As the Windows Phone ecosystem continues to grow, more frequent updates are becoming more and more common. Today, we have two that are small but noteworthy.
SysApp Pusher is a free app that checks all the custom OEM stores for new updates, including Samsung, HTC and Nokia. While there are quite a few of these “system app checkers” now available, SysApp Pusher is our choice simply because it gets updated once, sometimes twice a week with new features. The developer clearly has a vision for this app and version 2.0 is well worth taking for a spin.
Since we last mentioned SysApp Pusher, it has received the following new features:
- Wide tile has been added (see lead image)
- Live tile has been implemented (see lead image)
- About 15 applications from Nokia have been added, including new "glance" application
- Added settings where you can select which vendors to check for updates
- Checks availability of application in your region. And mark it with red circle is the application is not available in your regional store.
- Share information about application with social networks
- App will show count of updates after check (if found)
What we thought was a simple concept has turned out to be a full-featured and impressive little app.
Why use SysApp Pusher in the first place? For a small percentage of you, the Store Tile is either slow to show app updates or it doesn’t work at all. Another is that System Apps are not just third-party programs but often affect how the device operates—especially true for Nokia phones. Because of that, sometimes you want the latest and greatest right now.
Finally, the app is also a very important if you get a new phone. We speak from experience here but when you load up a new Nokia device, you’ll want all of those system app updates to get things like Glance. We often have 10 or more Nokia app updates on a new Lumia. This app will help with that process since system apps are not directly listed in the Store and it can take 24 hours before they show up as waiting updates.
SysApp Pusher v2.0 – Windows Phone 8 – Store Link – Free (optional 99 cents)
Doodle Jump gets a new Tile
Doodle Jump, probably one of the greatest time-wasters, was re-released for Windows Phone 8 recently. Unfortunately, it lost its Xbox status but many of you were clever enough to figure out the upside: more frequent updates.
Indeed, the app has since been updated twice since August 21st to address little bugs like the lockscreen timeout and auto-dimming. Version 1.0.2.0 is now live in the Store and it fixes a small but annoying problem: it gives us a new icon.
When Doodle Jump first came out for Windows Phone 8, many of you noticed the “crappy” icon that it had, which appeared to the same one for the iPhone--namely it had rounded, green corners and it just didn't fit our OS. The developers have now given a custom one for Windows Phone users that’s super square and ready to put on your lockscreen. It’s even doublewide ready.
Kudos to Lima Sky for making the community happier with the game. With the HD graphics and smooth gameplay optimized for Windows Phone 8, Doodle Jump is still our go-to game for a quick distraction.
Doodle Jump - Windows Phone 8 - Store Link – 99 cents
