Android, iOS, Windows Phone. Each of these mobile
platforms had to start somewhere, and none were anywhere near perfect on the
first try. Fortunately, each OS gets better with every iteration until, at some
point, it all just clicks. Arguably, Windows Phone just came of age with its
latest update, version 8.1.
Even before today, Windows Phone
only had a few big holes remaining and indeed, 8.1 appears to fill those gaps.
In particular, the OS now has a fancy notification center in addition to those
signature Live Tiles; the keyboard now allows for swipe gestures; and last but
not least, it now has Cortana, a virtual assistant to take on Siri, Google Now
and Samsung S Voice. The 8.1 update is a fairly significant one, and I got the
opportunity to take it for a spin ahead of the official developer preview's
launch. It may not be perfect yet, but it's clear Windows Phone has finally
grown up.
Cortana
Windows Phone included a search option from the
beginning, and though it was useful at the time, rivals like Siri, S Voice and
Google Now have quickly turned the tide, rendering Microsoft first "voice
assistant" completely obsolete. Thankfully, the 8.1 update introduces a
personal assistant named Cortana
to help bring Windows Phone into the modern era.
Named after Master Chiefs trusty AI sidekick in Halo,
Cortana is designed to help you do whatever you do on a phone. Think:
scheduling appointments, alerting you to upcoming flights, telling you the
weather, offering up directions, dictating messages, opening apps and adjusting
settings. She even tells jokes and responds in humorous ways to (most) silly
questions. Those are all givens these days, so let's instead move on to the
more unusual things she can do.
First, much like a real-life assistant, Cortana
has a notebook, which she uses to gather information about you. She learns
about your dining preferences, travel needs, daily routine and news stories
your keeping track of (I'm hooked on the hunt for MH370 right now, so Cortana
keeps that front and center). Often, these things will even pop up on Cortana's
Live Tile on the home screen.
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