Windows Central Roundup: Windows Phone Collection - New Year's Checklist
We have touched on several of the Windows Phone Store Collections over the past year and for those not familiar, these collections are an assemblage of Windows Phone apps and games from a particular theme or genre. Such as Disney games, shopping apps and children's games.
These collections are great for those just learning their way around the Windows Phone Store and for the more seasoned Windows Phone users who might need a few friendly suggestions on an app or gaming title.
With the New Year only being a few days old, for this week's roundup we are turning our sights on the New Year's Checklist collection for this week's Windows Phone roundup. This collection contains Windows Phone apps that might help your New Year's Resolution last a little while longer. The collection has apps to help you with your fitness, finance, organization and other goals that are popular themes for resolutions.
Runtastic
Runtastic is a fantastic fitness tracking app for your Windows Phone. The app will track outdoor activities such as running, walking, hiking and biking as well as indoor activities such as treadmill runs, cardio workouts, yoga and weight lifting.
Support is present to review your training history, record your moods, outdoor conditions, track your routes utilizing GPS and share your activities on Facebook, Twitter or on Runtastic.com.
Run tracking records duration, distance, calories burned, speed, elevation change and maps your route. To help you on your runs, Runtastic also has support to play local music files and purchase audio books to listen to while running. MixRadio support is listed but currently is suspended due to technical issues.
There are two versions of Runtastic available in the Windows Phone Store. The free version made it to the New Year's Checklist collection and there is a paid Pro version ($4.99) available in the Store. The Pro version adds support for heart rate monitoring with the Runtastic Heart Rate Combo Monitor, monitor heart rate zones, a hydration feature and more.
Runtastic has a strong following and a solid 4.5 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store with over 12,000 reviews.
AboutOne Organizer
AboutOne Organizer is a companion app for the AboutOne.com website. The Windows Phone app is designed to give you fast and easy access to your AboutOne account while you are on the go.
What is AboutOne? AboutOne is an organizer that gives you access to important details about family, places, documents, friends and events. These details include items such as emergency contacts, health information, birthdays, travel directions and more.
The Windows Phone app will allow you to organize and access all this data from your phone as well as the ability to scan receipts and other documents, snap photos, record videos and take notes that will be synchronized with your AboutOne account. You do have online and offline access to important information such as emergency health details and contacts.
The Windows Phone app is password and pin protected to keep your data safe and in just tinkering with the app for a short time, the only bug I noticed was that it did not like loading thumbnail images for contacts (as you can tell by the screenshots above).
AboutOne Organizer pulls down a 4 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store with plenty of positive comments from Windows Phone users. Just keep in mind that while the AboutOne Organizer Windows Phone app is free, the service does come at a price that ranges from $1.99 to $9.99 a month (there is a free 1GB trial package). You can find out more information on the AboutOne pricing here and pick up the Windows Phone app through the link below.
6 Week Training
6 Week Training is a popular Windows Phone fitness app that offers an easy to follow exercise program to help you reach your fitness goal. The app will guide you through push-ups, sit-ups, squats, dips and pull-ups. You will not need any exercise equipment with 6 Week Training. All that is needed is you, your Windows Phone and a commitment to stick with it.
You take an initial performance test for each exercise to let the app place you in the appropriate workout level and keep track of your workouts. You will be put through an exhaustion test after weeks two, four and five that will determine if you need a bump in workout level for the following week.
6 Week Training has a simple, easy to use layout, Live Tile support that shows your next workout and OneDrive support to back up your performance data. Oh and when life gets busy and easy to forget to workout, 6 Week Training also has schedule reminders to help keep you on track.
At last check, 6 Week Training was approaching 650 reviews in the Windows Phone Store, which reflects a 4.5 Star rating. A rating we do not have any issues with.
Mint
Touted as the best way to manage your money free, Mint is a Windows Phone app that will pull all your personal finance accounts under one roof to make managing those funds a little easier. After using Mint for about a year, I have to agree with the sales pitch.
Mint has the ability to synchronize with your checking accounts, savings accounts and credit cards. Live Tile support is available to keep you updated with account activity and alerts in the form of email or text alerts are available for bill reminders, low balance warnings, fees and more.
The Windows Phone Mint app can synchronize with Mint.com to allow you to keep tabs on your finances online. The information pulled from these institutions is protected and if you lose your Windows Phone, you can deactivate access to Mint from that device through Mint's website.
While Mint is an impressive Windows Phone app, there is one downside that some of our International readers will not like. Currently Mint can only connect with U.S. and Canadian financial institutions.
Mint is another top rated app in the New Year's Checklist collection with a Windows Phone Store rating of 4.5 Star rating. Mint is a free Windows Phone app that will require you to establish a Mint.com account, which is also free.
Relax Melodies Premium
Fitness or health related goals are a popular theme to many New Year's Resolutions and part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is making getting enough rest. Relax Melodies Premium is a personalized relaxation and sleep assistant for your Windows Phone.
The app is one of the many sound generators available in the Windows Phone Store and offers 82 high quality sounds that includes six binaural beat frequencies for brainwave entrainment. You also have access to the HelpMeSleep.org blog where you can read up on relaxation issues.
To create a sound, simply tap the symbol on the wind chimes and set the volume. Sounds can be stacked with individual volume levels and you can save your favorite sound mixes for easy access. Relax Melodies also has a timer feature so you won't have to worry about turning off the sounds and concentrate on relaxing.
There is a free, ad-supported trial version available for Relax Melodies Premium (first QR Code) that has a limited number of sounds and binaural beat frequencies. The trial version is strong enough to give you a feel for things and decide if Relax Melodies is the sound app that is right for you.
- Download Relax Melodies Free for Windows Phone (Free)
- Download Relax Melodies Premium for Windows Phone (Trial / $2.99)
All totaled there are twenty-six apps in the New Year's Checklist collection to help you stay on track with your New Year's Resolution. If you have a favorite app in this collection that was not mentioned or have an app outside the collection that you think will help bring in the New Year, feel free to toss out your recommendation in the comments below. Let us know what Windows Phone app you plan to use to get back into shape, eat healthier, have better finances or any of the other resolutions that may be out there.
Happy New Year everyone!
