Microsoft Releases Three New Apps For Android Devices

The Microsoft Garage team recently released three new apps onto Google Play for Android users. This trio of app offerings include a voice recognition app for Android Wear, a lock screen replacement app for Android smartphones, and a note sharing app for those who are always traveling.

The first of the three new apps is Torque. The app can be installed on any Android Wear device. Android users may be used to saying "Okay, Google" whenever they want to make a query using their wearable devices. But with Torque, users simply have to twist their wrist, dictate their questions, and then receive their answers via Microsoft's Bing search engine.

But wait a minute -- why should users ditch Google for Bing in their wearable devices? Microsoft thinks that it is beside the point. Search engines aside, what the tech company is really after is bringing better experiences to whatever devices their customers choose to use. 

The second app Microsoft released is called Next Lock Screen. For those who are not used to Android, the system can be a little tricky to navigate. The Next Lock Screen app is designed to ease the navigation-related clatter just a bit. What the app does is put everything a user might need right on his Android smartphone's lock screen. To illustrate, for users who are business executives for instance, the app will place the phone numbers of important business contacts, calendar events and reminders, or other relevant apps on the lock screen. 

While some may think that the app kinda intrudes on one's privacy (after all, that is what lock screens are for, to protect the user's privacy), it does feature a well-organized design and functionality that can really help users, especially fast-paced ones.

Lastly, there is the Journeys & Notes app. As its name suggest, the app does revolve around taking journeys and making notes. Specifically, the Journeys & Notes app lets users create notes and stories when they are in a particular location, and then allows them to share those notes and stories to others in the same location. For instance, if you travel to the city of New Orleans, you can create a virtual note at, say, St Charles Avenue or maybe Bourbon Street, leaving tips for the next visitor that comes along. Or you can use the app while jogging around the neighborhood or on the commute on your way to work. 

Some may be reminded of Foursquare, but the Journeys & Notes app is geared towards users who like to chronicle their travel adventures and the places they visited.