App reviews: Cortana, Urbanstems

Microsoft's personal-assistant app, Cortana, is a core new feature of its Windows 10 operating system. Like Siri or the Google Now assistant, Cortana is voice controlled and designed to provide you with a unified way to connect to your calendar, email, reminders and more. She has broken out of Microsoft devices and is here — in early beta testing — for Android. The software is in testing phase, so users should expect a few blips.

That said, in my testing Cortana correctly predicted traffic, set reminders, checked appointments and found restaurant recommendations. If you're wary about sharing information with Cortana, it's probably best to steer clear. The app's features rely heavily on your personal data to determine things such as your location or the news you'll want to read. And you'll have to sign up to be a part of the testing program. You can do that from Microsoft's website (bit.ly/1JfDJSO), then download the app from the Google Play store. Free, for Android devices.

Urbanstems

No one's perfect. Sometimes we forget to mark important occasions. So when you need to send flowers fast, consider Urbanstems.

Users can choose from a few options starting at $35 for one-hour delivery — late orders may come the next day — Monday through Friday. (You can, of course, plan ahead a little more.) Flowers come from sustainable farms in Colombia and Ecuador. Ordering is a breeze once you've entered your card into the app. The service gets serious points for simplicity.

The app also gets some points for humor. During my testing, there was a limited offer for a timely “Ashley Madison” package — advertised with a puppy in the doghouse.

The flowers I ordered for next-day delivery arrived within their time window, and the delivery person Urbanstems contracted to present my bouquet was courteous and professional. The main caveat here? Urbanstems is only available in New York and Washington. Free to download, for iOS devices.