31 Mar 2013

March Apps Madness – Round 2 of Supreme 16 voting

Today marks the last day of Supreme 16 voting here on March Apps Madness. We had an active first round and now have worked our way into the next phase of the competition.

Here’s a look at the updated bracket (Large PDF link):
March Apps Madness 2013 Round 2
The Supreme 16 round will work a little differently than the first round. Today we’ll put 8 apps up for vote in the News+Entertainment and Utility+Productivity categories.  As a result – the voting will be fast and furious!
If you need to research your choice and study the form, visit the Windows Phone Store – and remember, you can try the apps before you buy on a Nokia Lumia phone.
Under each pairing, select your favorite among the two choices below. We’ll take it from there.
So – let’s commence the Supreme 16 voting!

News and Entertainment

In the first round of voting, weather apps fared well as did a favorite Windows Phone blog in AAWP. Will we see the weather apps face off in the Excellent 8?  Let’s see as Round 2 gets under way.
All About Windows Phone
AAWP prevailed over GasBuddy and now gears up to take on Weather Flow.  Can Rafe and company keep up the momentum?
Keep up to date with the latest Windows Phone news, reviews, apps and much more with the FREE All About Windows Phone (AAWP) app. AAWP is a widely read independent source of information for the Windows Phone platform.
The app includes the latest articles, device, app and game reviews, tutorials, opinion-editorials, links, media and podcasts. You can now easily browse, read and share all the essential news quickly and easily on the move and the live tile support will notify you when new articles are available so you can stay ahead of the game.
Reviewers in the Store like AAWPs insightful content. Emmanual says, “Rafe. Well done. Well integrated. I use it to listen to the podcast. Good job.”
Weather Flow
Weather Flow is a well laid out weather app that keeps you up to date on the weather in your area. It beat USA Today and now faces AAWP.
The weather experience tailored for Windows Phone 8 with amazing live tiles and awesome lock screen support.
Features you’ll love in Weather Flow include:
* Choose from two different live tile styles and three different live tile settings. Use the simple and elegant modern style or the graphical and beautiful rich style. Set the content of the live tile to show current, daily and hourly forecasts.
* Choose from three different lock screen styles and three different lock screen information settings. Choose your background image to represent the current weather, use a custom image or use the daily Bing wallpaper. Set the content of the lock screen to display the current weather, daily or hourly forecasts.
Reviews in the Windows Store give it a high star rating and like the app’s look and feel. Sean says, “Very, very nice app. Simple, attractive, smooth and functions very well.”
Supreme 16 - News & Productivity 1
Plex
Plex is popular around the globe, which is why it isn’t surprising this app beat The Register in Round 1. 
Plex for Windows Phone brings the power of Plex to your mobile device. With Plex, you can stream your music, videos and photos from your home computers running Plex Media Server (available from http://www.plexapp.com/getplex/) and access content from a wide range of channels. Channels are available for iTunes, and for online services like YouTube, Vimeo and Revision3. There’s also a remote control feature for Plex Media Center. 
Additionally, you can sign up for the myPlex service, which lets you connect to servers shared with you by your friends, queue videos from your web browser to watch later, and connect to your Plex Media Server at home wherever you are in the world via Wi-Fi or a cellular connection, with no configuration necessary! 
This particular app has reviews calling for an update to address certain bugs. As one review says, “Great application, but has really annoying bug: when you are listening to music from the sever, song are not switching to next/previous :( Please release an update with the fix.”
AmazingWeather HD
AmazingWeather HD beat Baconit in round one, showing how Lumia owners love their weather apps.
It’s a fast and informative weather app with dynamic lockscreens and mix and match live tiles to bring you the ultimate experience on your phone. 
Beauty meets brain inAmazingWeather HD; have the most aesthetically pleasing app with live HD animations or a sleek modern look, and get the most weather details in addition to quick 7 days overview, hourly data, charts, warnings, satellite images, detailed forecasts, GPS live tiles, lockscreens and much more! 
Reviewers love the apps look and insightful weather info – and the live tiles. Sean says, “Amazing features and is the definition of beautiful simplicity. Well thought out and engineered. Recommended for the live tiles and lock screen options alone.”
Supreme 16 - News & Productivity 2

Utilities and Productivity

Voters went for the practical options in Round 1 – voting up shortcuts to needed features and nice lockscreen utilities that bring info to you at a glance.
ConnectivityShortcuts
Connectivity Shortcutsallows you to easily access your Wifi, Bluetooth, Cellular, Airplane Mode and Location settings. It also allows you to place shortcuts to each of those directly on your startscreen (you will be taken to the according setting screens).
- Four icon styles to choose from
- Editable Live Tile text
- Tile background can be chosen from all Windows Phne 7 standard accent colors
In the Windows Phone Store, reviewers laud ConnectivityShortcuts functionality and wish the app was built in to Windows Phone natively. “This should be built into Windows Phone. Great app!”
ProShot
Sometimes you just want to take the photo the way YOU want.  ProShot gives you that and more…and this is why it advanced handily in Round 1.
One of the first Windows Phone 8 Lenses specifically designed for the photography professional! Unleash the full potential of your phone’s camera with the ProShot camera OS, and discover new creative possibilities with Auto, Program, Manual, and two Custom modes, with the ability to manually adjust:
- Shutter Speed
- ISO
- White Balance
- Exposure Compensation
- Focus
Reviewers love ProShot and say they use it over the native camera app on their Lumia. Omar reports, “Good app, better than the native app, has more options to control”.
Supreme 16 - News & Productivity 3
 
Box
Box has taken Windows Phone seriously and built a robust application focused on simple file sharing. It beat a popular AppoinTile in Round 1 and faces off against Battery Level for Windows Phone 8 in Round 2!
With 5GB free, Box makes it easy to access and edit your files, share content and stay connected with your team from anywhere on any device.
* Share important files with your co-workers
* Have your presentation at your fingertips
* Comment on documents on the go
* View updates to your spreadsheet instantly
Box allows you to do all these things and more! More than 120,000 companies – including 92 percent of the Fortune 500, rely on Box for simple, secure content sharing.
According to the reviews in Windows Phone Store, users love the app but wonder why a key feature is missing: “Great app! Why can’t I save a photo on my phone? Please add that feature! :)”
Battery Level for Windows Phone 8
Battery Level provides a popular lockscreen notification: exact battery life expressed as a percentage. This handy app beat Camper and now moves on to Round 2.
Battery Level just got better! The app provides a “missing feature” of Windows Phone 8 – the battery level percentage on the main screen and the lock screen. Pin the app to see Live Tile with battery status and remaining charge percentage on Windows Phone 8 main screen and lock screen.
In the reviews, Battery Level is rated highly. Daniel says, “Love it. Best battery app in the market.”
Supreme 16 - News & Productivity 3

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