This is Cortana, Microsoft’s answer to Siri

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update will include Cortana, a personal digital assistant designed to rival Siri and Google Now. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to The Verge how Cortana looks and operates, replacing the built-in Bing search functionality on Windows Phone 8.1. While the feature is named after the Halo game series, Cortana will take the form of a circular animated icon instead of a female character. Cortana will animate when it’s speaking or thinking, forming a personality not dissimilar to Apple’s Siri.

Read more at: This is Cortana, Microsoft?s answer to Siri | The Verge


[video=youtube;wkgJwGzsn3Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkgJwGzsn3Y[/video]

 

[Tepid]

Keep in mind that it may not be completely polished at first.
It is supposed to be adaptive learning by the individual user.
So, it may take a bit of time to get better, plus I am sure there will probably need updates to smooth out the kinks
that can only be found by having a a couple million+ people using it all at once.
So, there will be a learning curve.

I know how people love to trash MS if it is not super polished and working 5000%+ out the gate.
Basically, it probably won't be, but I can bet that over the next few months to a year it will only get better
possibly make Siri look like a coin operated fortune teller.

 

[Coke Robot]

I've tried Siri and Google Now and haven't been impressed at all with their capabilities. Why would Cortana work any better? Maybe in a few generations these so-called "personal assistant" applications will be useful but right now they're nothing more than interesting toy apps.

That's a good question and one that has yet to be seen or answered. From the very little information leaked out about Cortana that does differentiate itself is context EVERYWHERE.

For example, something that it can do is if you get a text from a friend saying, "Do you want to go and get some dinner in Seattle next Thursday at 7:00?" Cortana will underline Seattle, 7:00, and Thursday; and then it will actually set up a date in your calendar for dinner (you'd probably need to put in that information since it wasn't given) in Seattle with that contact and will remind you about it when the day approaches. Very nifty feature, but a vague example.

I just want the voice to be Jen Taylor's, she did the voice work for Cortana in the Halo games.

 

[alphanumeric]

I just want the voice to be Jen Taylor's, she did the voice work for Cortana in the Halo games.

 

[Vaas]

When I get my windows phone i'm going to make her call me chief.