Internet Explorer 10 sites to pin to your Windows 8 or Windows RT start screen
As you may be aware, Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 and Windows RT has been built from the ground up to have excellent support for touch. Internet Explorer 10 apps run full screen, giving every pixel to the website which helps to really let the content shine through. This, coupled with the ability to pin websites to your start screen, means that many websites can be used in much the same way as you use apps – launch them from your start screen, use them with touch and see them full screen. In fact, when you’re using these sites you are likely to very quickly forget that you’re using the web at all, it just feels like you’re using another app.
I thought it worth highlighting a few sites that I have pinned to my start screen that I think are really useful whether you’re using Windows 8 or Windows RT.
Note here that I’m talking about running these in the Windows 8 UI version of Internet Explorer 10, not the desktop version. To pin these just open the web address in Internet Explorer 10 from your start screen, then press the “pin” icon. You can then drag them around your start screen as you see fit.
Site name |
Web address |
Comment |
Contre Jour |
Beautiful touch-based game that has been developed for the web. The iOS app has won a number of awards including the iPad game of the year last year. Play it here for free on Windows 8 or Windows RT |
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Pulse |
Another popular iOS and Android app, Pulse is a very cool aggregator, pulling information from across the web in an easy-to-read style. This web-based version has been especially designed for touch and is a joy to use – try the pinch gesture to see a semantic zoom for example, amazing in a web site. |
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Atari Arcade |
Yet another amazing touch-based website. Play a host of classic Atari games, reimagined for the web and designed for touch. Great fun |
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BBC iPlayer |
As Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 and Windows RT has special support for Flash on major sites, you’ll find that you can happily stream BBC iPlayer content (if you’re in the UK) even without installing a plug-in or an app |
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ITV Player |
And as per the BBC, you can stream ITV content too |
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Pixlr |
Looking for a sophisticated photo editing app on Windows 8 or Windows RT? Look no further than pixlr, a flash-based editor that works fine using the special Flash support built into the operating system |
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MSN |
The MSN site has been redesigned for Windows 8 and is a joy to use with touch. Great looking content, easy to access and use |
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Sumon |
This HTML5 game is designed for touch and works really well on Windows 8 and Windows RT |
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TV Listings |
I really like the way this site presents UK TV listings and it’s well worth a pin. I use it with touch without a problem, perfect for use on the sofa |
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IMDB |
Another sofa favourite is IMDB, the site looks beautiful in Internet Explorer 10, loads quickly and is easy to use. Another worthwhile pin |