AppFlow, the way to discover apps

By | Nov 25, 2011 | News

AppFlow is published by Gergely Orosz and was released in August this year. It is available on the WP7 platform and rated 4.5/5 stars on the Marketplace. So what does this app do?

There really needs no long tedious introduction for AppFlow. First there were apps in the maketplace then there were too many apps, so AppFlow was developed to browse through the available apps! Up till now, nobody is certain how many apps there are on the Marketplace but we all sure can agree that it is a huge number.

Review

AppFlow is really a fantastic app, I’ve downloaded it three days ago and I have already begun revolutionizing the way I discover apps. Some of the functionalities of AppFlow include:

  • Organising apps into lists such as Games, Noteworthy, Top Apps, Worth Trying and By Theme with further breakdown into specific categories
  • Sorting apps by categories
  • A discover function which helps predict apps that will interest you based on current apps that you love
  • Be presented with statistics such as ‘rating distribution graphs’ and ‘historic ranking changes’

I like how comfortable it is to utilise the app and I can ascertain that all the above mentioned functionalities do indeed work. At the very basic level, this app satisfies everything that it hopes to achieve. Categories are clearly labelled with short explanation on what to expect. Apps are neatly laid out in a easy to read format with a sidebar for quick scroll to selected apps. It is a very clean look, well optimised for the user.

What I particularly like about AppFlow is the “Best Mango Apps” category, found on the main startup page. Promising to show a “collection of apps that make great use of new features and capabilities available starting from the Mango update. These features include pinning to start, fast resuming, controlling the camera, gyroscope, compass and many more.”. With the mango update happening just a couple of months ago, developers are incorporating the expanded functionalities into their apps and having an entire list of such apps that I can browse through, choosing to download with just a tap creates endless opportunities for exploration.

Certain quirks that I noticed about this app

  • Information shown on the list includes the rating as well as how many people rated, price, and its ranking in the Marketplace, all together with the first few lines of the app description.
  • The lists produced are arranged in a loop, saving you the trouble of playing the finger race if you want to return to the first app you saw.
  • The lists’ names are cute, including “David vs. Goliath” which lists “official, well known apps and their unofficial, but quality alternatives that are sometimes better than the original”, “Apps for developers” which is self explanatory, and “Best Live Tile Apps”
  • Loading does take a while though so patience is a virtue that is needed when using this app.

Verdict

Overall, I do think that there is a market for this app. It breaks through the clutter and presents apps in an approachable manner, giving users access to quality apps easily. It is also beautifully designed, making me more inclined to browse through AppFlow compared to the Marketplace.

Another app that has the same function as the AppFlow would be WP7applist by ZaamIT.com or AppTracker by VerySoftware Ltd, all available on WP7 and can be found on the Marketplace listing.