Tech Talk: MS-DOS Mobile

Launched last year as an Microsoft's April Fools' joke bringing the MS-DOS system, which was the "simplest operating system" Microsoft brought to the market that reached "millions of people". The app had its very own video to accompany it:

It runs like the fully-fledged MS-DOS system which has spiritually transformed into Command Prompt on PCs. To access the applications, you'd have to type the following the following path:

• cd programs
• cd phone
• dir

This will give a directory of the applications from within that path:

• Camera.exe - brings up the camera
• Contacts.exe - brings up the contact list
• Email.exe - brings up an option to open up the e-mail application
• Internet.exe - Opens up internet explorer (with the added bonus of a dial-up tone)
• Maps.exe - brings up the map application
• Phone.exe - will ask for the number to dial and then confirm to call
• Review.exe - review and rate the app in the market store
• Search.exe - uses search tool/Cortana to search the locally and on the web
• SMS.exe - send a text to an entered number or select from contact

The camera comes up with three settings: ASCII, B&W and CGA. It gives option to use the front or back camera. Once the picture is snapped, it can be saved to the camera roll and/or share online.

There are a lot of MS-DOS that are begging to be explored such as Windows 3.1 (typing the "WIN" command) and a real gem of a game Rock, Paper, Scissors. Cortland comes to play as well as she walks through the painstaking adventure of a process of loading up a game.

The app is available for download at the Microsoft App Store.