Leaks confirm the look and face of Cortana, the new voice assistant all set to rival Apple’s Siri and Google Now. The AI, which has been inspired from the character form the Halo series, will be formally introduced as part of Windows 8.1 in the Microsoft Build Conference from April 2-4, 2014.
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Cortana is represented by a blue animated circle as it speaks or thinks, similar to the microphone in Siri. Like Google Now, Cortana also manages to provide contextual information and notifications based on user based searches, emails, contacts, and Bing. It can be set to offer suggestions throughout the day, or even notify you of scheduled events by checking up on your calendars and emails. You can also set Cortana to refer to you by name.
So what sets Cortana apart from the rest? Answer, its transparency. Notebook, a database for Cortana’s information comprising all your cloud and device information, can be formatted to allow only some content available for the voice assistant. In fact, Cortana and Bing as rumored to be heavily reliant on an upcoming extensive search engine called Satori, which Microsoft dubs as the “world’s largest repository for knowledge”, and which, in the end, serves to improve user experience (obviously what everyone is aiming at.)
Can Cortana bring up the Nadella-led Microsoft team to a compatible level with its competitors? Let’s wait and watch as the smart, real-time voice assistant takes shape in the months to come.
