Appointments
Latest
Cortana scans your emails to remind you about commitments
If you've ever said you'd do something in an email then whiffed on adding it to your calendar, Cortana can now help. As it previewed last year, Microsoft's assistant will check your emails and, using machine learning tech, pick out things you say you'll do. It'll then remind you later with no effort on your part. For instance, if you tell you're boss "I'll send this report," it'll save that as a suggested reminder. If you specified a date and time, it'll automatically ping you and add it to Microsoft's Action Center.
Square's appointment booking makes sure that you never miss a haircut
Booking time at the hair salon or dentist's can be a decidedly low-tech affair. You often have to do it over the phone, and you may not even get a courtesy call, let alone email. That may not be an issue for much longer now that Square has just launched its Appointments service. The system lets you request an appointment through a simple web form that automatically adds to a shop's calendar. After that, you can get email or text reminders that will help you arrive on time.
Yelp gobbles up SeatMe, an emerging competitor to OpenTable
Yelp just made its partnership with OpenTable very, very awkward with the announcement that it'll purchase a competing reservation service known as SeatMe for $12.7 million. The 16-person operation, based in San Francisco, runs a web and app platform that focuses on restaurants and nightlife activities. According to TechCrunch, SeatMe sent an email to its current customers in the wake of the announcement, with a promise that the service will continue operation. Meanwhile, Yelp is positioning the acquisition as a compliment to its existing offerings, which suggests that the company may bide its time before re-evaluating its partnership with OpenTable. If anything, it looks like Yelp's getting very serious about reservations and appointment bookings, and that could mean a more convenient future for you.
Rumor: Apple to introduce "Apple Store app" tomorrow
Boy Genius Report and a few other sites have heard that Apple is set to introduce a new official app tomorrow, one centered around visiting and shopping at the Apple Store. Supposedly, the app will be free, and will allow users to set up and check Genius Bar appointments, sign up for training, and check availability or even purchase Apple items. BGR says the icon will be blue and have just an apple on it. We have heard this rumor before, but apparently tomorrow is looking like release day for it. TUAW has also heard from a trusted source that the app will be released tomorrow, in conjunction with iPhone 4 preorders. We've also heard that you will be able to purchase items directly from the app, as well as set up store reservations. So this is looking more and more like a sure bet. We'll of course keep an eye on the App Store tomorrow and let you know what we see.
New Mobile Google Calendar on the iPhone too
Hot on the heels of the new version of Gmail Mobile for the iPhone comes a new mobile version of Google Calendar leveraging some of the same technology. The previous iteration was frustratingly feature-poor, allowing you only to view your appointments and add new ones using a natural language interface which could be frustrating with the iPhone's keyboard. Thankfully the new version has a more typical appointment entry screen. Better appointment entry is nice, but the big new features in the new version of Google Calendar for the iPhone are the ability to edit existing appointments, invite other people to events, and the ability to manage appointment invitations and attendance statuses. Although the official announcement on the Official Google Mobile Blog inexplicably downplays it, Google Calendar now has a modicum of offline functionality on the iPhone and Android phones. Now even if you have no network connection it can still show you appointments that you've previously viewed, though you can't edit them. Hopefully this matures into a true offline capability in future versions, but it's sure nice to know that you can get to your appointments if you need to when you're without a network connection.
UK trial allows patients to book doctor visits via remote
Amidst the recent boom in home healthcare gizmos that are enabling the elderly to better care for themselves, it's no surprise to see a trial hit the UK which allows patients to book GP appointments via their TV. The system was devised by EMIS, and was initially available "through the Looking Local portal on the interactive menus on Sky, cable, and Freeview boxes with a modem or broadband connection." Additionally, users could access the menu via WAP-enabled mobile phones, and customers in participating areas were able to "access information from the doctor's receptionist along with a password which allowed them to log in to the system." Results from the pilot program included fewer missed appointments and less time spent chatting with the ill over the phone, but we don't foresee any of these productivity savings being passed along to the consumer in the form of pounds and pence.
