Siri-equivalent in Windows Phone 8.1 comes from hit game Halo

by Mark Tyson on 13 September 2013, 14:15

Tags: Windows 8, Windows Phone, Xbox

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Reports indicate that Microsoft is working on a functional competitor to Apple Siri and Google Now personal assistant software. References to an app called ‘zCortana’ have been found in leaked builds of Windows Phone 8.1. ZDNet says that the ‘z’ denotes a test version and many Xbox gamers will already know that Cortana is an artificial intelligence in humanoid form in the Halo game series.

In Halo the Cortana character can learn and adapt and ZDNet suggests that the Microsoft personal assistant will also be able to do so thanks to Bing’s ‘Satori’ knowledge repository. The Windows Phone 8.1 changes will run deeper than just a bolt-on personal assistant as Cortana is said to be part of the core services and experiences that determine the way you interact with your smartphone.

Windows and Xbox too

It is thought that Cortana will also be an integral part of all Microsoft operating systems in the future. Pointers to this strategy can be found in the Microsoft memo called ‘Transforming Our Company’, written by Steve Ballmer in July. “A family of devices powered by a service-enabled shell,” was the vision set by Ballmer in that communication. He clarified the strategy, explaining; “As devices proliferate, it has become clearer that consumers crave one experience across all of their technology. [snip] And our products and services should operate as one experience across every device.” Furthermore there would be “a super-intelligent cloud that understands people and can solve problems for them,” – this “deeply personalized” and “almost magical” UI would be provided by Cortana.

A screenshot from Cortana preference settings, via The Verge, can be seen above

Turning our focus again squarely on Windows Phone 8.1, further new upcoming features have been seen/leaked earlier this year in the form of a notification centre. The notifications you see in the screenshot are also visible in overview via a live tile on the home screen. A more recent screenshot, below, shows a notifications tile and a combined Outlook and Skype live tile, on a Nokia Lumia 620 smartphone. There’s also a star symbol in the taskbar which may offer a pull-down response option.

The other new addition for Windows Phone you can see, right picture above, is multiple selection and manipulation of tiles which will help bring WP more in line with the Windows modern interface behaviour.



HEXUS Forums :: 20 Comments

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So Microsoft are hoping for a halo effect on their phone OS from one of their successful games title, (weak pun intended)?

Rest of the changes look good - and the fact that one of the screen shots was from a Lumia 620 bodes well for the hopes of current Windows Phone users that they will get this update soon.

Wonder if Windows Cortana will have the same problem with accents that Siri does?
crossy
Wonder if Windows Cortana will have the same problem with accents that Siri does?
At a guess, I assume it will still use the TellMe functionality which WP had before Siri for voice commanding and navigation.

I've found it to be hit and miss, OK when I am in the car, just about.

I wonder if these voice technologies will drive people to speak properly and get rid of the difficult regional accents?
TheAnimus
At a guess, I assume it will still use the TellMe functionality which WP had before Siri for voice commanding and navigation. I've found it to be hit and miss, OK when I am in the car, just about.
S-Voice on the S3 is the same - very hit and miss. Although I've got to say that it's usually okay with normal words, but doesn't seem to handle people's names very well - you'd think it'd be clever enough to check your contacts list.
TheAnimus
I wonder if these voice technologies will drive people to speak properly and get rid of the difficult regional accents?
So that's Received Pronunciation for everyone or, like some I could name, a Lloyd Grosman type “mid atlantic” brogue? Maybe there's a way that Microsoft could put some clear blue water between them and Apple/Google - better support for local accents and local slang, (like these).
The problem you have with voice recognition technologies is that there is very little competition driving things forward. Nuance rules the roost in this segment by buying all its competitors up.

Nuance definitely provide the services for Siri and I imagine for all the others too.

So don't expect any of them to be radically better with accents than the others.
TheAnimus
I wonder if these voice technologies will drive people to speak properly and get rid of the difficult regional accents?
I'd prefer it if they could widen the scope than narrow it. Most people do not *choose* to speak with “improper” accent, and with some exceptions, most people simply can not speak with a “perfect” accent even if they spend the rest of their life speaking it if they started past their formative year. Unifying words/spelling/grammar and that sort of things is probably feasible, but I think that accent is a different story.