The folks over at Unleashthephones are at it again, with another leaked video showcasing Windows Phone 8.1. This time, we get to see Cortana in action. As you can see from the video, Microsoft seems to have taken a different approach with Cortana.
Cortana is Microsoft’s “revolutionary” assistant technology. Although we do have a voice command system built in, it’s time Microsoft improved on it to have competition with Siri and Google Now. If you ever played Halo, you would recognize the name “Cortana”. Cortana is named after a Halo character that knows everything.
Instead of a Google Now approach where you see display cards of information, Cortana works on a question and answer approach. In other words, it will showcase information only when you ask it. You can access Cortana from the Start Screen or via the Search button on your device.
Microsoft explains Cortana as a “personal assistant on your phone, ready to help with reminders, suggestions, tasks and lots more.” Cortana can address you by your name or a nickname you set, as well as animate when it is speaking or thinking, forming a personality just like Apple’s Siri. The circular icon color will also match your phone’s accent color – so if you have a green accent color set, Cortana will feature a green icon.
The digital assistant will also save information and data in a Notebook system, allowing access to information such as location data, personal information, reminders, and contacts. Unfortunately, in the video, we do not get to hear Cortana’s voice. Take a look at the video embedded below.
Microsoft is rumored to unveil the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system in the coming months, possibly at the annual BUILD 2014 conference which will take place in April. Several rumors suggest WP8.1 will hit RTM in March, with the developers getting access to it in April followed by its official public launch in the following months.
Further reading: Cortana, Windows Phone
