As the world is getting ready for Windows 8, Microsoft is also giving the final touches to the operating system and related applications. After the Windows 8 RTM release back in August, Microsoft has now
announced that it will be releasing updates for several of the inbuilt application in the operating system
Available starting Friday for the existing Windows 8 users, the updates will appear in the store, while future retail units are likely to have them pre-installed.
Bing app is the first to get the update, other apps, will get the update in days leading up to October 26.
Users will be notified of Windows Store updates with a count of available updates on the Store tile. Most of these updates will brings performance and reliability improvements to these apps.
Here is the list of apps getting update and their change-log:
SkyDrive
- Search within SkyDrive
- Rename and move folders and files
- New first-run experience
- Custom sort order
Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging
- Conversation view of your inbox
- Complete IMAP account support
- Accepting and declining invitations in email
- Capturing and updating your account picture
- Improved search
- Search for a contact within the Messaging app
Photos
- Crop and rotate photos
- New auto-curated collage slideshows
- View photos and videos on network locations in your Pictures Library such as Windows Home Server, network shares, and HomeGroups
- Move through photos in your Pictures Library even when you open them from the desktop
Maps
- Bird's eye view
- 3,000+ indoor venue maps
- Driving directions hints
- Improved navigation and layout
- Improved customization, including custom pushpins and roaming options
- Integration with Bing and Travel apps
Bing
- Richer search results for local content and images
- Bing rewards integration
- Use zoom on your search results to see related queries
- Use the file picker to select an image from Bing to use on your lock screen or in your other apps
Finance
- Additional news and magazine content
- More market exchanges enabled
- Finance videos
News
- Additional news content from partners such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal
- Enhanced article reader, including font customization, zoom, pagination, and more
- Improved offline reading experience
- News videos
- Slideshows
Sports
- Additional news and magazine content
- Sports videos
- Slideshows
- New soccer leagues, including MLS, J. League, and Brazilian League
Travel
- Additional news and magazine content
- Improved flight search and new flight progress indicator
- Improved hotel listing page
- Interactive 360-degree panoramas (gyroscope supported)
Weather
- Improved default location usability
- Hourly weather forecasts, up to 10 days
- Day & evening high/low temperatures
Video
- Purchasing in local currencies
- Closed captioning
- Search by actor or director
Music
- Expanded music services
- Rich "Now Playing" experience
- Discover more music with SmartDJ
Games
- Exciting new games
- In-game purchasing
- Invites and turn notifications
