Microsoft Releases Xim Photo-Sharing App

Posted by at 6:51 am on October 9, 2014

xim

A new photo application for mobile devices was made available from Microsoft, one that focuses on sharing the experience of photos without having to passing a phone around or accidentally sharing too much on social media. Xim sets itself apart from other photo-sharing services and applications, as it doesn’t require all users to have an account or the app installed.

Microsoft Research’s Fuse Labs is responsible for the new take on photo sharing. To use Xim, users select photos from various sources, including storage on a phone, cloud services like Dropbox and OneDrive, or social media sites like Instagram or Facebook. Up to 50 photos can be selected for a Xim, which are then sent to people via contact lists, phone numbers, or email addresses.

Once sent, the people selected to receive the Xim will receive a link that shows the photos in a web browser, or in the app if it is installed, once it is opened. The viewing event is done in a different way that promotes a synchronized experience. Anyone that receives the Xim can advance the slide show, as well as pan or zoom each photo inside the stream. Only one person needs to have the Xim app installed this way, a feature that could appeal to those that don’t like having many apps installed.

For those that choose to install the app, they can add photos from their own storage to the Xim. Additional viewers can be added to an existing stream as long as the Xim remains active. There is also a chat feature built-in for simple messages, allowing for some communication or comments to be shared as the images are viewed. Microsoft even taps into ephemeral social media features similar to Snapchat, as a Xim will expire “after a little while.” However, photos in the stream can be saved by others if the Xim is being viewed inside the app. If all else fails, the app doesn’t prevent screenshots either.

Microsoft’s Xim is available as a free download on Windows Phone 8 and Android. Coming soon to iOS.

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