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Microsoft Opens its Incubator 'Garage' to Public

New free apps are available to Windows Phone and Android users.

Microsoft’s Garage, an incubator for Microsoft employee passion projects, is now opening up so its apps can be tested by the public. After five years of operation, Garage will expand to become a portal for customers to try lightweight, quickly developed apps designed for work and play.

Sixteen Windows phone apps were released through Garage on Oct. 22, including a feature-rich lock screen app, a voice-activated top-down shooter game, and a social app that connects people based on location.

Seattle Times blogger Janet Tu suggested that the new Garage offerings are a manifestation of Windows CEO Satya Nadellas’s commitment to changing Microsoft’s culture to one centered around fast development and a willingness to experiment.

Colin wrote for Government Technology and Emergency Management from 2010 through most of 2016.