Recently Microsoft has been noted attempting to break away from their more inclusive products that are designed for Windows based devices. A couple of examples of these include the new Microsoft universal keyboard and also the new Microsoft Miracast streaming stick. Both of these products are designed to work with Windows but are also compatible with Android devices. To add to the list Microsoft has today launched a new app which goes by the name Xim. This in the brainchild of the Microsoft Research’s FUSE labs.
In short Xim is a photo sharing app however it comes with a few additional features which might be of interest. The mantra being touted by the folks behind Xim is by using the app there is no more need to pass your phone around a group of friends when showing pictures. According to Xim, “Share your photos, not your phone”. As such the app works in a rather clever way. Let’s say for instance you are at a dinner party. You want to quickly show-off the pics you took from last week’s Safari holiday in Kenya or the selfie you snapped of you and Lady Gaga when you bumped into her randomly. Well option one – pass your phone around. Option two – send the photos to everyone via Bluetooth, Snapchat or WhatsApp. Of course, this option requires all dinner invitees to also have Snapchat, WhatsApp or their Bluetooth turned on. Not to mention it’s rather time consuming. Instead with Xim, only you need to have the app installed. Upload all the pics to be shared, add the people to share with (either from your contacts, by phone number or email) and the chosen few will all simultaneously receive a message with the link. Once they click on the link they will effectively join the picture party and will be able to view the images along with you. All the recipients see the same images at the same time. So as you swipe from picture to picture so do they automatically. The app also seems to have a basic group messaging service which can be used during the conference-viewing. Images can be uploaded to Xim via your camera roll, Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox and OneDrive and only remain on the cloud for a temporary period of time after which they are automatically deleted.
Overall it seems like a clever bit of kit and certainly is more fun than passing your phone around the table while continually waiting for it to come full circle back to you. Whether Xim can establish itself in the image sharing market is another thing altogether. However on the face of it Xim may be worth a download. The app is available via the Play Store and best of all it is free. So what do you think? Do you like the idea of an app that can be used to share images without everyone else needing to download the app or pass your phone around?
