Microsoft earlier this year introduced Cortana, an intelligent virtual assistant to compete with iOS' Siri and Android's Google Now. Cortana was launched as a Windows Phone 8.1 feature, but a new report from Search Engine Land suggests Microsoft may expand the service to iOS and Android.

cortana
Speaking at the SMX Advanced conference in Seattle yesterday, Windows Phone Group Program Manager Marcus Ash said the company wants Cortana to be "pervasive" both geographically and among mobile platforms.

We want to scale Cortana internationally and across devices. The Android/iOS question is interesting. We’re asking, would Cortana be as effective if she didn’t have access to the details on your phone? We’re still trying to get Cortana adopted on Windows Phone and figure out what it wants to become there. But we’re actively talking about this.

I think it’s natural to think that an assistant that only runs on one device … the idea that she will be very pervasive is important to us.

Cortana is powered by Microsoft's Bing search engine and Tellme's natural language processing and speech-recognition technology Microsoft acquired in 2009. The assistant is launching first on Windows Phone 8.1 and the Xbox One game console. It is named after the artificial intelligence in Microsoft's popular Halo game series and has a female voice powered by actress Jen Taylor, who also provides the voiceovers for the video game.

Top Rated Comments

WhoDaKat Avatar
128 months ago
Without OS integration, it would be worthless. About the only thing it could do is a web search.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iCore24 Avatar
128 months ago
Microsoft Engineers: We built this "Awesome" voice assistant!

Microsoft CEO: Thats great! We spent a lot of hard work and money on it.

Microsoft Engineers: Yea, but too bad only dozens of people get to use it :(

Microsoft CEO: ugh...Just give it to them already...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
avanpelt Avatar
128 months ago
They might as well. Give people options. I'm glad I have certain aspects of Google Now in the Google Search app on my iPhone. I use the voice integration part of the Google Search app for some things and Siri for other things. Having choice is a good thing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
128 months ago
why should he/she? The majority of Windows phones still dont have this update. And the majority of windows phones sold will not have the hardware to run this update. The same as the majority of Android phones can't run Google now well because of hardware limitations.

Well yeah, the vast majority of windows phone don't have this update because it's not out yet. It's coming out next week sometime. Plus, as far as I know, every single WP8 phone out there should be able to run the 8.1 update.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghost of jobs Avatar
128 months ago
Did you forget about Office for Mac? Remote Desktop? One Note?

----------



Agreed

----------



I agree with you on Android. It's a fugly interface. Windows Phone actually has a polished interface as well as iOS. I would certainly switch to Windows Phone from my iPhone if it ever came a time I did not like Apple's business.

I can honestly say I don't think many Android devices would sell if it couldn't be rooted.

Honestly?.. U do realise that probably 1% of androids are maybe rooted.. It's only for super tech heads..

And with the quote that the android interface is fugly... Wow.. bar Google devices are other handsets have a slightly different interface.. but it's still essentially icons and widgets... Or just icons if u wants.... As opposed to just.... Icons... I can see how you think ios is beautiful...

----------

Yeah exactly, I'm glad someone else gets the frustration. At least OS X asks first if you want to restart now or later.

Is a restart every 3 weeks a frustration?..
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
APlotdevice Avatar
128 months ago
You need to update your perceptions - Windows' mobile OS is making up ground. It's still a long way off Android and iOS, but people used to make the same jokes about Android...
Except the difference is that the market is much more saturated now that was when Android was starting out. Microsoft entered very late into the game... Sure they had Windows Mobile before that, but they chose not to include backwards compatibility with it in Windows Phone, thus eliminating their entire existing user base. (And worse, a bitter taste in many consumers' mouths from this abandonment; Myself included)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...