Work Assistant caught on video before official launch

Feb 9, 2015 13:51 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is already working to bring back Clippy in some way on another on Office for Windows Phone, and an app called Work Assistant is expected to do just that with the help of Bill Gates, as this is believed to be the first project of the company's co-founder since his return in February 2014.

The application is still in private beta stage, and although it shows up in the store, it cannot be downloaded by users worldwide until Microsoft specifically allows them to.

And yet, this video published by Microsoft Place provides us with an early glimpse of the app that's expected to be based on Cortana and offer us an easy way to perform basic tasks such as opening and searching documents with voice commands.

Microsoft hasn't provided any specifics about the new feature of Office, but it's believed that it could be part of the new version of the productivity suite which will be included in Windows 10 and offered as universal apps.

The new Office for Windows Phone is very likely to ship in the fall of 2015, when the PC version of the operating system is also expected to launch for users worldwide. The new Office Touch is also up for grabs for those on Windows 10 Technical Preview, through the new beta store that was included in build 9926.

Microsoft's Office Touch would be pre-installed on tablets and smartphones running Windows 10, Microsoft said, while all the other devices can get it from the store free of charge.