Microsoft launches Outlook for Apple Watch, Translator for Apple Watch and Android Wear

Microsoft today launched and updated many of its apps for wearables. The biggest releases are of course the new apps, which you can download right now: Outlook for Apple Watch, and Microsoft Translator for Apple Watch and Android Wear.

At the same time, Microsoft has also released a slew of updates to its existing wearable apps. You can download those updates right now as well: Wunderlist for Apple Watch, Yammer for Apple Watch, OneDrive for Android Wear, and OneNote for Android Wear.

Microsoft wants its productivity tools on all the major platforms. And yes, that includes this new gadget type: “Wearables are an emerging type of device that promises to be always with you and provide relevant, personal notifications to keep you focused — through simple, natural and brief interactions,” Microsoft wrote in its announcement.

New apps

First up, Outlook on the Apple Watch lets you “quickly triage email” and stay “on top of your schedule.” Like many Apple Watch apps, this one is all about keeping you updated with the latest: Focused Inbox Watch notifications let you know about emails and calendar events. You can also see unread emails and your next calendar appointment on the Glance screen.

Most importantly, the app lets you browse and read full emails right from your wrist. You can also archive, delete, flag, or schedule them to appear later. There’s a Quick Replies feature that offers prewritten responses, or you can use voice dictation to say exactly what you want to send.

Microsoft Translator for Apple Watch and Android Wear lets you speak into your watch to get instant translations in 50 languages. You can pin your most commonly used translations and settings to your watch screen for easy access, and browse your history of recently used phrases.

The companion apps for iPhone and Android let you manage your settings, translate right from your phone, and handle typed text. These apps are part of an exploration into the translation experience on wearables, Microsoft explained.

OneDrive for Android Wear has gained a slew of improvements. There’s a new OneDrive watch face that shows a great photo from the past 30 days and notifications that ensure you’re always up-to-date on edits made to shared documents.

OneNote on Android Wear watches already lets you quickly take notes using your voice (just say “OK Google, take a note”) and recall recent OneNote notes from the device. Now, you can also see your most recently viewed notes right on your watch.

Last but not least, Yammer for Apple Watch is coming soon. Microsoft promises it will help you “stay on top of your most important conversations and activities at a glance and take quick action so you have fewer to-dos at the end of the day.” You’ll get notifications for Yammer announcements or updates to relevant conversations, use Glances to get a quick view of the number of unread messages and notifications, and be able to tap to Like, Mark as Unread, or View on Phone.