The Top 10 Best Free Windows Phone 7 Apps for 2012

If you're like me, the first thing you do after purchasing a new smartphone is visit the corresponding app store to check out what you can download on the cheap. Android and iOS may get garner the lion's share of app attention due to their marketshare, but there are also plenty of apps to choose from if you're a Windows Phone 7 owner. In fact, there are plenty of free Windows Phone 7 apps available in the Windows Phone Marketplace that will keep you entertained, informed, and organized.


The Windows Phone 7 operating system, for those who aren't familiar with it, is the impressive successor to the awful Windows Mobile platform. The new mobile OS is radically different from its predecessor; it uses Microsoft’s slick, tile-based “Metro” design (a vital component in Windows 8) as its core design element.

Its latest update, Windows Phone 7.5 (otherwise known as "Mango"), features increased app functionality in the form of improved Live Tiles (which now serve up even more app-specific data), App Connect (includes relevant apps that you already have on your phone in Bing results, and recommends others), Intelligent Multitasking (you can, for example, pause a game to send a text), and Xbox Live multiplayer support. The only downside? Microsoft is slowly rolling out Mango, so your phone may not have the new operating system.