Cortana (software)

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Cortana

Microsoft Cortana.svg
Screen capture from Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1
Screenshot of Cortana on Windows 10 Mobile
Basic data

developer Microsoft
Publishing year 2014
Current  version 3.3.1.2573-enus-release ( Android )
June 6, 2019 ,

1.8.0 ( iOS )
June 20, 2016

operating system Windows ,
Xbox One ,
Android ,
iOS
category voice recognition
License proprietary
German speaking Yes
de / windows / cortana

Cortana is software from Microsoft for Windows 10 , Android , iOS and Xbox One that receives and processes commands in naturally spoken language .

Microsoft discontinued Cortana for Android and iOS on January 31, 2020.

history

Cortana was presented by Joe Belfiore at Microsoft's Build 2014 conference . With the Developer Preview of Windows Phone 8.1, users in the USA could test the beta version of the service. The name "Cortana" pays homage to the Halo game series published by Microsoft . There is Cortana an artificial intelligence that supports the player.

With Windows 10, Cortana is available on PC. In addition, the voice assistant is already officially running on Windows Phone 8.1, iOS and Android. Cortana was also compatible with the Xbox One.

In 2020, the app for Android and iOS will no longer be offered in the UK, Australia and Canada. Cortana should actually appear on fridges, toasters, and other devices as well. At CES 2018, Cortana could only be seen with one thermostat and this has meanwhile removed the Assistant from its product page as a feature.

With the April 2020 update for Windows 10 (2004), Cortana is no longer a system application and further functions have been outsourced to other Microsoft services. According to analysts, Microsoft wants to remove Cortana from the race with Siri, Alexa and the Google Assistant and integrate it more deeply into Office 365. Some of the new features remain limited to the United States.

Availability of Cortana
  • available
  • not available

    • Range of functions

    Cortana can use voice commands to operate Bing searches or create appointments and reminders with voice input. In addition, contacts in the phone book can be called using voice control or routes to destinations whose addresses can be clearly identified via the Internet can be calculated using the Here navigation software . Important information such as the interests or preferences of the user are stored in the so-called "notebook". Cortana can refer to this information later. This feature will be removed with the Windows 2004 update. Cortana now uses chat balms to communicate. Since it is no longer a system app, it can be removed from the taskbar and the window can be adjusted in terms of its size. It is still not possible to uninstall.

    In Lumia devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC or newer, the English Cortana can be called up from standby mode without physical interaction with the smartphone after a corresponding system update using the activation word “Hey, Cortana” . For this purpose, a particularly energy-saving part is used on the processor, which was designed precisely for this area of ​​application.

    privacy

    An Internet connection to Microsoft's servers is required to process what is spoken. Accents, sentence melody, rhythm and speaking speed of the user are saved and processed. Microsoft confirms to create "personalized language models".

    At the Black Hat IT security conference in Las Vegas in August 2018, media reports reported that several security gaps in Cortana were uncovered. According to this, the team at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology was able to elicit sensitive data from a locked Windows computer using voice commands.

    China

    Xiao Na

    In China, the personal assistant is not sold as "Cortana", but translated as "Xiao Na". The Chinese version of Cortana is not visualized with two circles, but a smiley-like illustration. Xiao Na only understands Mandarin .

    Web links

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Cortana 3.3.1.2573-enus-release for Android. Retrieved December 16, 2019 .
    2. ↑ hardwareluxx.de
    3. ↑ hardwareluxx.de
    4. ↑ hardwareluxx.de: Hello, I'm Cortana - Microsoft's language assistant speaks German
    5. ↑ Dying in installments: Cortana disappears from Android, iOS and from the Microsoft Launcher. Retrieved December 16, 2019 .
    6. ↑ Windows Phone 8.1 and Cortana officially revealed at Build 2014
    7. ↑ Apple has Siri, and now Microsoft has' Halo'-inspired Cortana
    8. ↑ THE XBOX ONE IS GETTING CORTANA AND OVER 100 BACKWARDS-COMPATIBLE XBOX 360 GAMES IN NOVEMBER
    9. ↑ Tom Warren: Microsoft is killing off its Cortana app for iOS and Android in January. November 16, 2019, accessed March 25, 2020 .
    10. ^ Tom Warren: What is Microsoft doing with Cortana? July 25, 2019, accessed on March 25, 2020 .
    11. ↑ Windows 10: Cortana beta app gets a major update. In: WindowsArea.de. January 5, 2020, accessed on March 25, 2020 (German).
    12. ↑ hardwareluxx.de: 'Cortana' becomes Microsoft's 'Siri'
    13. ↑ What can I say to Cortana?
    14. ↑ 15 Things You Can Do With Cortana on Windows 10
    15. ↑ Hands on with 'Hey Cortana' and the Lumia 930 Denim update
    16. ↑ Joachim Jakobs: Windows 10 analyzes user data: The user as the most important product. In: the daily newspaper . August 9, 2015, accessed September 25, 2015 .
    17. ↑ Black Hat: Windows 10 Assistant Cortana tears open security holes. heise.de, August 9, 2018, accessed on August 10, 2018 .
    18. ↑ Windows Phone 8.1 Update brings Cortana to new markets + new features