Lenovo and Microsoft team up to make Cortana even smarter on Windows 10

Lenovo unveiled a new technology called "REACHit" which extends the search capabilities of Cortana for Windows 10 devices. The REACHit app offers an entirely new level of contextual search, giving users the most comprehensive, seamless and natural way to find their personal digital content across any connected Lenovo PC or tablet device running Windows 10 and many major cloud services.

With REACHit on Lenovo's Windows 10 PCs, Cortana will be able to assist you far beyond its current parameter. Using a unique user-assigned Lenovo ID, Cortana personal digital assistant and REACHit Lenovo users will be able to search for their digital contents like, photos, video, files or emails in multiple file storage locations from one place. The app can even search personal cloud accounts including services like OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, DropBox, and more.

How it Works:

Cortana and REACHit lets you search your digital content using whatever details you remember – you don't even need to know the file name. Just ask Cortana and REACHit to help you find a file using voice or text input, Cortana will then search it based on specific things you remember about the last time you saw it, like:

  • Where you were
  • Who sent it to you
  • What device you were on
  • Where it's stored
  • What it's called
  • When you last opened it
  • What kind of file it is
  • Who you were with

Cortana + REACHit Key Features:

  • Allows users to search for photos, videos, documents and music across devices, including Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, PCs and tablets.
  • Gives users the ability to add location to searches, cross-referencing the file event with the location data to produce the most relevant results.
  • Cortana and REACHit works on Lenovo PCs and tablets running Windows 10.
  • Since Lenovo and Microsoft collaborated on this project, this results in a seamless, enhanced Cortana search experience.
  • The most natural search – express your search as you would normally speak it, based on what you can remember.
  • Contextual awareness enables you to search in ways you never thought possible.
  • Support for cloud storage providers like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box
  • Support for email services like Gmail, Exchange, and IMAP
  • Support for calendar services* like Exchange, Outlook.com, and Google Calendar
  • Support for search across multiple Windows 10 devices

Cortana and REACHit will be available to Lenovo customers in the U.S, and China as a beta when Windows 10 launches later this summer. Public access to Cortana and REACHit will begin in the Fall. You can check out REACHit right here and request an invite to the Beta program.

Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine