A group from Microsoft’s C++ team is developing a note-taking app for Windows 8, currently known as Project Austin. Inspired by and using code from Microsoft’s fabled Courier, Austin aims to replace real notebooks while also demonstrating the capabilities of the operating system as well as C++, as told by project member Jorge Pereira. Like most journal or note-taking apps, users with a stylus (or a finger) can draw or write on paper with various backgrounds. Project Austin adds to the experience by also letting users add photos from the device’s hard drive, a camera, or from the cloud. Once a user’s creative process is complete, the app can natively share the results through email or Skydrive.
Born from Courier code, Microsoft’s Project Austin is a digital journal for Windows 8
Microsoft’s C++ team has created Project Austin, a note-taking app inspired by and using code from the fabled Courier.
Microsoft’s C++ team has created Project Austin, a note-taking app inspired by and using code from the fabled Courier.


There’s no solid release date for Project Austin, but if the team plans to launch with Windows 8 it still has more than a month to work on the software. Fortunately, the project is hosted through Microsoft’s CodePlex, so a developer package and the most of the source code is available for download now. Otherwise, you can take a look a the video below to see what an app with Courier genetics is capable of.
Most Popular
- The US is charging an American citizen for wiping his phone at the border
- Marvel announces Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider, a new Black Panther, and more
- Forget expensive sleepbuds. Buy this pillow instead
- Apple is banking on privacy to set its smart glasses apart
- After backlash, Meta pauses plan to ‘rate limit’ its smart glasses











