10 Cool Microsoft Garage Projects You Didn't Know About
The Garage is a hub for employees across Microsoft to work on different projects. Here are some of its works-in-progress.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt69509c9116440be8/blt2da1a26329c7abd8/64cb40e7c40fa1719782ce0d/NewsPro.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Microsoft has built a news app to directly compete with services like Apple News, Google News, and Flipboard. News Pro, built for iOS but also available on desktop, was released on Jan. 27. News Pro comes from Microsoft Garage, an internal organization intended to give employees across the company an outlet to share and build ideas.
Projects start out as small-scale, but those with potential can grow to have larger influence and, as with News Pro, a commercial release. News Pro tries to separate from the pack by marketing itself as a business-focused service. It's intended to help you "search for news related to your business and everyday work," according to the Microsoft Garage homepage.
Its angle isn't surprising given Microsoft's broad enterprise audience, but you can use News Pro to find articles on more than a million topics. It functions similarly to its rivals. You choose areas of interest and the app sources articles to match.
[ Also from the Garage: the evil Mimicker Alarm, powered by AI ]
The user interface is straightforward. Users sign in via LinkedIn or Facebook, foregoing the name, email, and address entry common with registration for online services. Not a huge deal, of course, but appreciated.
From there, you can browse recommended articles under "Home" or click "Explore" to select topics of interest. The app lets you select specific businesses, organizations, skills, and products to follow. Click the check mark to add a topic to your personalized feed; click its box to view a list of relevant articles.
Aside from News Pro, there are a few other cool ideas percolating in the Microsoft Garage we haven't given much attention. Here, we take a closer look at projects currently on the workbench, where users can try the works-in-progress and share feedback.
Do you see any ideas with potential in this batch? Any duds? Which would you use? We'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
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FindTime, one of the newest releases from the Garage, helps with the process of pinning down meeting times to suit attendees' schedules. Attendees propose their preferred meeting times, receive a summary of everyone's choices, and vote on which ones work best. When a final time is chosen, the app will automatically send a calendar invite to participants on the list.
Microsoft announced the integration of FindTime with Outlook in December 2015. Invitation recipients can view invitations through any email service, however, and access the voting website on any device.
The Mouse without Borders project aims to give PC users greater control over multiple devices at once. With a single mouse and keyboard, users would be able to drag and drop content, or copy and paste text, from one computer to another.
It's intended for people who frequently use several computers in the same room or juggle devices throughout the workday. For example, if you work on a desktop but take a laptop to meetings, you would be able to drag files from the laptop onto your desktop afterwards.
The product is currently supported on Windows 10, 7, 8, and 8.1; Windows Server 2003, 2008, and 2012; Windows Vista, and Windows XP Service Pack 3. Microsoft notes the same version of the app must be running on all machines.
Arrow is a personal launcher for Android smartphones intended to make the OS simpler to use. The idea is to save users the hassle of looking for apps, contacts, and reminders.
Arrow learns about how you use your phone over time and uses this information to make things easier. Apps are automatically arranged based on usage habits, as are frequent contacts. A "Recent" section takes you back to recent file downloads and dropped calls. The app is compatible with favorite widgets and sorts them on one page.
A useful but vaguely creepy tool, AutoTag 'n Search My Photos aims to tag people in your photo collection by learning their face models. The app scans images tagged to your Facebook account to recognize your friends' faces.
Based on the knowledge it gains from Facebook, the app will automatically tag pictures throughout your Pictures Library, including your OneDrive camera roll. Its accuracy improves as more Facebook pictures are tagged and as you make edits and confirmations to tags in the app. AutoTag only adds new tags to your photos; it doesn't replace any you have already made.
Snip takes screen captures to a new level by letting you add comments and drawings before you send them.
To use it, you start by clicking and dragging to capture a window on the screen. From there you can annotate it, mark it up with digital ink, or narrate comments. When your work is done, send the snip as a URL, paste it, or save it as a MP4 video clip.
Snip is downloadable on Windows PCs.
Send, a Garage project for Office 365, is designed to make your emails feel like texts -- no email formalities like subject lines, signatures or salutations.
You sign in with the same info you use for your Office 365 account, and from the app you can email anyone with an email address. They'll see the message and be able to respond regardless of whether they have downloaded the app.
Within Send, you will only see messages started from the app. However, messages sent to your Send account are also sent to your email address, so you don't have to feel tied to your phone while sitting at your desk.
If you'd like to share your latest project with your social network, try downloading Social Share. The PowerPoint plug-in integrates with the app to make it easier to share presentations or individual slides on Twitter and Facebook.
Once you launch PowerPoint with Social Share, you can choose to share presentations as albums, videos, or links via OneDrive. You may also share individual slides as images. A social feed will appear in PowerPoint alongside your presentation so you can view likes and comments as they appear.
Note-taking is a necessary evil during business meetings. You want to record what was said and which assignments were given, but taking notes can distract you from important conversations.
InstaNote aims to turn note-taking into an easier and more organized task.
When you hear something important come up mid-meeting, tap "Action," "Issue," "Idea," or "Other" to capture the last 30 seconds of audio. You can configure the app so it captures a larger or smaller timeframe.
Recordings can be sent via email or OneDrive for further transcription. It seems a transcription feature is still in the works and currently in beta.
You can also use InstaNote to keep track of assigned tasks, view your schedule of upcoming meetings, and access notes from previous meetings.
The Internet is packed with stories about the world's most exciting destinations, but fewer people write about their journeys. This project describes itself as a "social app for the space between an origin and a destination," which could be short as a commute or as long as a round-the-world flight.
Journeys & Notes, an Android app, aims to connect people who have traveled the same path between two places. Users can leave notes for one another, share advice ("Walk to the end of the northbound platform and wait - a car to yourself!"), and check in during various parts of their trips.
While a social app, Journeys & Notes is also a handy way to keep track of your travels. The app lets you keep a log of your travel history for a better picture of where you've been and how you've gotten there.
When you're looking for a tax accountant, plumber, or dog-sitter, it's comforting to know a recommendation is coming from someone you know and trust. This is the idea behind Home Team, a Windows Phone app to help you find and share recommendations for local service professionals.
The app skims your contacts to find professionals you already know. You can also search your network for recommendations or ask other people on Home Team for suggestions in your area. You can use the app to connect with Facebook friends or join a work network if you'd like to share info with colleagues.
When you're looking for a tax accountant, plumber, or dog-sitter, it's comforting to know a recommendation is coming from someone you know and trust. This is the idea behind Home Team, a Windows Phone app to help you find and share recommendations for local service professionals.
The app skims your contacts to find professionals you already know. You can also search your network for recommendations or ask other people on Home Team for suggestions in your area. You can use the app to connect with Facebook friends or join a work network if you'd like to share info with colleagues.
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