Speculations around Cortana, the personal digital assistant began last year, and it finally started rolling out with Windows Phone 8.1 OS. But, it seems like Microsoft has been working on it for quite a few years now. The company’s research team have published a few videos from the year 2011 that showcase another digital assistant called Louise.
The videos demonstrate it working on a Windows Phone 7 OS-powered Samsung handset, and from the looks of it, it surely appears as the foundation for Cortana. But that’s not all. Another video demonstrates it working on a Windows 8 OS tablet, which hints where Microsoft next wants to take its personal digital assistant.
While not being as full-fledged as Cortana, obviously, Louise was able to take your voice commands and save corresponding appointments. Furthermore, it was also able to find you local restaurants and was smart enough to take further contextual questions.
Cortana is surely the refined version of Louise.
In another video, Louise was able to understand the conversation two people were having over Skype, and provide them with useful information. Such as how much time it would take to go from one place to another, or what movies are running in which theaters.
Louise suggests that Cortana could soon arrive on the desktop as well.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was seeing Louise work on a Windows 8-powered tablet. It was able to find you the nearest restaurants, allow you to quickly book tickets without having to manually visit the website, and more. Satya Nadella in his yesterday’s email talked about redefining productivity. Maybe Cortana could very soon be integrated to the desktop operating system as well. You can watch the videos below. Let us know how you like them!
Further reading: Cortana
