Next Lock Screen: By Microsoft for Android
Microsoft has unveiled a trio of apps under the banner of its Garage Project, which allows employees to experiment with their personal projects.
The first of which is the Next Lock Screen app, which is Microsoft’s attempts to improve upon the default Android lock screen and those available in the Google Play Store.
The free app is “a time-saver lock screen built for busy people,” according to Microsoft. It brings calendar items, emails, texts, missed calls and more to the lock screen.
A neat feature is a swipe dialing, which lets users swipe from a notification, such as a calendar notification and immediately begin calling the number.
There’s also a Quick App launch feature which keeps the user’s favourite apps permanently on the homescreen, while also providing quick access to key settings like Wi-Fi.
There’s another Android app launched on the Google Play store today, called Journeys & Notes. The premise is to allow Android device owners to keep track of their travel history, while leaving notes at each stop off point.
It also has a social element too, with other travelers able to access tips from those who’ve trodden the same path.
The final app of the trio is for Android Wear watches and is called Torque, which aims to supplant Google search with Bing. Instead of saying “OK Google,” smartwatch wearers can twist their wrist and vocalise a Bing search. Crafty!
The Garage project from Microsoft has been around since 2009 and mirrors Google's '20 per cent' scheme, which gives employees a certain amount of time to work on homebrewed software.
Read more: Best Android camera apps 2014
Via: The Verge