
AppFlow App Discovery is a free app on the Windows Phone Marketplace that is designed to keep the user up to date on the most recent and highest rated apps. The lists are broken by a variety of categories for easy navigation. AppFlow covers both free and paid apps; and if you find an app you like, you can download it directly through AppFlow. You can even configure AppFlow for region-specific Marketplace apps by language, such as the US in English, Russia in Russian, Switzerland in French or German, etc.
The Display List
AppFlow displays the apps as a list of icons down the right-hand side of the screen, with the first app on the list in an expanded view and the other icons grayed-out. The image below illustrates AppFlow's display; you may be able to make out the grayed icons. To navigate through the list, you merely swipe the screen up or down to go to the next or previous app.
Tap on More Info shown above to expand the information and learn more about the app.
Swipe right or left to cycle through various information on the app, such as user reviews, screenshots, and statistics.
Here’s how a screenshots gallery looks like.
The Stats screen gives you a breakdown of the reviews, ratings by date, and any updates to the app.
Tapping on the three dots in the lower right-hand corner will expand the pop-up menu. If Information is one of the options, it merely tells you the category of the app you're currently viewing. Discover will show you other apps similar to the one you're viewing. And finally, Download will let you download the app directly without having to search through the Marketplace to find the app.
A somewhat easier method of navigating the app lists is to tap on one of the icons, which will present you with a title and icon-only list. To expand the view, just tap on the icon of the app that interests you.
Featured Apps
AppFlow opens to the Featured apps screen. From here you can search for a particular in the Search field, view New & Impressive apps, Best of Mango apps, and the Highest Rated apps. It also features the title, icon, and a brief description of rotating featured apps.
Apps by List
The Lists shows the Top Apps, Worth Trying, and apps by Theme. The sub-categories are rather self-explanatory.
The Lists continued.
Apps by Category
The Categories listing is the real gem of AppFlow. This is where you go to find a specific type of app. The categories are broken down into a wide range of subjects, making it easy to find whatever kind of app you're looking for.
Categories continued.
Categories continued.
App Discovery
The Discovery screen is where you go to find apps specifically similar to one you're already familiar with. Type the known app into the Search field to get results for similar apps. Or, you can tap on one of the randomly generated icons to take your chances on similar apps for an unknown one.
Keeping Up-to-Date
With all of the apps on the Marketplace, and new ones being added every day, Windows Phone users need a method of staying informed. Not only can AppFlow provide that service, it's also a great way to search for a specific app by category. With its ability to find similar apps, and list apps by rank, AppFlow is an essential app for Windows Phone users.
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