Smartphone voice assistants can be described in plain simple words as
‘freaking cool’. They have come a long way and at present they can
almost be seen as the baby versions of Tony Stark’s Jarvis. While Google
Now is a great search and convenience tool, Microsoft’s Cortana and
Apple’s Siri have anthropomorphic qualities that let them have human
live conversations with the users. Microsoft has decided to take Cortana
to a wider audience and will be bringing its voice assistant to iOS and
Android devices.
Microsoft has said that it will be introducing Cortana on other
operating systems as a standalone app. The company will also be
integrating its artificial intelligence(AI) based technology called
‘Einstein’ with the voice assistant. With Einstein’s support, Cortana
would be able to read and understand emails that will help it provide
more convenient features to the users. It would let it offer suggestions
to the user, even before they ask for it, something Google Now has been
doing for a while.
Cortana is based on the artificially intelligent character of the
same name from the famed video game, Halo. The personality of the voice
assistant is also derived from the AI character from the game. Microsoft
has been banking on Cortana’s ability to chit chat with the users.
Cortana also offers usual voice assistant features like setting
reminders and calendar, weather and traffic information, writing notes
and messages.
Microsoft will also be bringing Cortana on Windows 10 operating
system for desktops. It might actually beat Apple in this field as the
Cupertino-based company didn’t bring Siri to the latest Yosemite
operating system. Microsoft is contemplating the fall timeframe for the
launch of the app. So if you liked Google Now but wanted a more
human-like interaction, Microsoft’s Cortana is coming soon to give you
company.
Speaking of voice assistants, remember that one time we got Siri to speak in Punjabi?
