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Microsoft today announced that Windows 10 will support Cortana integration not only with their own smartphone, but also for those using Android phones or the iPhone. The functionality will come as part of the OS upgrade happening later this summer.
Microsoft Cortana is a voice assistant service, not all that dissimilar to Siri or Google Search + Google Now. Cortana is actually pretty good at what it does, with some people willing to give it the throne of best voice assistant.
So what’ll it bring? Here’s a quick look at the feature set Microsoft is boasting:
- You can have Cortana remind you to pick up milk the next time you’re at the grocery store, and then your phone will wake up and buzz with the reminder.
- You’ll be able to ask about the weather.
- Or sports scores.
- Or anything else you would head to a search engine for.
- You’ll be able to track a flight using Cortana on both your phone and your PC, and get the updates on the device that you’re on so you don’t miss anything.
- Everything in Cortana’s Notebook will show up across all your devices and any changes you make on one device will be reflected when you use Cortana on any of your other devices.
- The Cortana companion app will help you complete tasks you begin on your PC wherever you are, on your phone.
Unfortunately Android and iOS users won’t be enjoying some of the other things made possible by owning a Windows phone, such as being able to toggle settings. That sort of stuff requires more open access to system settings which Microsoft doesn’t have. Regardless, it’s better than having nothing at all.
Microsoft also detailed some of the other Windows 10 integration being worked on, including syncing your files across devices with OneDrive and being able to play music stored in OneDrive through the Xbox Music app. It all sounds great and we can’t wait for it to arrive.
So when will it happen? Microsoft says a new preview version of Windows 10 is heading out in a few weeks, and the Cortana apps for mobile should be out by the end of June. That’s not a long wait and you can bet we’ll be checking it out to see if it can’t steal us away from Google Now.
[via Microsoft]
*Reads list of features*
*Realises Google Now already does all those things well*
*Closes tabs and continues giving no fucks about Cortana*
precisely. Why train yourself to use a new tool when we already have one that is better and is already integrated/installed/trained.
I’m willing to try it out on my Nexus 6….but after playing with it on my friends Lumia, I can tell you that is no where NEAR as accurate as Google’s or even Siri for that matter. It does have some potential but it does exactly what Google does….but i’ll give it a shot.
You’re completely full of it. You haven’t tried crap. You’re just a Google shill claiming a Microsoft product is not good because you’ve got Google’s schlong jammed down your throat.
Cortana wipes the floor with Siri, and is better at being a digital assistant than Google Now. Google Now is better at some things, Cortana is better at others, not that you would know.
Lol whatever u say there dude. I’ll remember that as I respond from my surface pro 3.
Cortana, Siri, S whatever from Samsung.. it’s fun for about 2-3 days and then, it is slower than I can manually act.
yeah good point. I rarely yell OK Google on my phone anymore.
I find the OK google is pretty useful, I use it a few times a day. siri and such are kinda gimmicky to me. maybe I use it more since I have the moto 360, or because I’m jus and inquisitive person. I always hear something, wonder what it is, then yell at google to give me the info.
haha yeah I actually agree with you and am on your level. whenever I do use it, its usually off my 360 as well. I have my Nexus 6 set up to hear “ok google” when the screen is off but i find the inaccuracy a pain in the butt some times when I talk too fast. at the end of the day though, it is useful so you are 100% right
How about battery with that? It is “always on” in some way to have to listen and make data pings to get the info.
As far as my OPO…It’s mostly negligible especially since Lollipop already butchered battery life on a few devices. Similar to how the device is always waiting for double tap to wake, I would think awaiting touch input is a bigger hog, but that also didn’t affect anything personally.
OK can’t wait to give a trial
In my best Mark Cuban inflection: I know this is totally irrational, but, I never liked Halo and for that reason, I’m out.
You’re a Google shill, and that’s why you don’t like Microsoft. That’s why you’re out.
LOL, what!? Does that mean I have to give up my Surface 3 for a Chromebook now? Oh, wait, why would I want to do that I already had one of those. Get rid of my XBOX 360 and One perhaps? Oh, I know, Maybe I’ll give up my backup Lumia for for a 2nd Nexus 5, because you know you can’t have enough redundancy in your tech, right? Like I need Google Now and Cortana and maybe 5 or 6 launchers and text messaging apps while I’m at it. Troll harder next time, maybe you’ll get an assumption right one day.
Curtana’s kind of hot though.. I’d do her..if that huge hulking master chief wasn’t the jealous type…
Microsoft shouldn’t waste their time with Google shills, especially without OS integration.