In late 2011, Apple released the iPhone 4S. The new edition of the popular smartphone introduced Siri, an intelligent personal assistant that uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, give driving directions, perform web searches and much more. Siri was received with overwhelming support and praise based on its ease of use and unique personality. Now, it seems like Microsoft wants to take a shot at creating their own version of the personal assistant.
Taking its name from the popular artificial intelligence from the video game seriesĀ Halo, Cortana is set to be included in the 8.1 update for Microsoft’s Windows Phone, one of the iPhone’s primary competitors. Much like Siri, the user will be able to tell Cortana to call him or her by whatever name they please. In addition, it will collect information from Microsoft-owned search engine Bing to assist her in helping the user. While Microsoft is arguably behind in the personal assistant category, their late entry may give them the upper hand. They have had time to decide what works and what doesn’t work with Apple’s Siri and Google’s equivalent program Google Now.
Also included in the 8.1 update are long-awaited features, such as a notification center and numerous business-friendly options. A few days ago, it was revealed that the update would begin to go live on April 8, 2014.
What is your opinion on digital personal assistants? Is Microsoft too late to introduce Cortana? Give us your opinion in the comments.