Microsoft’s Social Network ‘Socl’ Comes To Android, iOS & Windows Phone

Did you know that Microsoft also runs a social network? We didn’t either! Apparently, Socl is Microsoft’s take on social network giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ (or maybe Vine?), with its essential purpose being the ability to create, collect, and share content based on visual collages and short animated memes. You can also share statuses, picture collages, videos, and links. Content can be aggregated directly on Socl, as well as shared on Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter. Microsoft has now released a mobile version of the service for Windows Phone, Android, and iOS users. The app, which runs in full screen mode, looks identical across all these platforms. Details after the jump...

To use Socl, you will need a Microsoft account. Alternatively, you can also connect Socl with your Facebook profile and then create an account by following a few steps. Apart from sharing your content on Socl’s own service and browsing content posted to it by others, you can also share content from Socl to other networks that I have mentioned earlier.

 

Here’s the full list of features that Socl offers:

• Create beautiful collages and funny memes
• Share your creations on Socl, as well as your other favorite social networks
• Create visual responses (‘riffs’) to existing content
• Snap a picture and share it within the service
• Receive instant notifications about community activity on the content you love
• Organize your favorite content in collections
• Connect with people worldwide who share the same interests

During testing, I found the Socl app extremely laggy and non-intuitive, though it may perhaps be just the Android version that feels this way Even on my Galaxy S4, it had a hard time providing a lag-free experience. Navigation was extremely unresponsive too. In the design department, the app was quite on the simple and minimal side. One more shortcoming I noticed is that the app wouldn’t let me connect my Facebook account, nor would it allow me to create a new Socl account from scratch.

Unlike other social networks, however, you can browse Socl content without first signing into your account. However, you naturally won’t be able to share your own content or follow other Socl users without an account. Since it’s just the initial release, you can expect to see various performance issues and bugs, which will hopefully be ironed out in future updates.

 

You can download Socl to your device via the links provided below.

Install Socl on Android

Install Socl on iOS

Install Socl on Windows Phone