One of the mantras of Microsoft is that people are mobile, not devices, as people jump from their PC to their phone to their car. Having a digital assistant that follows you around and is usable from anywhere is part of the goal, and they’re one step closer with a Cortana in the car prototype, being worked on with Taiwanese partners (via the Taipei Times).
The chief operating officer at the Microsoft Asia-Pacific Research and Development Group, Samuel Shen, said that Microsoft is working on Cortana connected cars and also discussed their hopes for the project – “We have not launched similar products due to the high cost, but we hope to have further discussions with Taiwanese partners to jointly explore future possibilities.” He didn’t clarify which partners Microsoft could potentially work with but the system sounds intriguing.
The prototype Cortana connected system has a display that appears on the windshield with the location of the driver’s favorite places. It also gives drivers the ability to make reservations at those restaurants. This wouldn’t be Microsoft’s first attempt at integrating their services with cars but it would be the first to fully utilize Cortana.
This was all discussed at Microsoft’s TechDays event in Taiwan that had over 3,000 individuals in attendance from almost 1,000 firms.
