The Microsoft Garage is the place where the company publishes experimental projects, one of the projects recently released in the Garage is a new app called Picturesque Lock Screen. This free app for Android devices integrates as a second lock screen to provide useful information, functions, shortcuts, and camera and phone controls.
Picturesque Lock Screen has many useful features including various screens you can swipe through to access the different content. Bing homepage images as lock screen backgrounds (which you can easy change by simply shaking the phone). Bing search bar lives at the top of the screen to quickly search the web, and you’ll also find the latest news, weather information, notifications, calendar, and camera and phone controls.
In addition, Picturesque features shortcuts to the most frequently used apps and settings toggles.
Overall, Picturesque Lock Screen seems like a very useful app, though it might also be a little much for those who already have a dashboard with many widgets as this new Android app acts as a secondary lock screen filled with widgets and shortcuts.
Also the app feels like it is simply an attempt from Microsoft to promote its services like Bing and other apps it has released for Android.
The app works smoothly, but users will find that swiping up to unlock will simply get you to your real lock screen, where you’ll need to use patterns or enter your password to really unlock the phone, which can only add unnecessary hassle.
Source Microsoft Garage via The Next Web
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].