Cortana is becoming more intelligent! Microsoft has announced that their virtual assistant will soon be able to give you more intelligent reminders, and help setup more convenient calendar appointments. More details below!
Cortana is one of the biggest features in Windows 10, and for good reason: it is the first true artificial / virtual assistant to be integrated directly into a mainstream desktop operating system. It works really well, too, since you can get important contextual information in the form of cards, launch programs with your voice, send text messages from your Android phone, and even wake up, sleep or shutdown your PC.
Now, Microsoft has announced two new features for Cortana.
Intelligent reminders (that is my own name for them) work by scanning your email to look for any commitments you’ve made. It could be something like committing to followup with a coworker the next week, or buying flowers for your wife. When Cortana spots you making a commitment, it then later reminds you about it on time, in case you haven’t noted it in your reminders.
The image shows Cortana reminding the user of a commitment they made for sending updated reports
I am really impressed by the idea behind this feature, but its implementation doesn’t cover my use cases, as I communicate using WhatsApp, Messenger, and Slack. Cortana doesn’t have access to those yet!
The second new feature makes for improved calendar management. Over time, Cortana understands when you usually wake up, work, and have meetings. So, when you get meeting requests that either a) fall out of your usual schedule (like, say, you get a late night meeting request) or b) last minute announcements, then Cortana will remind you of it on time. This is so you may either move the meeting to a more convenient time, or set a more appropriate alarm for it.
You can see Cortana suggesting you set an alarm for an early meeting the next day.
When will these new features be released?
According to Microsoft, these features will soon be available in the Insider Preview builds, and will “eventually” be available for all Windows 10 users. We will definitely cover the latest Insider Preview build when it comes out.
Furthermore, the second feature – improved calendar management with Cortana – will only be available in the US and Great Britain.
(via The Windows Blog)
The post New In Cortana: Intelligent Reminders & Calendar Appointments appeared first on Windows Clan.
