Alexa Can Now Suggest Free Calendar Time Slots For Meetings With Contacts

Amazon has rolled out new calendar features to Alexa, its AI personal assistant. Users in the United States now have access to two new features, one that suggests free time in the user's schedule for new events, another that enables users to move a meeting to a new time or date using voice commands. Amazon calls these features "Move Meeting" and "Schedule one-on-one Meeting."READ: Amazon Echo Review (2017)

The two new features, which are rolling out to users in the US starting today, are pretty straightforward. The first, Move Meeting, enables Alexa users to better manage their calendar using voice commands. To use Move Meeting, the user says, "Alexa, move my meeting" — that command can be expanded to include a specific time in the initial command.

For example, the user can say, "Alexa, move my meeting at 3PM to tomorrow at 4PM." If you're attempting to move the meeting to a time slot that already has something scheduled, Amazon says Alexa will give you a heads up.

Joining Move Meeting is Schedule one-on-one Meeting, a feature that helps users decide which date and time is best for their activity. Users can setup a meeting with a specific contact, assuming Alexa has access to the contacts, by saying a command like, "Alexa, schedule a meeting with Jane Doe." Upon hearing that, Alexa will look up and then suggests two different free time slots that are compatible with both users.

These join Alexa's existing features, which include the ability to create events, browse existing events, and cancel scheduled appointments. The user can, for example, say things like, "Alexa, what appointments do I have next week," and, "Alexa, create a new event for tomorrow at 8AM." Users must link whatever calendars they use, such as Google Calendar, in the Alexa mobile app.