SlingPlayer app delivers early Christmas joy to Windows 8.1 users

Santa Claus may not be due to slide down the chimney for another 12 days, but the elves at Slingbox are bringing a little holiday cheer to PC and tablet users on the Windows platform.

Sling Media has announced the release of SlingPlayer for Windows 8, a native media player app first announced last month and now available for PC users running Microsoft's operating system.

Available globally from the Windows 8 Store, the SlingPlayer app offers a unified experience across all Windows 8 devices, including laptop or desktop computers, convertibles and tablets.

Although Intel-powered Windows 8.1 devices could previously access Sling's web-based player, the Windows 8 app delivers support for ARM-based Windows RT devices like Surface 2 and the Nokia Lumia 2520.

Sling it, touch it

SlingPlayer for Windows 8 works equally well with a mouse or fingers, thanks to the touch-enabled user interface that offers universal support for all gadgets.

The app also includes an intuitive gallery view in keeping with the look and feel of other Windows 8 apps for easy discovery and navigation of live or recorded programs.

Should you need another incentive to upgrade to Windows 8.1, the SlingPlayer native app is as good as any, since it requires the latest version.

SlingPlayer for Windows 8 offers a free 24-hour test drive and is priced comparable to other versions at $14.99 (about £9.20, AU$16.72); a separate version is also available for Windows Phone 8 devices.

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Office Remote app for Windows Phone is the PowerPoint user's new BFF

Microsoft's second screen endeavours have developed further with the launch of the Office Remote app for Windows Phone 8, giving the handset full control over the Word, PowerPoint and Excel apps.

The app, which is similar to the SmartGlass mobile app for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, allows users to swipe and glide their way through documents, presentations and spreadsheets on their PC.

The standout use, of course, will be the ability for users to wirelessly control Office presentations, using Bluetooth to navigate between slides and point out objects on screen using a remote laser pointer.

At present, Office Remote is only available for WP8 and only compatible with Office 2013 for Windows 8 and Office RT for the ARM-based OS, but it will prove useful for those folks who tick all Microsoft's boxes.

Diversity on the way

"With Office Remote you can start your PowerPoint presentation, advance the slides, see your speaker notes, and control an on-screen laser pointer with a touch of your finger - all from your phone," said project manager Burt Van Hoof.

"You can also navigate between Excel worksheets and graphs, and control data slicers from the palm of your hand," he wrote. "And you can scroll through a Word document or quickly jump to specific sections or comments. You can also navigate between Excel worksheets and graphs, and control data slicers from the palm of your hand. And you can scroll through a Word document or quickly jump to specific sections or comments."

Microsoft said the initial launch is just the beginning with a roll out coming to a "diverse society of devices" in the future. We can presume that to mean an iOS and Android version of Office Remote might be in tow.

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