In February, I reviewed and looked at a number of apps that help you get work done. Most of these apps are a bit different than what I normally review, but they save clicks, add features to Windows, and most importantly, help you get things done.
Usually, I focus on apps that are available from the Microsoft Store, but these are so good that they've earned their spot on this list regardless of their distribution channel.
Tweet Tray
Tweet Tray allows you to send tweets directly from the system tray of Windows. Clicking on it from the tray pops up a tweet window that you can easily send by holding Ctrl and pressing Enter (shoutout to the developers for listening to my feedback). There isn't much more to Tweet Tray. In fact, it isn't even complex enough to merit a full review, but it's a great add-on to Windows that's free. The app is open-source, and you can download it from Github.
Duet Display
Duet Display was featured in our story on the best apps to use if you're on iOS and Windows. It extends your PC to your iPad by using your tablet as a second display. This is especially handy because iPads support touch and the Apple Pencil, allowing you to get more things done on your PC such as drawing on your tablet as it lays flat. It's also a great way to create a multi-screen setup without buying additional hardware. Duet Display requires a program on your PC to work, as well as the iPad app, which costs $9.99.
Parallels Toolbox
Parallels Toolbox brings a nice set of tools into one convenient place: the system tray. You can use it to easily record your screen, switch to presentation mode, clean your disk drive, and more.
The program lives inside the system tray and pops up similarly to your Notifications and Action Center. When reviewing Parallels Toolbox, it became clear that saving a few clicks every time I wanted to perform tasks adds up to noticeable time-saving. It's available for download through Parallels' website and costs $15.99 per year.
Photos Companion
I'm cheating a bit here since this is an Android app, but it is made by the Microsoft Garage and works with the Photos app on Windows 10. Photos Companion allows you to instantly send photos from your Android phone to your Windows 10 PC.
The app works so quickly that it's almost surprising. You just scan a QR code with Photos Companion while being on the same Wi-Fi network to create a connection. It's very handy if you need to move photos quicker than OneDrive can, or if you don't use OneDrive for cloud storage. It's also free.
Over to you
Are you considering adding any of these apps to your workflow? Which apps would you like us to look at next month? Let us know in the comments below.
Sean Endicott is the news writer for Windows Central. If it runs Windows, is made by Microsoft, or has anything to do with either, he's on it. Sean's been with Windows Central since 2017 and is also our resident app expert. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.
