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Rumor: Cortana Windows Phone voice assistant will be a hybrid of Siri and Google Now

Rumor: Cortana Windows Phone voice assistant will be a hybrid of Siri and Google Now
Lewis Leong

Lewis Leong

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Microsoft’s upcoming voice assistant, code named Cortana, will apparently combine Siri’s personality with Google Now’s functionality. There have been many rumors about Cortana but more information has emerged since the release of the Windows Phone 8.1 SDK. The upcoming update will bring a new camera app, “Battery Sense” app, a new YouTube Player, and more.

Today sources familiar with Microsoft’s Windows Phone projects revealed to The Verge that Cortana will replace the built-in Bing Search feature. Currently, Bing Search is activated via a hardware button on Windows Phone devices to bring up a quick search field. Cortana will apparently replace this feature and offer voice commands and can pull information from sources like Foursquare, Bing, and others.

Cortana will allegedly be able to decipher natural language to perform tasks like setting reminders and sending messages. Both Siri and Google Now understand natural language to an extent but the for a limited number of actions.

The Verge also reports that Cortana will feature “Notebook” where users can define what information Cortana has access to. This data includes location, behavior, reminders, access to contacts, and other personal information. Privacy is definitely at the forefront of consumer minds since the discovery of the NSA’s mass surveillance programs.

In order for Cortana to truly succeed, it must understand natural language and allow integration into third-party apps. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft integrates Cortana across all its different products like Windows 8.1 and the Xbox One.

Source: The Verge | Neowin

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