OK, so we have our winner for the bad headline of the year award, but we thought we would wrap up 2013 with the announcement that Microsoft has released “Project Siena”, a Windows 8.1 app that lets you easily create your own Windows app. It is presently available in beta preview version (hence the project name) for Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 users.

The app may be aimed at the more basic end of the market, but it is a great starter for building Windows 8 metro style apps without knowing the first thing about programming. Moreover, it is touch-friendly allowing would-be developers the opportunity to create their apps from a tablet.

Siena is designed to create apps that are highly visual, with a canvas for inserting buttons, drop down boxes, images, shapes, videos and more. It can embed data sources from Azure, Excel, REST, RSS and SharePoint. With the ability to edit colour, font size, fill and other visuals, it’s a great way to get started in the world of Windows 8 apps.

For more information, check out this link.