In October, Microsoft released a series of popular Bing apps for Windows 8. While it has taken quite a while, they’ve been ported to Windows Phone 8 so mobile users may now enjoy them. Each app is free and closely mirrors its Windows 8 version, which is mostly a good thing.
Bing News gets its material from a variety of major news outlets which have partnered with Bing to ensure a steady stream of updated content. The app features several personalization features so you can choose what kind of news and which sources you most prefer. Live Tiles can be used to view news updates at a glance or pin specific stories to the Start screen. You can also view news videos from within stories or in a separate video section.
Bing Sports has the latest information on almost every conceivable sport, league, player, team, etc. on the planet. As with Bing News, you can choose your favorite sport, team, player, etc. to receive tailored updates and a more personal experience. The app features frequently updated scoreboards, results, and news to keep you in the loop.
Bing Weather is a great, comprehensive weather app that lets you view either your local weather, or conditions anywhere around the world. Almost every feature is present here, with your choice of maps, historical data, detailed conditions and forecasts for different time scales, and more. You can pin the app for a wonderfully convenient weather update at a glance or even add multiple pins to check up on several locations at once.
With Bing Finance, you can stay on top of changing market conditions with financial news updates and stock prices. The app also features a currency converter that handles almost all world currencies. The watchlist feature is great for monitoring the performance of several stocks at once, you simply add which stocks you’d like to watch and the list is updated automatically. You can access historical performance, company news, and other stats by tapping the stock. As with Bing News, you can select your most trusted source to provide the majority of your financial news. Not limited to stocks, the app also features data on bonds, currencies, commodities among others.