Want to make the most of the touch interface on your new Windows 8 tablet, hybrid or desktop? All week we’re rounding up the best touch-friendly apps for Windows 8. Today: apps for tracking your news feeds and finding information fast.
Google Search
You can’t have Chrome in a Windows 8 form, but the Google Search app gives you some of that goodness: easy search via typing or voice, access to other Google services, and full-screen viewing of pictures from Google Images.
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Nextgen Reader
Bring your Google Reader feed into Windows 8 with this $2.99 app. While there’s a three-column view for non-touch users, it’s the grid-based view for touch devices that really shines. You can also pin multiple feeds to your start page.
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HowStuffWorks
This app gives you access to 40,000+ articles from HowStuffWorks. Content is sorted into channels for easy browsing, and there’s plenty of video on offer too.
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Wikipedia
The free encylopedia that anyone can edit never looked so good. You can’t actually edit, but the system offers a clean multi-column layout that switches to content headings when you zoom out. You can also read in multiple languages and pin articles for reference to your start page.
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Simply Advanced Bases Converter
One for the programmers: a simple utility that automatically converts numbers across five bases (decimal, binary, hexadecimal, octal and base 36) as you type them in. Handy.
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Have additional suggestions for the list? Tell us in the comments.