Can I save Windows 8.1 apps to USB stick?

[SoullessOnyx]

Hello. Long story short, I'm currently staying in a hotel with internet access but I am unable to download apps to my Surface from the store, it is probably something to do with the proxy or something, but I wanted to know, if I was to go on my laptop would it be possible to save a Windows 8.1 app to my USB stick and then put it on my Surface and download it that way, I know this is possible with Windows Phone so I would like to know if it can be done on my Surface RT. Thank you.

 

[anony_mouse]

If it's a proper Surface, i.e. an x86 device running full Windows 8, then no problem. Just download the app (.exe or .msi) and install as on any other PC. (Assuming you don't mean a Metro app, but that seems unlikely - and anyway you can almost certainly get a better 'desktop' equivalent).

If it's a Surface RT, then I guess not. BTW, can you really do this with an app from the MS app store on a standard, not unlocked, rooted or dev mode, WP device?

 

[onlysublime]

You can't easily download apps to a flash drive or any other drive besides Drive C: without making a lot of system changes that are not easy for someone who isn't used to making big system modifications.

As for the advice to get desktop equivalents to the Windows Store apps, there aren't a lot of equivalents for many types of apps. You can't get stuff like Flipboard. Even something like ESPN. You can browse ESPN through a web browser of course. But the Windows Store app gives you a lot of ESPN Insider content for free which a person can't get through the web browser unless they pay for the content. There's no Xbox Music on the desktop. Again, the web browser is available but doesn't have the same functionality. You can't control your Xbox through a desktop app. You can't play a lot of games from basic ones like Fruit Ninja to more advanced games. You don't nearly have the same amount of photo editing apps for the desktop like with the Windows Store. Sure, if you want to spend a lot on Photoshop Elements or full-blown Photoshop or any number of expensive desktop programs. Netflix through the Windows 8 app has a lot more functionality than the web browser equivalent (better audio options, higher bitrate, etc.).

 

[anony_mouse]

Flipboard -> web browser
XBox Music -> Spotify, YouTube, many more (why would someone use XBox Music if there's no desktop client? Nice one Steve!)
Photo editing -> many many free apps available. Gimp is pretty good.
Games -> no shortage of games are available for the desktop.
Etc.

 

[onlysublime]

gimp is awful. what a poor photoshop substitute.

i have an xbox music account. spotify won't help with that. that's why you can't substitute. if you have a spotify account, having an xbox music app doesn't help you out either. if you have an ESPN account, it won't help to have an HBO Go app.

Youtube? seriously??? and you listen to music?

you're so stuck in just desktop apps that you don't see that there are sometimes better ways...

 

[anony_mouse]

I have an Android phone and an iPad, so I know there are other ways. Better? I don't generally think so - just different, and almost always more limited and more fiddly to use for anything beyond the basics. BTW, I always found Gimp to be rather good. Anyway photo editing is pretty bad on a touchscreen - it's simply not precise enough.

YouTube is very good for music. You can find virtually anything - certainly more than Spotify, XBox music, etc. I have a paid for Spotify account but I still use it quite often. You should try it.