Fitbit makes Cortana your new workout partner
You can ask the personal assistant to update you on your fitness goals.
Fitbit might have had a few issues (okay, many issues) developing their long-expected smartwatch, but they have some good news today if you use Windows. You can now use the Fitbit skill with Cortana, Windows' virtual personal assistant. Microsoft introduced the Cortana Skills Kit earlier this year, which encourages developers to integrate their products with Cortana.
To connect Cortana to Fitbit, all you have to do is say, "Hey Cortana, open Fitbit." Cortana will then prompt you to connect your Fitbit account. Once you do, you can use the personal assistant to keep track of your activity or log food and water. You can use the skill by saying such phrases as, "Hey Cortana, ask Fitbit to log I drank 8 ounces of water," or "Hey Cortana, ask Fitbit how many steps do I have left today."
Cortana also will interface with your Fitbit leaderboard and can tell you how you're performing in comparison with the friends you compete against. The goal is to make Fitbit's stats easier to access (and therefore, be more easily motivated by them) by not having to pull up the app or website every time you want an update. Additionally, Cortana will encourage you to meet your fitness goals through short motivational sayings that are customized depending on the time of day. If the support of an AI is what gets you out of your chair and moving, then hey, bring on all the Cortana integrations.
