Popular task managing application, Todoist is finally making their Windows 10 application available to the public as an open preview. This new Windows 10 application is a result of several months of alpha testing by several dedicated Todoist users. The application itself is built upon TaskCrunch which was previously the best third party Todoist application on the Windows Store.

With nearly 6 million Todoist users across over 15 platforms, this new Todoist application will bring productivity to the next level. Besides the native Windows 10 design scheme being implemented in this brand new applications, the Todoist for Windows 10 Preview will be the first platform to get a third panel view which is ideal for collaboration tasks which will provide a spacious side by side overview of everything.

Not only that, the ability to add live tiles for each projects or labels is a pretty neat feature to improve awareness and things like interactive notifications also adds to the overall experience. As expected, the Todoist Windows 10 application will adapt to the window resize and the team will continue to refine the application and possibly even add support for Cortana and Windows Hello.

You can now download the Todoist Preview for Windows 10 through the Windows Store, currently there's only support for the desktop and no word about support for Windows 10 Mobile yet.

Back in May, Microsoft revealed that they will be bringing Cortana to both Android and iOS devices later this year. This effort by Microsoft will make life easier for Android and iOS users which are using Windows 10 services. Early on, we already knew that the iOS app will take a little while as it needs some extra porting but back then, the Android app was already ported over.


With some luck, the APK file for the Android version of Cortana has leaked and anyone with an android device will be able to give it a try. Just make sure you have installing apps from unknown sources enabled and you're all ready to go.

Just a expected, the Cortana app on Android looks and feels like the one found on Windows 10 and all the usual commands you're used to using are available on the Android version. However, at the moment there is not yet a Cortana widget which means you'll need to jump right into the app to talk to Cortana.

This is a leaked version of the private beta and Microsoft says the official app will arrive on the Google Play store in the coming weeks, presumably in time for Windows 10's launch on July 29.

SOURCE: ANDROID POLICE

About a year since it was introduced in Windows Phone 8.1, today Microsoft is officially announcing the Cortana app for both Android and iOS. This has been speculated for quite some time now and the announcement today comes alongside another equally big announcement that Windows 10 will be supporting Android, iPhone and iPad.

The brand new Phone Companion app which will be preinstalled onto Windows 10 PCs and also an upcoming Windows Insider build will enable users to connect not only their Windows phone but also Android and iOS powered devices. Microsoft's vision for this app is to give users another reason to use Windows 10 because face it, not everyone uses a Windows Phone.

With the Phone Companion app, users will be able to enjoy intelligent syncing features which is enabled by OneDrive and this means that all your photos and files will magically available on the computer (proper setup is required for this to work). The data from your phone will then be harvested by other Windows 10 apps like the Music app can play music from your phone



Alongside that, this built in app basically promotes several Microsoft apps like OneNote and Cortana. When connected, you'll be able to manage the settings of these various apps. Speaking of Cortana, yes it'll be coming to your Android phone as well as your iPhone and iPad.

Today, we’re announcing a Cortana application for Android phones and for iPhones which works as a companion to Cortana on your Windows 10 PC

Microsoft does note that Cortana on both Android and iOS will not be as powerful as the original Cortana found on Windows Phone as certain features like toggling settings will require special system permissions. Despite that, the Cortana app on Android and iOS will be able to answer your many queries and from the look of things, it'll work a lot like how the Google Now app works on iOS.

Notifications will be beamed out through the Cortana app and the best thing is that your searches and reminders on Cortana will be synced throughout the Cortana on Windows 10 as well as on other platforms. Microsoft says that Cortana will be available in the Play Store next month (May 2015) and iOS users will need to wait a little longer before they can install the app.


SOURCE: WINDOWS BLOG

At the opening keynote during Build 2015 this morning, Microsoft demonstrated several new Windows 10 features and even named Project Spartan. Shortly after, they released Build 10074 which includes those very features.

Besides increasing the build number this time, Microsoft says that from now on, preview builds will be called 'Insider Preview' opposed to the 'Technical Preview' name which the pre-released software has been bearing for months.

One other subtle change that you’ll notice is that we’ve changed how we talk about the builds from “Technical Preview” to “Insider Preview” to reflect the importance of the Windows Insider community in how we’re building Windows 10.

Also special for this release is Microsoft is simultaneously releasing this update for both fast and slow ring users which means everyone will be able to try out this update. I've been using the update for a couple of hours now and i have to say this is probably the most stable build yet.

Besides improving the UI and introducing visual features like the AeroGlass theme on to Windows 10, Microsoft has also improved on Cortana and she now has a more sleeker look to her dashboard. Here's a few phrases you can try asking her.

• Weather – “Seattle Weather”
• Finance – “MSFT stock”
• Dictionary – “define astounding”
• Calculator – “48*92”
• Flight Status – “UA 238”
• Reference – “how tall is brad pitt”
• Showtimes – “movies near me”
• Tech Help – “memory in my computer”
• Time Zone – “time in London”
• Unit Conversion – “42 ft in meters”
• Chit Chat – “tell me a joke”

 That's as far as it gets, and expect to see builds come faster as the weeks advance. You can install Build 10074 onto your system via the available ISO file at insider.windows.com or directly update from a previous Technical Preview build if you don't fancy a clean install.

Read more on what's new in Build 10074 in the official blog entry

Similar to the never ending debate on which mobile operating system is the ultimate champion, another hot discussion is which digital assistant is better. The main contenders are Apple's Siri, Google's Google Now engine and Microsoft's Cortana. Well, today it seems that Google Now will be pulling up ahead of the competition as Google has announced an API which allows developers to take advantage of the data being collected on Google Now.

This public API will give developers the insights towards the targeted users and ultimately would result in a more personal app experience. Also something to ponder is the voice recognition engine Google Now brings, there were rumors back when Android L was announced that Google Now could potentially control an app with voice.

Now, that dream is nearly there as developers can start working on integrating Google Now onto their app to provide a unique app experience to users. It's not long before both Apple and Microsoft announce the expansion of both Siri and Cortana to third party developers

SOURCE: Gizmodo

Cortana in Windows 10 is gonna look a lot better soon pic.twitter.com/iOgiB7JecS
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) March 16, 2015

SOURCE: @tomwarren (Twitter)

It's no secret that Microsoft is gearing up for a major release later this year, Windows 10 is like mission impossible for the company. They only have one chance to make it perfect. Fortunately, the company for the past year has been strongly focusing on bringing the Microsoft experience to literally all devices regardless of the platform.

This plan has mostly worked and users are absolutely loving the new Microsoft apps on Android and iOS. Particularly the new Outlook and Microsoft garage apps. Today via a Reuters interview, Microsoft's managing director of research reveals that Cortana will be jumping to both iOS and Android in the Fall.

Such a move is expected given that the majority of Microsoft has already migrated themselves to rival platforms. The questions which plagues us now is how would Microsoft differentiate Windows 10 from other platforms when even the most standout features (Cortana) is on rival platforms. What do you think, is Microsoft's plan to open up Windows Phone features a good idea. Tweet to us @TTOT9

SOURCE: TheVerge