If you have missed our mid week news digest and thousands of other articles in blog and traditional media outlets, here’s the newsflash – Windows 8 consumer preview is out. And what reception it was! Critics and commoners alike fell in love with the OS instantly. Even the usual suspect naysayers were unable to find something to mock at!

Skype for Windows Phone 7 finally made it to the app store, sudden influx of new apps forced Microsoft to change the review queue, Windows 8 got its first social networking app and new AMD drivers, WP7 marketshare improved, WordPress.com got a Metro app, over a million people downloaded Windows 8 in 24 hours, Soluto made it to the Windows 8 marketplace and more. Read on for some of this week’s best Windows app news and updates.

Now Available: Skype for WP7

Skype for WP7 Now Available

After multiple announcements, finally the Skype for WP7 appis available for download. A clear leader in the VOIP space with millions of users, absence of Skype for the Windows phone platform was quite jarring. The situation became even more awkward after Microsoft acquired the company. Loaded with all the Metro stylings, the VOIP works brilliantly. It’s only a matter of time before the app get deeply integrated with the OS.

Windows 8 Clocks Million Downloads

It’s with great discomfort, I’m holding myself back from raving any more about Windows 8. On day one itself, over million downloads were clocked on Microsoft’s servers. Given the fact that the download is more than 2GB in size, this is a major milestone for those tired of hearing about smartphone app download achievements. With positive word of mouth, this number is going to increase exponentially. You can download the consumer preview here for free.

Windows Phone Marketplace Review Rules Change

In a newsletter to registered developers, Microsoft notified them that the review queue is about to get longer.

“We are aware and are tracking delays in the app certification, ingestion and publishing process. Testing is currently taking 24-48 hours and publishing an additional 24-48 hours. Thank you for your patience as we work to clear the queue and scale to handle the high volume of submissions.”

From the developer standpoint, this isn’t a major hurdle at all, even when you aren’t comparing with the iOS review timeline which extends to weeks. Apparently, the influx of new apps is causing the delay and that’s a happy news in disguise for us!

Windows 8 gets AMD Drivers

It isn’t even a week after the launch of consumer preview and we already are witnessing apps and drivers for Windows 8. Renowned micro processor manufacturer AMD has announced new drivers for a bunch of graphic cards. Gamers are very particular about the hardware and software they use (if in doubt, ask our editor) and it’s only reasonable to start rolling out driver updates to the next biggest OS in town.

Renren Ready for Windows 8

Renren is one of the biggest social networks in China and now there is an official app in the Windows 8 marketplace for you to download. Not much of a news if you don’t know Chinese, but still it is the first social networking app to make the marketplace. Available in HD for upcoming tablets, the app is a free download.

WordPress Metro App Launched

WordPress Metro App Launched

WordPress has launched a Metro app for Windows 8 and is downright gorgeous. If you blog at WordPress.com or a fan of their content, the app makes it easy for you to sit back and enjoy an article or two. Team WP is trying to one up Tumblr promoting content generated by their users, but I would love if they launch an app to handle self hosted WordPress blogs too!

Tango to Support 95% of Apps

Smartphone platforms and updates have a spotty track record. Android phones go through updation hell all the time and most of the phones never see past a single update. iOS is comparably better, but the phone becomes slower and slower withe every passing update forcing users to buy new handsets. If Microsoft could change this trend, then that would be a huge accomplishment.

Not only the Tango update is going to allow apps to run on lower end smartphones, 95% of the marketplace apps are expected to support this update too. We will have to wait and see how successful this effort is going to be, but for sure it looks like Redmond understands one of the core issues perfectly.

Soluto for Window 8 is here

Soluto for Window 8 is here

Yes, we have another app to make the Windows 8 marketplace and expect more like these in the future too. Soluto is a great way to diagnose and fix your PC troubles. Personally, I’ve had mixed experience with Soluto, but a lot of Windows users love the app. The Metro interface is a perfect fit for the app which makes the app even more intuitive to use. You can manage upto five PCs for free with Soluto.

Share Your Thoughts!

What news from the Windows universe grabbed your attention in the past few days? Share your thoughts and insights in the comments section. Thank you so much for reading!