Skip to main content

Microsoft launches WindUp, its own time-limited picture sharing app (Updated)

Windows Phone 8.1 OS
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Microsoft has launched a new app in the Windows Phone Store, and it’s called WindUp. Despite many similarities to Snapchat, Microsoft says it’s part of an ongoing research project, and not a hurry up for the popular picture sharing app to make an official appearance in the store.

Updated on 08-18-2014 by Andy Boxall: Added in some comments from Microsoft on the WindUp app.

WindUp has the ability to send text messages, or those containing photos – either from your gallery, or live using the camera – video, or even audio recordings to your friends. The message can be limited either by time, or a set number of views. Microsoft says the app’s name comes from the chance to “wind up” your friends, as they rush to see your latest picture before it disappears forever.

It’s not a Snapchat competitor though, and comparisons made with the app are “erroneous” according to Microsoft. Instead, it’s part of a Microsoft Research project to “learn how people create, share, and converse about content online.” A blog post on the subject makes it very clear WindUp isn’t about Snapchat. No, absolutely not, so don’t you dare say it is. Apparently, it’s not even meant for commercial purposes at all.

Regardless, Microsoft has still chosen to emulate a prominent app which is missing from the Windows Phone Store, although that’s clearly a coincidence. It’s not the first to come up with a Snapchat clone either. In June, Facebook launched Slingshot, the second app from its Creative Labs department, which functions in exactly the same way to the popular photo-sharing app. Then, at the end of July, Facebook-owned Instagram came out with Bolt, which spiced things up by leaving it down to you when to delete the photo, or to recall a message moments after it was sent.

Whether WindUp will push Snapchat to get on with its own, official Windows Phone version of the app remains to be seen. In a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything session, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore confirmed there were ongoing talks with Snapchat, but gave no other information on how they were progressing. The WindUp app can be downloaded for free right now.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more
Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

Read more
The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

Read more