Windows 8 and now Windows 8.1 have had a lot of catching up to do, apps-wise. After all, the iPad has been available since 2010 and accumulated over 475,000 apps in its store.

The new Windows does double duty as a desktop/laptop and touch tablet operating system, but it still has a whole app store for a new class of touch-friendly tablet-centric apps—the Windows Store. There, you'll find over 120,000 apps available for easy download, installation, and updating. With that many to choose from, you can be sure there are some gems. Here you'll find our picks of some of the coolest.

Don't forget that as a full-fledged desktop OS, Windows 8.1 still runs all existing Windows apps in its desktop view, in addition to the new-style apps we're including below, so the whole universe of Windows apps isn't represented here—not by a long shot. For example, you're still going to want to run complex pro-level apps like, in the desktop. As with most mobile platforms, most of the apps are free—especially the well-known ones like Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and Netflix—but there are plenty of premium-level apps, especially games like Halo Spartan Assault or Bejeweled, that cost from $1.49 up. But unlike other app stores, the Windows Phone store lets developers offer free trial versions of apps, so you often won't have to spend a cent to try out a new app. To get you started, the OS comes with standard apps created by Microsoft (and much improved with Windows 8.1) for everyday necessities—Mail, Calendar, People (for social networking), Messaging, Photos, SkyDrive, Reader, Music, and Video—but both small and well-known software publishers alike have released Windows 8.1 apps, including Autodesk, Cyberlink, and several major news publishers. According to the site, an average of over 200 new apps are still arriving every day, so we're just getting started. The coolest Windows 8.1 apps may be yet to come, but meanwhile check out our chosen bunch.

Windows 8 already has more touchscreen apps than you might at first expect. Take a look at some of the best. Detergent Soap Making Formula Pdf. Windows Experience Blog. The Time Out app for Windows 8, display content in a stunningly visual and interactive way, making it easy to browse.

Free There's no for Windows 8 yet, but offers a similar social video experience—without the 6-second limit! Vyclone is already available on iPhone and Android, so you don't have to worry about a lack of content and potential contacts.

As with all these social apps, you can follow, heart, and comment on videos submitted to the service. You can also watch nearby footage, but where Vyclone really shines is when you have multiple people shooting the same event: The service edits the disparate angles together. $1.99 Speed through wintry mountain highways and charming European villages in this visually stunning driving game. Your whole tablet is your steering wheel, and your thumbs are your accelerator and brake pedals. You can choose from 47 car models and 9 locations, from Fiat to Lamborghini, Venice to Nevada. As 's name indicates, you can even get airborne and perform gravity defying stunts, although actual gravity is convincingly reproduced with fine-tuned physics.