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As Microsoft gear up to the general availability of Windows 8 the Building Windows 8 Blog has a post up about the updating the built in apps in Windows 8.

In the post Microsoft say that the Bing app will be first to get an update followed by the Mail, Calendar, People, Messaging, Photos, SkyDrive and other Microsoft apps.

The highlights include complete IMAP support in the mail app, basic editing in the Photos app and driving directions in the maps app.

Details from the Building Windows 8 Blog:

Skydrive app tile

SkyDrive

  • Search within SkyDrive
  • Rename and move folders and files
  • New first-run experience
  • Custom sort order

App tiles for Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging

Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging

  • Conversation view of your inbox
  • Complete IMAP account support
  • Accepting and declining invitations in email
  • Capturing and updating your account picture
  • Improved search
  • Search for a contact within the Messaging app

Photos app tile

Photos

  • Crop and rotate photos
  • New auto-curated collage slideshows
  • View photos and videos on network locations in your Pictures Library such as Windows Home Server, network shares, and HomeGroups
  • Move through photos in your Pictures Library even when you open them from the desktop

Maps app tile

Maps

  • Bird’s eye view
  • 3,000+ indoor venue maps
  • Driving directions hints
  • Improved navigation and layout
  • Improved customization, including custom pushpins and roaming options
  • Integration with Bing and Travel apps

Bing app tile

Bing

  • Richer search results for local content and images
  • Bing rewards integration
  • Use zoom on your search results to see related queries
  • Use the file picker to select an image from Bing to use on your lock screen or in your other apps

Finance app tile

Finance

  • Additional news and magazine content
  • More market exchanges enabled
  • Finance videos

News app tile

News

  • Additional news content from partners such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal
  • Enhanced article reader, including font customization, zoom, pagination, and more
  • Improved offline reading experience
  • News videos
  • Slideshows

Sports app tile

Sports

  • Additional news and magazine content
  • Sports videos
  • Slideshows
  • New soccer leagues, including MLS, J. League, and Brazilian League

Travel

Travel

  • Additional news and magazine content
  • Improved flight search and new flight progress indicator
  • Improved hotel listing page
  • Interactive 360-degree panoramas (gyroscope supported)

Weather

Weather

  • Improved default location usability
  • Hourly weather forecasts, up to 10 days
  • Day & evening high/low temperatures

Video

Video

  • Purchasing in local currencies
  • Closed captioning
  • Search by actor or director

Music

Music

  • Expanded music services
  • Rich “Now Playing” experience
  • Discover more music with SmartDJ

Games

Games

  • Exciting new games
  • In-game purchasing
  • Invites and turn notifications

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