With its feature-packed specification and stunning Windows Phone 7.5 software, the Nokia Lumia 800 is an incredibly capable smartphone right out of the box, but adding even greater usability is easier than ever, thanks to the fantastic apps that you can install on your new Nokia Windows Phone. We’ve taken a look at the top 10 free apps you should download and try.
Spotify
An essential app for music lovers, Spotify gives you instant access to millions of great songs on your Nokia Lumia 800. You can compile your own playlists or enjoy your friend’s favourite tracks. And with the handy offline mode, you can even keep listening without an internet connection, letting you enjoy hours of great music on your Nokia Windows Phone, no matter where you go.
TuneIn Radio
If the millions of songs on Spotify aren’t enough for you, then TuneIn Radio lets you enjoy live radio stations from around the world on your Lumia 800. With over 50,000 channels to choose from, you can tune into the best in music, news, sports and talk radio. And thanks to the Lumia’s great multitasking, you can even keep listening as you get on with other tasks on your Windows Phone.
BBC News Mobile
Get up to the minute news on your Lumia 800 with this great unofficial BBC News app. You can browse the latest headlines and then view the full story directly in the app, or open the link in Internet Explorer Mobile. And to make sure you never miss a thing, you can get live push notifications and even set up a BBC News Live Tile on your Windows Phone Start screen.
Amazon Kindle
The renowned Amazon Kindle app gives you access to over 750,000 books on the Nokia Lumia 800, via the fantastic Kindle Store. As well as the latest best sellers and new releases, which can be bought for as little as £6, you can even download a huge range of literary classics for free, letting you enjoy masterpieces past and present on the Lumia’s stunning 3.7-inch screen.
CardStar
Empty your bag of loyalty cards and make sure you never miss picking up points again with the great CardStar app. The handy loyalty card manager lets you enter the details of all of your store cards and then use your Lumia 800’s screen to swipe your card when you next make a purchase. Helping you clear the clutter and keep all your cards close to hand, CardStar is essential for retail-loving Nokia Lumia users.
Xbox LIVE Extras
A great app for gamers, Xbox LIVE Extras lets you customise your Xbox avatar and tweak your profile even when you’re not sitting at home playing your Xbox 360. Not only that, you can also check your Xbox achievements and instantly message your Xbox 360 buddies all from the Nokia Lumia 800’s fantastic Windows Phone interface. Helping gamers stay connected on the move, this is a must-have app for all dedicated Xbox players.
Cool Tools
Adding a great range of handy tools to your Nokia Lumia 800, the aptly named Cool Tools could quickly become a part of your daily smartphone arsenal. Packing everything from a stopwatch, ruler and unit converter, to a digital spirit level, flashlight and restaurant bill calculator, Cool Tools is an incredibly useful app that should be an automatic download. Once you try it, you may never stop using it on your new Nokia Windows Phone
Flickr Manager (Lite)
While the Nokia Lumia 800’s great Windows Phone 7.5 OS makes it easy to upload photos to Facebook and SkyDrive, Flickr fans will want to install Flickr Manager (Lite) right away. Letting you view and manage your Flickr account, add comments to images and easily upload new photos, it makes the perfect partner for the Lumia’s great 8-Megapixel camera; a truly essential app for snap-happy Lumia users and amateur photographers alike.
Dictionary.com
Every smartphone needs a good dictionary app and the official Dictionary.com tool is the perfect choice for the Lumia 800. Packing almost 2,000,000 words from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, you need never be lost for words again. As well as full audio pronunciations for every word, you also get fascinating word origins that help you learn how our language has evolved, making this is an indispensible app for every Nokia Windows Phone.
Adobe Reader
With the Lumia 800’s excellent Office Hub, you can enjoy full Microsoft Office support wherever you go. But what about when you need to view a PDF? Enter the ever-essential Adobe Reader. As well as letting you open PDFs from emails, the web or your Lumia’s local storage, you can navigate your files with easy multi-touch gestures, making Adobe Reader the perfect compliment to the Windows Phone Office tools.
Adding even greater usability to the Nokia Lumia 800 than it already provides out of the box, these ten unbeatable apps should be immediate downloads on your new Nokia Windows Phone. But which Windows Phone apps are your all-time favourites and which will you be downloading on your new Nokia smartphone? Why not let us know in the comments below?