[LEAKED] Microsoft's Siri-like Cortana Assistant For Windows Phone 8.1
Microsoft is preparing to release its very own Siri alternative in Windows Phone 8.1. While details and screenshots have provided some of the features of Cortana, a video has emerged today that shows the voice-activated assistant in action.
By Sadho Ram — 13 Sep 2013, 03:37 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
The Oddly Silent Demo Doesn’t Feature Any Spoken Commands But Still Responds To Unheard Input
The first video of Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana has leaked, courtesy of UnleashThePhones, running on what appears to be a pre-release build of Windows Phone 8.1.
techcrunch.com
Microsoft describes the tool as “a personal assistant on your phone, ready to help with reminders, suggestions, tasks and lots more.”
It appears that Cortana will require a Microsoft Account to function, and it's activated after a set of questions and the ability to set what nickname the assistant will use to speak to you.
theverge.com
After the questioning is complete, Cortana stores these details in its Notebook and the voice and search functions are then activated. The video doesn't show how results are processed, nor what the voice of Cortana sounds like, but it does reveal a do-not-disturb mode that Cortana will manage.
unleashthephones.com
Some of the Cortana animations are also shown in the video, where the circular interface bounces and spins when it's reacting or thinking.
theverge.com
Microsoft is set to unveil Cortana fully at its Build conference in April, with a developer release due at the same time.
Microsoft's Virtual Personal Assistant Is Currently Being Called "Cortana" After The Popular Game Series Halo
Cortana takes its codename from Cortana, an artificially intelligent character in Microsoft's Halo series who can learn and adapt. Cortana, Microsoft's assistant technology, likewise will be able to learn and adapt, relying on machine-learning technology and the "Satori" knowledge repository powering Bing.
zdnet.com
Traces of this voice assistant had been available even in June but barely any attention was paid to it, according to ZDnet’s Mary Jo Foley. The feature was named “zCortana” back then, the “z” indicating that it was in test mode
in.comGALLERY: Windows Phone 8.1 'Cortana' personal assistant screenshots
The screenshots show an early test version of the app, and Microsoft's Cortana UI and features are likely much more advanced now. The software will likely ship with Windows Phone 8.1, an update that's also set to include a notification center and several UI changes.
theverge.com
Cortana was hinted at previously by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who mentioned "a service-enabled shell" for Windows Phone
"Our UI will be deeply personalized, based on the advanced, almost magical, intelligence in our cloud that learns more and more over time about people and the world," Ballmer wrote.
techradar.com
"Our shell will natively support all of our essential services, and will be great at responding seamlessly to what people ask for, and even anticipating what they need before they ask for it."
Siri, which was originally released by Apple in 201, was seen as a revolutionary step forward in human-computer interaction
Since then various other personal digital assistants have been developed and released. Google Now was released by Google the year following Siri’s release. According to ZDNet, Microsoft will likely have Cortana ready when it releases the 8.1 version of Windows Phone in early 2014.
wallstcheatsheet.com
