What are the must have apps for Surface 3?

[vnshngsn]

So my Surface 3 (128GB) arrives today, along with a blue kb/pen.

I'll primarily be using my Surface to read & grade discussion forums, papers, etc. I'll also use it for some light graphic design work (and I do mean very light).

It will also be used for some entertainment (music/video/Netflix), light gaming (FIFA15, older COD games, etc), as well as general web browsing and fapping.

I know what normal software I'll be installing on the device, but my question for you all is, what are the must-have apps from the app store that I should plan to install? I'm particularly interested in anything that is optimized for touch-input as I plan to use the device as a table the vast majority of the time and only break out the keyboard as necessary. Any input would be appreciated.

Also, is it worth it to make the upgrade to Win10 now that the S3 seems to have stabilized some, or is it still better to stick with 8.1 for now. I'm interested only from a compatibility / issue perspective; I'm using Win10 on my desktop and have no real complaints so far.

 

[cygnus11]

My thoughts on upgrading to 10 is that if you ever plan to upgrade your Surface 3, you may as well do it now before you personalize your device too much (install apps and generate personal data). You should just do an in-place upgrade through windows update. You probably shouldn't need to do a full reset afterwards, but if you want to you should read up on how to best do this. It will require downloading and creating windows 10 media on a USB stick. But like I said, you probably won't need to do a full reset. The standard upgrade should work just fine for you.

As far as apps go, I would recommend a good YouTube client. I use Tubecast and Hyper. Both are really nice. Other store apps include Netflix (obviously), the Windows Central app for keeping up with windows news, Twitter/Facebook/etc if you are into that, and maybe the VLC for Windows app as an alternate to the standard Groove and Movies & TV apps. That's about all the Windows Store apps that I use. I'm sure others will have additional recommendations.

And if you are into pc gaming and have a Steam library on a main desktop pc, I highly recommend using the Surface 3 for Steam in-home streaming. It works great and is perfect for playing those complex strategy games that just won't run so well on the Surface.

Enjoy your Surface!

 

[Internaut]

If you mean store apps, then there's not a lot to recommend. Netflix do a pretty decent universal client. In the UK (or if you have a VPN to the UK), there's All 4, the catch up service for Channel 4. I've had a quick look at Microsoft's Mahjong, and it looks pretty good.

If you use Evernote, then Evernote Touch is a basic but usable client.

Now there's just one Windows to develop for, and tools to ease porting from iOS, I'm hoping things will improve a lot (and reasonably quickly).

 

[vnshngsn]

Thanks for the feedback, it is much appreciated. The Steam in-home streaming worked much better than I expected it to, that was a pleasant surprise, so thanks for that tip!

 

[lookingforward]

Tubecast, Gallery HD, Book Bazaar Reader, and XODO PDF Reader are my 'must have' apps. I also occasionally use Slacker Radio and Splashtop Personal. For video playback, I stick with MPC-HC x64. I used BatteryInfo with Windows 8.1, which has a live tile with battery monitoring. But now I mostly rely on BatteryBar Pro in Windows 10 since the taskbar is usually visible.

 

[bockersjv]

TouchMe gesture is one of the best apps I have found. Being able to make custom touch screen gestures for tasks Is great and brings some touch control to the edge browser. I also have three finger rotate for screen brightness and four finger rotate for volume.

 

[michail71]

I've had a quick look at Microsoft's Mahjong, and it looks pretty good.

I've wasted a bunch of time on that game. I used to play it as a child or teen many years ago (I'm 44 now). I can't remember if that was on a 286 PC or Commodore 64 at the time.

 

[Shelgeyr]

It's not a "must-have" from a utility standpoint, but I'm a huge fan of the LCARS Interface app.

I'd post a link and a screenshot from the Store page, but I'm still too new to the community.

 

[Mark_JS]

These are what I have on my S3:

--AV - Windows Defender

--ZoneAlarm free download firewall and running in auto-learn mode.

--Browsers

--From MS store: Solitaire HD - nice

--Control Panel Ease Of Access- OnScreen Kboard pinned to Taskbar.
--Giving me two to choose from.

--Skype desktop version.

--B&N Nook EReader
--Not perfect. The most friendly one for touch-screen (page flips). Could use improvements.

--Weather channel app

 

[Joe Dubya]

Wunderlist very useful, next gen reader (news feeds) excellent, I use Poki as a Pocket client - excellent software. Flipboard also recommended, I use Kobo for books (amazon app is crappy)

 

[Dadstar0410]

I would recommend the official StumbleUpon app. It's super addicting and you learn a surprising amount of information from it. Also, the universal Readit app. My Study Life is a good one for keeping track of homework assignments and exams. Official Wikipedia app.

 

[mclark2112]

Drawboard! The best PDF app for the Surface.

 

[mfgillia]

TouchMe gesture is one of the best apps I have found. Being able to make custom touch screen gestures for tasks Is great and brings some touch control to the edge browser. I also have three finger rotate for screen brightness and four finger rotate for volume.

Much thanks - never heard of this app until you mentioned it. It should be standard for all Surface 3 owners. Completely awesome - it singlehandedly makes windows 10 3-4 times more tablet friendly.

 

[Steve Adams]

My must haves are obviously the office 365 suite, tubecast, next issue, Windows Central and Zomato. We travel a lot so we use our tablets as our magazine rack. Zomato tells us great places to eat. I will be installing a photo editing program on mine as well. I am hoping it can run Corel. I am going to try it free for 3o days and see what happens. If it does not work, I will switch to an app based program.