Cortana is the proper name for the intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator for Windows Phone eight.1 and Windows 10. Cortana builds off Microsoft's previous voice technology called TellMe, purchased by Microsoft in 2009.

Cortana competes confronting Apple'southward Siri and Android's Google Now voice assistants.

The name 'Cortana' comes from the fictional, artificially intelligent (AI) character in the Halo video game serial. The kickoff prove of Cortana's existence was found in June 2022 in the Windows Phone Central forums, appearing every bit 'zCortana' from a developer device that was accidentally sold to a non-Microsoft employee.

Naming and Voicing

The proper noun Cortana was reserved for the AI in Microsoft's Halo gaming series. While at that place was a desire to telephone call Microsoft'southward next-gen personal assistant Cortana equally an official name, information technology was non clear that the company could practice so, due to numerous marketing and trademark concerns.

However, on April four 2022, Microsoft finally unveiled Cortana to the public during Build 2022. Microsoft chose the name Cortana due to a pop groundswell of fans who requested the proper noun.

Jen Taylor, who currently voices Cortana in the Halo games, too voices the knowledge navigator for Windows Telephone 8.1.

Look and Features

The current look of Cortana is both futuristic and minimalist, being represented equally an orb with blitheness. From a pre-release description of Cortana by an within source:

"The personality of Cortana is currently represented past a circumvolve graphic that expresses what information technology's doing (searching, identifying music Cortana is currently represented by a circumvolve graphic that expresses what information technology's doing (searching, identifying music à la the current Bing music listener built into Windows Phone, etc.) by various animations like spinning, flipping, etc. …more animations [have] come in over time, and the color is based on your theme color."

Cortana tin integrate with tertiary-party apps via a new API introduced by Microsoft at their 2022 Build briefing. For example, users can say "Foursquare...checkin" and the personal assistant launches the Foursquare app and brings up locations around y'all to choose for checking in.

Cortana can set reminders, runway your flights, tell you the atmospheric condition, send messages, and answer questions. All searching on Windows Phone viii.1, including Cyberspace Explorer, is handled through Cortana, which itself is powered by Bing.

Various sections of Cortana tin can also exist pinned to a user's Start screen, including Conditions, Reminders, and News for quick access. The app, upon launching, tin can optionally deliver a 'Daily Glance', which includes your weather, traffic, and headlines.

Cortana can also brand NFL and other predictions and speak Klingon.

Finally, another alter is how users commencement Cortana as the app is now initiated via the Search cardinal. Users volition no longer have to hold downward the Start central to launch the voice banana.

Forthcoming features

The Cortana team, led by Marcus Ash, is adding new features to Cortana roughly every 2 weeks. Those new features are added to the Cortana 'What's New' page hosted by Microsoft.

Show for bundle tracking by Cortana was found in the Windows ten registry, suggesting that this is a forthcoming characteristic.

Starting with the Lumia Denim update later in 2022 for the Lumia 930 and Lumia 1520, users will exist able to actuate Cortana via passive vox, meaning they do not physically accept to launch the phonation assistant. Instead, users tin just say 'Hey, Cortana' and the telephone, through passive-voice engineering science, will wake to take the request. This feature is dependent upon the Qualcomm Snapdragon 80x chipset series and SensorCore.

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