Windows 8 Smartphones to Get Path, Vine and Flipboard Apps

Applications including Vine, Path and Flipboard are expected to arrive shortly for Windows 8 phones, according to an announcement at the launch of Nokia's Lumia 1020 Windows 8 smartphone in New York City.

A report by Redmond Pie claims there is no official release date in place but news of the introduction of three high-profile iOS and Android apps will boost Windows' appeal among app-conscious smartphone users.

Meanwhile, Hipstamatic Oggl - a photo filter app that allows for sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - will launch exclusively for the Lumia 1020, according to The Verge.

Vine is a video sharing app that allows users to shoot a six-second long video and share on Twitter and Facebook. The user interface also allows for browsing of friends' collections of videos.

To download for iOS, click here. To download for Android, click here.

Path is a personal social network app that allows users to share locations, stickers, pictures and music.

To download for iOS, click here. To download for Android, click here.

Flipboard is a magazine-designed application which brings news from the desired topics picked by the user. One can select news feeds from technology, automobile, environment, lifestyle, celebrities and other topics to read the latest articles.

To download for iOS, click here. To download for Android, click here.

According to BGR, the Windows Marketplace features fewer than 150,000 apps. And it is no secret the US-based company must dramatically improve on this number, if they are serious about competing with Apple and the Android platform.

There is hope though, with a BGR report from June last year saying the Marketplace was growing at an average of 313 apps per day. Statistics say the 100,000 app mark (19 months) was reached faster than Android (24 months) but slower than Apple (16 months).