Microsoft is reportedly testing a new app internally called “Work Assistant,” it is believed that co-founder Bill Gates in involved closely with this project. The app is available on the Windows Phone Store but can’t be installed since its marked as a private internal beta. Work Assistant is designed to help users with Office related tasks on Windows Phone.
A recent report suggests that this app is being developed by Microsoft’s Digital Life + Work group which comes under the Applications and Services group that’s run by Qi Lu. ASG’s Chief Experience Officer Julie Larson-Green is reportedly heading the development with Bill Gates involved in the process as well.
Last week in his Ask Me Anything session on Reddit, Gates was asked about his current work at Microsoft. He said that he was involved in a new “Personal Agent” project, but that was all that Gates said, he didn’t reveal any details about the project.
It is unclear if this app leans on Cortana in any way though Microsoft has hinted at the possibility of Cortana being used to aid users with Office related tasks.
At its Windows 10 event last month a team at Microsoft demonstrated that Cortana was capable of fetching PowerPoint files from OneDrive after only receiving a voice command from the user.
Details about Work Assistant are slim at this point in time but its likely that we’ll hear more about it soon.
Windows 10 is going to be released later this year, its possible that this app may only arrive after the new software has been pushed out for desktops, smartphones and tablets.
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