Microsoft delved further into the smartwatch app market with the launch of Outlook and Translator, an update to Wunderlist and plans for Yammer for the Apple Watch.
The all-new Outlook for Apple Watch gives users the ability to glance at their inboxes from the face of the smartwatch, access and send pre-written e-mail replies, initiate emoji and voice dictation, create custom notifications, add items to a schedule, and many more.
The new Outlook for Apple Watch looks more like a rebrand of mobile app Acompli, which Microsoft acquired, as opposed to looking like a product that Microsoft built itself. Acompli was focused on reinventing the e-mail system for the mobile age, and Microsoft's acquisition of the app to be turned into the new Outlook has made it the preferred e-mail app for many users compared to the native e-mail client of the Apple Watch.
Microsoft also released the Translator app, which allows users to translate between 50 different languages through text. Users can speak to the Apple Watch using their native language and then have the device release its translation in one of the supported languages. The app also allows users to check the phrases that they recently translated, and also pin translations that they frequently use to have easy access to these phrases.
Microsoft also released an update to the to-do list app Wunderlist, adding the functionality for Apple Watch users to be able to quickly and easily add some items to their lists by holding down on the screen of the Apple Watch and then dictate the items that they want to add.
Microsoft is also planning to release a Yammer app to the Apple Watch soon, with the workplace-focused social network app to add functionalities such as allowing users to like posts made by co-employees and marking messages as unread through the Apple Watch. Users will also be able to choose to work on the Yammer messages that they see on their iPhones by choosing an upcoming option in the Apple Watch app.
"So keep moving and start wearing our productivity apps now. We have one for every dress code, weather and time of year-pick one or many, and be more productive at life and work," said Microsoft's Modern Collaboration team product manager Carlos Bohórquez Marín to end a blog post detailing the new and updated Apple Watch apps.
