Microsoft's Cortana’ Siri-like Voice Assistant For Windows Phone

Until this point, Siri and Google Now have been battling for the title of best personal voice assistant, but soon Windows Phone users may get a voice-enabled search aide of their own. Microsoft is reportedly readying a Windows Phone 8.1 update that may include a new personal assistant codenamed “Cortana.” Named after the “Halo” character, the Cortana voice assistant is expected to build upon WindowsPhones’ existing basic voice commands with the capability to learn and adapt.

As any respectable Halo fan will be more than aware, it’s the same name of the popular franchise’s own AI character, and according to multiple sources, the feature will be able to learn from a users behaviors and adapt itself from there.

This is not the first time we’ve heard of this Cortana app, either. A couple of months back, evidence leaked under the name zCortanaApp, and if the current circulation of reports are to be believed, Microsoft could really be looking to step things up a notch or two in the field of voice assistant technology.

The said ability to learn user traits, just like a real-life assistant, is very interesting indeed, and with Siri often having been criticized for limited functionality and very basic feature set, Microsoft certainly has a chance to make an impression.

The app will use the same knowledge repository that powers Microsoft’s Bing search engine to retrieve answers and complete tasks.

With the Windows Phone platform still massively under-performing when compared with Google and Apple’s respective ecosystems, Microsoft knows it needs to bring more to the table if it is to entice consumers into buying a Windows Phone device. Android and iOS devices continue to outsell Windows Phone handsets by a considerable margin, and with BlackBerry’s future looking particularly bleak, the Redmond company knows that acting quickly and effectively is in its best interests.

zCortanaApp

Cortana could be ready in time to be presented as a marquee Windows Phone 8.1 feature, with the software update anticipated to launch early on next year. Windows Phone fans have had very little to get excited about in recent times, but a truly intelligent voice assistant could do wonders for the platform’s fortunes.

At this stage of mere speculation, it’s unknown how Cortana would be implemented into the Windows Phone platform in general, but we’ll certainly be keeping our eyes open for any more information on the subject as it leaks.

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