Windows 10 delivers a refined, vastly improved vision for the future of computing with an operating system that's equally at home on tablets and traditional PCs -- and it's a free upgrade for most users.
If you're a regular browser of YouTube videos, Jasmine is an excellent option with great navigation and added features to make your video viewing even better.
Though you only get a few extra useful features, WhatsApp Messenger is an excellent choice for sending free texts across platforms, even internationally.
With an interface that lets you browse headlines quickly, customize your channels and read the news offline, SmartNews is an excellent free alternative to other popular news apps.
Google serves up a new app for music lovers called YouTube Music that organizes all the different versions of your favorite tunes into a central hub with guided paths for artists discovery and new music curation.
Sling TV's bargain price and freedom from contracts make it well worth a test-drive for prospective cord-cutters or "cord-nevers" who can live with its stripped-down selection of live TV channels.
If you own a tablet with a good active stylus and you take a lot of notes, it's definitely worth giving MyScript Nebo a shot while it's free. But your mileage may vary.
If you're a dedicated Windows 8 hater, the update to Windows 8.1 isn't going to change your mind. For everyone else, this collection of tweaks, fixes, and new features is useful, but everything here should have shipped in the original version last year.
