{"id":133904,"date":"2026-07-05T14:35:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T14:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2026\/07\/05\/5-oddball-microsoft-projects-youve-never-heard-of\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T14:36:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T14:36:36","slug":"5-oddball-microsoft-projects-youve-never-heard-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2026\/07\/05\/5-oddball-microsoft-projects-youve-never-heard-of\/","title":{"rendered":"5 oddball Microsoft projects you’ve never heard of"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Microsoft is most well-known for Home windows and Microsoft Workplace, however of their 50-year historical past, they’ve tried dozens of surprising experiments. A few of them flopped fully, whereas others knowledgeable and impressed later technological improvements.<\/p>\n

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These are 5 of my favorites.<\/p>\n

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\n Microsoft created an early smartwatch
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\n Optical information switch from a CRT
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\"A\n <\/picture>Credit score:\u00a0NASA<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

In 1994, Microsoft partnered with Timex to create Datalink, a watch that was in a position to obtain your contacts, appointments, and to-do out of your PC. It was additionally water resistant to a whopping 100 meters.<\/p>\n

In some ways, its capabilities emulate among the options we worth in smartwatches at the moment.<\/p>\n

The most important disadvantage\u2014and the watch’s most attention-grabbing characteristic\u2014was the way you transferred info to it. The PC would flash its CRT screen<\/a>, and an optical sensor on the watch would learn that info and retailer it.<\/p>\n

The expertise by no means actually caught on, nevertheless it was (and is) a cool idea.<\/p>\n

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\n Microsoft had world map software program
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\n They beat Google to the punch
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\n \"TerraServer\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Within the late Nineties, Microsoft mixed USGS aerial images with Russian satellite tv for pc imagery to create TerraServer, a service that might offer you a surprisingly good view (1 meter decision) of a lot of the planet.<\/p>\n

Regardless of growing and releasing the service earlier than Google launched Google Earth, Microsoft did not handle to regulate the early market, and Google ultimately turned the go-to for mapping.<\/p>\n

TerraServer itself is now defunct, however Microsoft now maintains Bing Maps, a modern competitor to Google Maps.<\/a> If you need to try TerraServer, there are hundreds of captures available via the Wayback Machine.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n Microsoft created the SPOT Watch
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\n An FM-Radio powered smartwatch
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\"A\n <\/picture>Credit score:\u00a0Microsoft<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Lengthy earlier than the trendy smartwatch, Microsoft created an early iteration of the expertise known as the the SPOT Watch. It was able to receiving info from an FM-radio sign, and will show details about the climate, sports activities, shares, and even messages from MSN Messenger or Outlook.<\/p>\n

In precept, it labored utilizing the identical expertise that permits your automobile’s head unit to show a tune and artist once you’re listening to the precise radio. Curiously, Melitta additionally launched a espresso maker that relied on the identical expertise.<\/p>\n

Like lots of Microsoft’s makes an attempt at what needs to be revolutionary {hardware}, the watch had just a few issues holding it again. It required a subscription\u2014round $60, rather a lot within the early 2000s\u2014and was cumbersome and solely obtainable in North America.<\/p>\n

After a brief four-year run, it was in the end discontinued and the expertise changed by extra trendy approaches to smartwatches.<\/p>\n

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\n Songsmith aimed to switch bandmates
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\n Backing instrumentals on demand
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Songsmith was a program launched by Microsoft in 2009. You supplied a vocal line, then Songsmith would provide you with acceptable chords and instrumentation to again up the vocals.<\/p>\n

It did not work very nicely in comparison with at the moment’s generative AI instruments, nevertheless it nonetheless went viral as a result of it may simply produce off-key (and hilarious) backing tracks for well-known songs.<\/p>\n

A free, time-limited model stays available from Microsoft Research’s site<\/a> and runs on all the things from Home windows XP to Home windows 11.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Windows<\/p>\n

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\t\t
\n\t\t\t5 Windows Features I Want to Come Back
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Not all of Microsoft’s concepts needs to be left prior to now.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n Microsoft created a pill that ran XP
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\n The tech of the period was not prepared for the concept
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\"A\n <\/picture>Credit score:\u00a0Microsoft<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Lengthy earlier than the iPad, Microsoft created the “Pill PC,” which ran a special version of Windows XP. <\/a><\/p>\n

In each kind and performance, it was very similar to the tablets that may turn into fashionable within the mid-2010s, however the {hardware} limitations of the time made it a troublesome promote for shoppers. There have been a number of variations created, however a typical unit may embody 128MB of RAM, a processor that ran at 600Mhz megahertz, and 20GB of storage. You may get three hours out of the battery earlier than you must swap it out for a totally charged one.<\/p>\n

Even by the requirements of the period, they tended to be a bit underpowered. Competing desktop PCs launched across the identical time usually got here with processors that ran round or above 1Ghz, 256\/512MB of RAM (as much as 1\u20132 GB max), and possibly 100 gigabytes of storage.<\/p>\n

The working system was additionally primarily designed to make use of a keyboard and mouse slightly than a contact interface, which made for a troublesome consumer expertise.<\/p>\n

To prime all of it off, they often price hundreds of {dollars}. That is not remarkable within the high-end shopper tech world, nevertheless it did make it more durable to promote to common shoppers.<\/p>\n

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\n \n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tOS<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHome windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, Android<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tModel<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMicrosoft<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWorth<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$100\/12 months<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDeveloper(s)<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMicrosoft<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFree trial<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 month<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Microsoft 365 consists of entry to Workplace apps like Phrase, Excel, and PowerPoint on as much as 5 units, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, and extra.<\/p>\n


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\n Microsoft has nice concepts, however they usually fail to seize an viewers
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If there’s one thread working by way of Microsoft’s experiments, it’s that they are *nice* at developing with progressive applied sciences. Sadly, it additionally appears they’re usually to date forward of the curve that their improvements usually do not discover the audiences they deserve.<\/p>\n

These initiatives aren’t the one examples both. Of their historical past, Microsoft has created a number of dual-screen units very similar to at the moment’s foldable telephones, a chat agent that permits you to animate your responses, and extra.<\/p>\n

So, subsequent time Microsoft releases one thing that leaves you scratching your head, you also needs to be questioning in case you’re seeing an early model of a expertise that may some day turn into extremely popular.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n