Microsoft is beefing up its virtual assistant Cortana with fitness app Fitbit in an effort to streamline the fetch and feed fitness-related commands.
Fitbit is the latest ability added to Cortana's growing set of skills. The virtual assistant will now be aware of all the user's Fitbit information once the app is connected to a device having Cortana, which works to Windows 10, iOS, and Android operating systems.
The collaboration is aimed at making tracks of Fitbit activities and progress: running, walking, and hiking steps count, distance covered, calories burned, weight tracking, and so much more. Cortana will now give users a rundown of their progress, including the user's status on the leaderboard.
Looking at any Fitbit device may seem more convenient than asking it to pull up something, Cortana will save users much time and effort than rummaging through the wearable to find something.
Cortana's newly-added Fitbit skill is available in the US only, but Microsoft said it will soon be rolling out the new skill to more countries.
In another news, Microsoft and Harman Kardon's Invoke Cortana smart speaker has officially been unveiled in full through the US Federal Communications Commission. The agency revealed Invoke Cortana's user manual and specifications as well as its internal and external look.
Invoke Cortana has a 40-watt speaker system with three .05-inch tweeters and three 1.75-inch woofers at 60 to 20-kilohertz frequency response. It places the volume ring on top of the speaker while the microphone button at the bottom. Using a built-in Cortana app, Windows 10 users can set up the voice assistant through the Creators Update.
