Windows Phone Wednesday: Over 11,000 apps, NoDo, and two new devices

I have been extremely busy over the past couple of weeks and missed last week's Windows Phone Wednesday feature. The big news in terms of software is that the NoDo update is reportedly rolling out to devices. Unfortunately, neither of mine have the pre-NoDo update so I can only hope it is all rolled into one when I eventually get the update.

The Sprint HTC Arrive is now available with the NoDo update pre-installed and I really like the implementation of copy and paste. HTC and AT&T also announced the new HTC HD7S that will also launch with NoDo so there is hope for us with existing devices.

A couple weeks ago there were 9,586 apps in the Marketplace at the time I wrote my post, based up on the count on the Marketplace Browser website, and this week we are up to 11,344. Yes, we passed by the 10,000 app mark over a week ago. Over the past two weeks developers and Microsoft have been very busy with an average of 879 apps appearing each week.

The new game with Xbox LIVE support last week was Full House Poker, priced at $2.99, and I bought this one after trying it for 15 minutes. I enjoy playing electronic card games more than the real thing, the risk is much less, and find this game to be excellent and enjoyable. This week's Xbox LIVE game is Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, priced at $4.99, and since my family are die-hard soccer fans I will definetly be picking this one up too. The Deal of the Week (DotW) this week is Hexic Rush for $1.99.

This week I am posting some thoughts on my most used apps over the past two weeks and some of them are apps I have mentioned before, but have all seen updates to make them even better.

1. moTweets Pro: There are a lot of really good Twitter apps on Windows Phone 7, but the one I keep going back to that keeps getting updated regularly (just like it did on Windows Mobile 6.5) is moTweets Pro. This Twitter app is only 99 cents and is now up to version 2.2 with Facebook integration and support for up to six accounts. I find it to load up really fast and the only thing I am really looking forward to in a future update is notification support.
2. AlphaJax: I cannot stop playing the AlphaJax word game and swear I am getting better at comin g up with high value words. They have released a couple of updates since I bought this game and it is the one game that has lived the longest above the fold on my HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro. You can play for free, just buy the $2.99 full version to support the developers, so if you do install it, look me up with my username of palmsolo.
3. RunKeeper: I mentioned Runkeeper at the bottom of my last Windows Phone Wednesday post, but this week while in Alaska I finally started using it and find it to be a great fitness tracking application. RunKeeper is available for free and integrates into their website so you can share your activities, stats, and maps that help me stay motivated to continue.
4. BringCast: I continue to subscribe to and listen to podcasts on a daily basis and find BringCast to be one of my most essential applications since Microsoft cannot provide proper podcast support with their Zune software. BringCast continues to be updated and is up to version 1.3 now with a cost of just $1.99. The latest update includes things like Twitter support so you can share what you are listening to, playlist re-ordering, better management of your podcasts, and copy & paste support so you will be ready when NoDo hits. BringCast is available for just $1.29 and I highly recommend it.
5. Seattle Times Newsreader: Since I have been traveling so much it is nice to check out the local news and with Seattle Times Newsreader I can quickly find out what is going on back home. It has a nice clean Metro UI and provides the latest top stories, local news, business news, sporting news, and more all for FREE.

I am bummed I do not yet have the NoDo update, but to be honest Windows Phone 7 app developers are keeping me more than satisfied with the variety, quality, and price of applications available for this platform. I am still excited about Windows Phone 7 and still cannot take out my T-Mobile SIM from one of my two WP7 devices.