Microsoft testing Work Assistant app that helps Cortana integrate with the upcoming Office apps

Although it appears in the Windows Phone Store, Work Assistant for Windows Phone is a closed app that cannot be installed. Apparently, Work Assistant is being tested internally by Microsoft and will help users with Office-related tasks. According to published reports, the 2MB app is being developed by Microsoft’s Digital Life + Work group, which is part of the Applications and Services Group (ASG). Bill Gates reportedly is involved in the development of the app.

Work Assistant could also work with Windows Phone personal assistant Cortana. Last month Microsoft demonstrated how Cortana could deliver a PowerPoint deck from a user's OneDrive storage system. There is some speculation that Work Assistant is being developed in order for Cortana's voice search capabilities to be used with the new touch version of the Office apps coming to Windows 10 for Phones.

Many Windows Phone users have been upset at Microsoft, complaining that the iOS and Android versions of Office function better than the version for Windows Phone. Considering that Office and Windows Phone both come from Microsoft, these unhappy campers feel that the Windows Phone version of the apps should always be the best. And while this is not the case for now, the Windows 10 update is supposed to usher in a new touch version of the Office apps that will make Windows Phone users happy


source: ZDNet