The world just got its first look at Microsoft’s new Arrow Launcher for Android, the latest app to roll out of the company’s after-hours “idea factory.”
A company spokesperson wouldn’t comment on what’s next for the launcher, but she did confirm it was born in the Microsoft Garage, a program that lets employees work on things they’re interested in but aren’t part of the formal product roadmap quite yet.
The Arrow Launcher is still in private beta, so you need an invite to try it out — though independent blog Microsoft News does have a version posted for download.
The launcher changes the default Android home screen with its own flavor, but it’s not drastically different from what we’ve seen from other launchers, especially Yahoo’s Aviate.
It’s just the latest app to come out of the Garage that’s not built for Microsoft’s own devices. The company has recently warmed up to competing platforms, and opened the doors to its employees who want to experiment with apps for Android and iOS — and occasionally Windows Phone.
Last week we saw the “Send” email app for iPhone, and before that the “Tossup” polling app for Android and iPhone.
Many of these side projects will die without ever really taking off, others will be pulled into Microsoft’s formal products.
But even more importantly for Microsoft, it’s another point of contact the company can make with mobile users. It’s own Windows Phone platform is still hovering below a 3 percent market share, so Microsoft has spent much of the past year building out a portfolio of apps for Apple and Android devices.
As of Tuesday morning, Microsoft had 70 apps in the Google Play store. Some are Garage projects, like the Next Lock Screen, some are popular apps the company acquired, like the Sunrise Calendar, and others have been Microsoft’s bread and butter for decades, like Office.
