Cortana

Short description: Intelligent personal assistant by Microsoft

Cortana

Cortana on Windows 10 (Home edition version 21H1)

Developer(s)| Microsoft
Initial release| April 2, 2014; 12 years ago (2014-04-02)[1]
Stable release(s) [±]
| Android| 3.3.3.2753-enus-release / November 29, 2019; 6 years ago (2019-11-29)[2]

|

iOS| 3.3.3 / November 30, 2019; 6 years ago (2019-11-30)[3]
Operating system| Windows, iOS, Android, Xbox OS
Platform|

* Windows 11
* Windows 10
* Windows 10 Mobile
* Windows Phone 8.1[4]
* Harman Kardon Invoke
* Microsoft Band 2
* Microsoft Band
* Surface Headphones
* Skype[5]
* Cyanogen OS
* Windows Mixed Reality
* Amazon Alexa[6]

Available in|

* English
* French
* Chinese (Mandarin)
* German
* Spanish
* Italian
* Japanese
* Brazilian Portuguese

Type| Intelligent personal assistant
License| Proprietary
Website| www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/cortana

Cortana is a virtual assistant developed by Microsoft which uses the Bing search engine to perform tasks such as setting reminders and answering questions for the user.

Cortana is currently available in English, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese language editions, depending on the software platform and region in which it is used.[7]

Microsoft began reducing the prevalence of Cortana and converting it from an assistant into different software integrations in 2019.[8] It was split from Windows 10's search bar in April 2019.[9] In January 2020, Cortana mobile app was removed from certain markets[10][11] and in first half of 2021 Cortana mobile app was shut down globally.[12]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Development
* 1.2 Expansion to other platforms
* 1.3 New focus
* 1.4 Cortana as an enterprise-only feature
* 2 Cortana in other services
* 3 Functionality
* 3.1 Notebook
* 3.2 Reminders
* 3.3 Design
* 3.4 Phone notification syncing
* 3.5 Miscellaneous
* 4 Integrations
* 5 Privacy concerns
* 6 Regions and languages
* 7 Technology
* 8 Updating
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## History

Cortana was demonstrated for the first time at the Microsoft BUILD Developer Conference in San Francisco in April, 2014.[1] It has been launched as a key ingredient of Microsoft's planned "makeover" of the future operating systems for Windows Phone and Windows.[4]

It is named after Cortana,[13] a synthetic intelligence character in Microsoft's Halo video game franchise originating in Bungie folklore,[14] with Jen Taylor, the character's voice actress, returning to voice the personal assistant's US-specific version.[15]

### Development

The development of Cortana started in 2009 in the Microsoft Speech products team with general manager Zig Serafin and Chief Scientist Larry Heck. Heck and Serafin established the vision, mission, and long-range plan for Microsoft's digital personal assistant and they built a team with the expertise to create the initial prototypes for Cortana.[16] Some of the key researchers in these early efforts included Microsoft Research researchers Dilek Hakkani-Tür, Gokhan Tur, Andreas Stolcke, and Malcolm Slaney, research software developer Madhu Chinthakunta, and user experience designer Lisa Stifelman. To develop the Cortana digital assistant, the team interviewed human personal assistants. These interviews inspired a number of unique features in Cortana, including the assistant's "notebook" feature. Originally Cortana was only meant to be a codename, but a petition on Windows Phone's UserVoice site that proved to be popular made the codename official.[17][18]

### Expansion to other platforms

Cortana white interface on Windows 10 Mobile

In January 2015, Microsoft announced the availability of Cortana for Windows 10 desktops and mobile devices as part of merging Windows Phone into the operating system at large.

On May 26, 2015, Microsoft announced that Cortana would also be available on other mobile platforms. An Android release was set for July 2015, but an Android APK file containing Cortana has leaked ahead of its release. It was officially released, along with an iOS version, in December 2015.[19]

During E3 2015, Microsoft announced that Cortana would come to the Xbox One as part of a universally designed Windows 10 update for the console.[20]

### New focus

In 2017, Microsoft partnered with Amazon to integrate Echo and Cortana with each other, allowing users of each smart assistant to summon the other via a command.[21] This feature preview was released in August 2018. Windows 10 users can just say "Hey Cortana, open Alexa" and Echo users can say "Alexa, open Cortana" to summon the other assistant.[22]

In January 2019, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that he no longer sees Cortana as a direct competitor against Alexa and Siri.[23]

### Cortana as an enterprise-only feature

On January 31, 2020, Microsoft removed Cortana mobile applications in certain markets (including UK, Australia, Germany, Mexico, China, Spain, Canada, and India).[10][11]

On March 31, 2021, Microsoft shut down Cortana apps for iOS and Android and removed them from corresponding app stores. To access previously recorded content, users have to use Cortana on Windows 10 or specialized app, like Microsoft To Do app instead.[12]

Microsoft plans to reduce emphasis on Cortana in Windows 11. Cortana will not be used during new device setup process and will not be pinned to the taskbar by default.[24][25]

## Cortana in other services

Microsoft has integrated Cortana into numerous products such as Microsoft Edge,[26] the browser bundled with Windows 10. Microsoft's Cortana assistant is deeply integrated into its Edge browser. Cortana can find opening hours when on restaurant sites, show retail coupons for websites, or show weather information in the address bar. At the Worldwide Partners Conference 2015 Microsoft demonstrated Cortana integration with products such as GigJam.[27] Conversely, Microsoft announced in late April 2016 that it would block anything other than Bing and Edge from being used to complete Cortana searches, again raising questions of anti-competitive practices by the company.[28]

Microsoft's "Windows in the car" concept includes Cortana. The concept makes it possible for drivers to make restaurant reservations and see places before they go there.[29]

At Microsoft Build 2016, Microsoft announced plans to integrate Cortana into Skype (Microsoft's video-conferencing and instant messaging service) as a bot to allow users to order food, book trips, transcribe video messages and make calendar appointments through Cortana in addition to other bots.[30] As of 2016[update], Cortana can underline certain words and phrases in Skype conversations that relate to contacts and corporations.[31] A writer from Engadget has criticised the Cortana integration in Skype for only responding to very specific keywords, feeling as if she was "chatting with a search engine" due to the impersonal way the bots replied to certain words such as "Hello" causing the Bing Music bot to bring up Adele's song of that name.[32]

Microsoft also announced at Microsoft Build 2016 that Cortana would be able to cloud-synchronise notifications between Windows 10 Mobile's and Windows 10's Action Center,[33][34] as well as notifications from Android devices.[35][36]

In December 2016, Microsoft announced[37] the preview of Calendar.help, a service that enabled people to delegate the scheduling of meetings to Cortana. Users interact with Cortana by including her in email conversations. Cortana would then check people's availability in Outlook Calendar or Google Calendar, and work with others Cc'd on the email to schedule the meeting. The service relied on automation and human-based computation.[38][39]

In May 2017, Microsoft in collaboration with Harman Kardon announced INVOKE, a voice-activated speaker featuring Cortana. The premium speaker has a cylindrical design and offers 360 degree sound, the ability to make and receive calls with Skype, and all of the other features currently available with Cortana.[40]

The Harman Kardon Invoke speaker, powered by Cortana

## Functionality

Cortana can set reminders, recognize natural voice without the requirement for keyboard input, and answer questions using information from the Bing search engine (e.g., current weather and traffic conditions, sports scores, biographies).[41][42][43] Searches using Windows 10 are only made with Microsoft Bing search engine and all links will open with Microsoft Edge,[44] except when a screen reader such as Narrator is being used, where the links will open in Internet Explorer. Windows Phone 8.1's universal Bing SmartSearch features are incorporated into Cortana, which replaces the previous Bing Search app which was activated when a user presses the "Search" button on their device.[45] Cortana includes a music recognition service.[46] Cortana can simulate rolling dice and flipping a coin.[47] 'Cortana's "Concert Watch" monitors Bing searches to determine which bands or musicians the user is interested in.[48] It integrates with the Microsoft Band watch band for Windows Phone devices if connected via Bluetooth,[49][50] it can make reminders and phone notifications.[51]

Since the Lumia Denim mobile phone series, launched in October 2014, active listening was added to Cortana, enabling it to be invoked with the phrase: "Hey Cortana"; it can then be controlled as usual.[52] Some devices from the United Kingdom by O2 have received the Lumia Denim update without the feature but this was later clarified as a bug and Microsoft has since fixed it.[53]

Cortana integrates with services such as Foursquare to provide restaurant and local attraction recommendations and LIFX to control smart light bulbs.[54][55][56]

### Notebook

Cortana stores personal information such as interests, location data, reminders, and contacts in the "Notebook". It can draw upon and add to this data to learn a user's specific patterns and behaviors. Users can view and specify what information is collected to allow some control over privacy, said to be "a level of control that goes beyond comparable assistants".[57] Users can delete information from the "Notebook".[58]

### Reminders

Cortana has a built-in system of reminders which for example can be associated with a specific contact; it will then remind the user when in communication with that contact, possibly at a specific time or when the phone is in a specific location.[59] Originally these reminders were specific to the device Cortana was installed on, but since then Windows 10 Microsoft synchronizes reminders across devices.[60]

### Design

Most versions of Cortana take the form of two nested, animated circles[61] which are animated to indicate activities such as searching or talking. The main color scheme includes a black or white background and shades of blue for the respective circles.[62]

### Phone notification syncing

Cortana on Windows mobile and Android is capable of capturing device notifications and sending them to a Windows 10 device. This allows a computer user to view notifications from their phone in the Windows 10 Action Center. The feature was announced in early 2016 and released later in the year.[63]

### Miscellaneous

Cortana has a "do-not-disturb" mode in which users can specify "quiet hours", as was available for Windows Phone 8.1 users.[64] Users can change the settings so that Cortana calls users by their names or nicknames.[58] It also has a library of "Easter Eggs", pre-determined remarks.[65][66]

When asked for a prediction, Cortana correctly predicted the winners of the first 14 matches of the football 2014 FIFA World Cup knockout stage, including the semi-finals, before it incorrectly picked Brazil over the Netherlands in the third place play-off match; this streak topped Paul the Octopus who correctly predicted all 7 of Germany's 2010 FIFA World Cup matches as well as the Final.[67][68][69][70] Cortana can forecast results in various other sports such as the NBA, the NFL,[71] the Super Bowl,[72] the ICC Cricket World Cup[73] and various European football leagues. Cortana can solve mathematical equations, convert units of measurement, and determine the exchange rates between currencies including Bitcoin.[74]

## Integrations

Cortana can integrate with third-party apps on Windows 10 or directly through the service. Starting in late 2016, Cortana integrated with Microsoft's Wunderlist service, allowing Cortana to add and act on reminders.[75]

At Microsoft's Build 2017 conference, Microsoft announced that Cortana would get a consumer third-party skills capability, similar to that in Amazon Alexa.[76]

On February 16, 2018, Microsoft announced connected home skills were added for ecobee, Honeywell Lyric, Honeywell Total Connect Comfort, LIFX, TP-Link Kasa, and Geeni, as well as support for IFTTT.[77] At Microsoft's Ignite 2018 conference, Microsoft announced an Technology Adopters Program that Enterprises could build skills that could be developed and deployed into Azure tenants, accessible by organizational units or security groups.[78]

## Privacy concerns

Cortana indexes and stores user information. It can be disabled; this will cause Windows search to search the Web as well as the local computer, but this can be turned off. Turning Cortana off does not in itself delete user data stored on Microsoft's servers, but it can be deleted by user action.[79] Microsoft has further been criticized for requests to Bing's website for a file called "threshold.appcache" which contains Cortana's information through searches made through the Start Menu even when Cortana is disabled on Windows 10.[80][81]

As of April 2014[update], Cortana was disabled for users aged under 13 years.[82]

## Regions and languages

The Chinese version of Cortana, Xiao Na

The British version of Cortana speaks with a British accent and uses British idioms, while the Chinese version, known as Xiao Na, speaks Mandarin Chinese and has an icon featuring a face and two eyes, which is not used in other regions.[83]

As of 2020[update] the English version of Cortana on Windows devices is available to all users in the United States (American English), Canada (French/English), Australia, India, and the United Kingdom (British English). Other language versions of Cortana are available in France (French), China (Simplified Chinese), Japan (Japanese), Germany (German), Italy (Italian), Brazil (Portuguese), Mexico, and Spain (Spanish). Cortana listens generally to the hot word "Hey Cortana" in addition to certain languages' customized versions, such as "Hola Cortana" in Spanish.[84]

The English United Kingdom localised version of Cortana is voiced by voice actress Ginnie Watson,[85] while the United States localised version is voiced by Jen Taylor. Taylor is the voice actress who voices Cortana, the namesake of the virtual assistant, in the Halo video game series.[86]

The following table identifies the localized version of Cortana currently available. Except where indicated, this applies to both Windows Mobile and Windows 10 versions of the assistant.

Language[87] | Region[87] | Variant  | Status[87] | Platforms

|
|
|
|

English |  United States  | American English  | Available  | Windows, Android, iOS
United Kingdom[88] | British English  | Available  | Windows, Android[89]
Canada[90] | Canadian English  | Available  | Windows, Android, iOS[91]
Australia | Australian English | Available  | Windows, Android, iOS
India  | Indian English  | Available[92] | Windows
French |  France | French of France  | Available  | Windows, Android, iOS
Canada | Canadian French  | Available  | Windows, Android, iOS
German |  Germany [93] | Standard German | Available  | Windows
Italian |  Italy  | Standard Italian  | Available[94] | Windows
Spanish |  Spain[95] | Peninsular Spanish  | Available  | Windows
Mexico  | Mexican Spanish  | Available  | Windows
Traditional Chinese |  Taiwan  | Taiwanese Mandarin  | Not Available  |
Hong Kong | Cantonese | Not Available  |
Macau | Cantonese | Not Available  |
Simplified Chinese |  China  | Mandarin Chinese | Available  | Windows, Android, iOS
Portuguese |  Brazil  | Brazilian Portuguese  | Available  | Windows
Japanese |  Japan | Standard Japanese  | Available  | Windows, iOS
Russian |  Russia | Standard Russian  | Not Available  | Windows,[90] iOS[96]

## Technology

The natural language processing capabilities of Cortana are derived from Tellme Networks (bought by Microsoft in 2007) and are coupled with a Semantic search database called Satori.[97]

While many of Cortana's U.S. English responses are voiced by Jen Taylor, organic responses require the use of a text-to-speech engine. Microsoft Eva is the name of the text-to-speech voice for organic response in Cortana's U.S. English.[98][99]

## Updating

Cortana updates were delivered independently of those to the main Windows Phone OS,[100] allowing Microsoft to provide new features at a faster pace.[101] Not all Cortana-related features could be updated in this manner as some features such as "Hey Cortana" required the Windows Phone update service and the Qualcomm Snapdragon SensorCore Technology.[102]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Levy, Karyne (April 2, 2014). "Microsoft Has Its Own Version Of Siri, A Voice Assistant Called 'Cortana'". https://www.businessinsider.com/microsofts-cortana-voice-assistant-2014-4.
2. ↑ Microsoft Corporation. "Cortana". Play Store. Google. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.cortana.
3. ↑ Microsoft Corporation. "Cortana". App Store. Apple. https://itunes.apple.com/app/cortana/id1054501703.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Foley, Mary Jo (March 4, 2014). "Microsoft's 'Cortana' alternative to Siri makes a video debut". ZDNet. http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-cortana-alternative-to-siri-makes-a-video-debut-7000026987/.
5. ↑ Risley, James (March 30, 2016). "Microsoft introduces Cortana-powered chatbot for Skype, opening up framework to developers.". Geek Wire. http://www.geekwire.com/2016/microsoft-introduces-cortana-powered-chatbot-for-skype-opening-up-framework-to-developers/.
6. ↑ Warren, Tom (May 7, 2018). "Microsoft demonstrates Alexa and Cortana integration". https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/7/17326808/microsoft-cortana-update-alexa-integration-build-2018.
7. ↑ "Cortana's regions and languages". Microsoft. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/instantanswers/557b5e0e-0eb0-44db-87d6-5e5db6f9c5b0/cortana-s-regions-and-languages.
8. ↑ Bowden, Zac (November 5, 2019). "Microsoft to remove Cortana from Microsoft Launcher on Android". https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-remove-cortana-microsoft-launcher-android.
9. ↑ Lopez, Napier (January 17, 2019). "Windows 10's search bar and Cortana split up on good terms". https://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2019/01/17/windows-10s-search-bar-and-cortana-split-up-on-good-terms/.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Warren, Tom (November 16, 2019). "Microsoft is killing off its Cortana app for iOS and Android in January". https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/16/20967875/microsoft-cortana-ios-android-app-removal-countries-support-document.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Microsoft's killing the Cortana app in most markets next year". 19 November 2019. https://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2019/11/18/microsoft-cortana-app/.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Warren, Tom (2021-04-01). "Microsoft shuts down Cortana on iOS and Android" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/1/22361687/microsoft-cortana-shut-down-ios-android-mobile-app.
13. ↑ Julianne Pepitone. "Why Microsoft Named Its Siri Rival 'Cortana' After a 'Halo' Character". NBC News. http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/mobile/why-microsoft-named-its-siri-rival-cortana-after-halo-character-n71056.
14. ↑ "Marathon's Story... Facts and puzzling things about... Cortana". bungie.org. http://marathon.bungie.org/story/cortana.html.
15. ↑ Blair, Nancy (April 3, 2014). "Who is Cortana? It's Halo's Jen Taylor". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/04/02/voice-of-cortana-jen-taylor/7223357/.
16. ↑ Microsoft Research (April 17, 2014). "Anticipating More from Cortana". Microsoft Research blogs. http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/cortana-041614.aspx.
17. ↑ Warren, Tom (April 2, 2014). "The story of Cortana, Microsoft's Siri killer.". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2014/4/2/5570866/cortana-windows-phone-8-1-digital-assistant.
18. ↑ "Cortana: a digital assistant with personality and smarts". https://community.windows.com/en-us/videos/cortana-a-digital-assistant-with-personality-and-smarts/cZo045p0J4Y.
19. ↑ Sawers, Paul (May 26, 2015). "Microsoft announces Phone Companion app for Windows 10 and teases Cortana for Android and iOS.". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2015/05/26/microsoft-announces-phone-companion-app-for-windows-10-and-teases-cortana-for-android-and-ios/.
20. ↑ Warren, Tom (June 15, 2015). "Xbox One dashboard update includes a huge new design and Cortana.". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/15/8786501/microsoft-xbox-one-dashboard-update-features.
21. ↑ Warren, Tom (2017-08-30). "Microsoft and Amazon partner to integrate Alexa and Cortana digital assistants" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/30/16224876/microsoft-amazon-cortana-alexa-partnership.
22. ↑ Warren, Tom (2018-08-15). "Microsoft and Amazon release preview of Cortana and Alexa integration" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/15/17691920/microsoft-amazon-alexa-cortana-integration-preview-features.
23. ↑ Warren, Tom (2019-01-18). "Microsoft no longer sees Cortana as an Alexa or Google Assistant competitor" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/18/18187992/microsoft-cortana-satya-nadella-alexa-google-assistant-competitor.
24. ↑ Chin, Monica (2021-06-24). "Microsoft kicks Cortana out of the boot experience for Windows 11" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/24/22548899/microsoft-windows-11-cortana-experience-taskbar. "Cortana will no longer be included in the first boot experience or pinned to the Taskbar."
25. ↑ "Windows 11 Specifications" (in en-us). 2021-07-02. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifications. "Cortana will no longer be included in the first boot experience or pinned to the Taskbar."
26. ↑ Hachman, Mark (May 5, 2015). "Microsoft's Edge web browser roadmap includes more Cortana scenarios, extensions.". PC World. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2919033/microsofts-edge-web-browser-roadmap-includes-more-cortana-scenarios-extensions.html.
27. ↑ Rama, Gladys (July 13, 2015). "Microsoft Debuts 'Project GigJam' at WPC 2015.". PC Magazine. https://rcpmag.com/articles/2015/07/13/wpc15-microsoft-debuts-gigjam.aspx.
28. ↑ "Microsoft locks down Cortana: Blocks integration with other browsers, search engines". http://www.pcworld.com/article/3063119/windows/microsoft-locks-down-cortana-blocks-integration-with-other-browsers-search-engines.html.
29. ↑ Warren, Tom (September 16, 2015). "Microsoft experimenting with Cortana in your car". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/16/9336205/microsoft-windows-in-the-car-cortana-concept. "It's clear that Microsoft's car efforts have progressed over the past year, but the company still isn't ready to launch its own Windows 10 integration."
30. ↑ Hernandez, Pedro (March 31, 2016). "Microsoft Previews a Smarter Skype With Bots, Cortana Integration.". eWeek. http://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/microsoft-previews-a-smarter-skype-with-bots-cortana-integration.html.
31. ↑ de Looper, Christian (March 30, 2016). "Skype now has the smarts to book your trip, order pizza, and more with Cortana.". Yahoo! Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/skype-now-smarts-book-trip-191958958.html.
32. ↑ Lee, Nicole (March 30, 2016). "Chatting with Skype bots feels like talking to a search engine.". Engadget (AOL). https://www.engadget.com/2016/03/30/skype-chat-bot-hands-on/.
33. ↑ Surur, Suril (April 2, 2016). "Cortana is now 2 years old.". MSPowerUser. http://mspoweruser.com/cortana-now-2-years-old/.
34. ↑ Torres, JC (April 1, 2016). "Cloud-based Windows 10 Action Center will also be on Android.". SlashGear. http://www.slashgear.com/cloud-based-windows-10-action-center-will-also-be-on-android-01434250/.
35. ↑ Chavez, Chris (April 1, 2016). "Windows 10 Anniversary Update not only mirrors Android notifications, but lets you interact with them too [VIDEO."]. Phandroid. http://phandroid.com/2016/04/01/microsoft-windows-10-anniversary-update-notification-mirroring-sync-actionable/.
36. ↑ Amadeo, Ron (April 2, 2016). "The Windows 10 Anniversary Update can mirror Android notifications. Get Android notifications on your desktop. The catch: You have to install Cortana". Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/04/the-windows-10-anniversary-update-can-mirror-android-notifications/.
37. ↑ "Enroll in the Calendar.help preview and let Cortana schedule your meetings - Office Blogs" (in en-US). Office Blogs. 2016-12-13. https://blogs.office.com/en-us/2016/12/13/enroll-in-the-calendar-help-preview-and-let-cortana-schedule-your-meetings/.
38. ↑ "How We Built a Virtual Scheduling Assistant at Microsoft". Harvard Business Review. 2017-07-28. https://hbr.org/2017/07/how-we-built-a-virtual-scheduling-assistant-at-microsoft.
39. ↑ Cranshaw, Justin; Elwany, Emad; Newman, Todd; Kocielnik, Rafal; Yu, Bowen; Soni, Sandeep; Teevan, Jaime; Monroy-Hernández, Andrés (2017-05-02). Calendar.help: Designing a Workflow-Based Scheduling Agent with Humans in the Loop. ACM. pp. 2382–2393. doi:10.1145/3025453.3025780. ISBN 9781450346559.
40. ↑ Sams, Brad (May 7, 2017). "Harman Kardon's Cortana Speaker Revealed". BWW Media Group. https://www.thurrott.com/hardware/115375/harman-kardons-cortana-speaker-revealed.
41. ↑ Microsoft. "My interests and Cortana". Windows Phone. http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/how-to/wp8/apps/my-interests-and-cortana.
42. ↑ Microsoft. "Remind me, Cortana". http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/how-to/wp8/apps/remind-me-cortana.
43. ↑ Warren, Tom (April 2, 2014). "The story of Cortana, Microsoft's Siri killer". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2014/4/2/5570866/cortana-windows-phone-8-1-digital-assistant.
44. ↑ "Microsoft limits the Cortana search box in Windows 10 to Bing and Edge only". April 28, 2016. https://venturebeat.com/2016/04/28/microsoft-limits-the-cortana-search-box-in-windows-10-to-bing-and-edge-only/.
45. ↑ Edmonds, Rich (February 11, 2014). "Developers leak Windows Phone 8.1 SDK, reveal new features". Windows Phone Central. http://www.wpcentral.com/developers-leak-new-features-windows-phone-81-sdk.
46. ↑ Burgess, Brian (April 19, 2014). "Use Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1 to Identify Songs". GroovyPost. http://www.groovypost.com/news/windows-phone-8-1-cortana-identifies-songs/.
47. ↑ Popa, Bogdan (October 6, 2014). "New Cortana Features on Windows Phone: Flip a Coin and Roll Some Dice". Softpedia. http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Cortana-Features-on-Windows-Phone-Flip-a-Coin-and-Roll-Some-Dice-461131.shtml.
48. ↑ Smith, Emily (October 17, 2014). "Cortana will be more like Google Now". LOAD THE GAME. http://www.loadthegame.com/2014/10/17/cortana-will-like-google-now/.
49. ↑ Kniskern, Kip (October 29, 2014). "Microsoft Band: cross platform, yet Better Together with Windows Phone (and Cortana)". Liveside.net. http://www.liveside.net/2014/10/29/microsoft-band-cross-platform-yet-better-together-with-windows-phone-and-cortana/.
50. ↑ none, Ron (October 30, 2014). "Say hello to Microsoft Band, a $199 fitness band that keeps you fit and lets you check emails and texts too". WinBeta. http://www.winbeta.org/news/say-hello-microsoft-band-199-fitness-band-keeps-you-fit-and-lets-you-check-emails-and-texts-too.
51. ↑ Burlacu, Alexandra (October 30, 2014). "Microsoft Band fitness tracker with Cortana debuts alongside Microsoft Health service: Here's the deal (VIDEO)". Mobile & Apps. http://www.mobilenapps.com/articles/10689/20141030/microsoft-band-fitness-tracker-with-cortana-debuts-alongside-microsoft-health-service-heres-the-deal-video.htm.
52. ↑ Rubino, Daniel (January 12, 2015). "Hands on with 'Hey Cortana' and the Lumia 930 Denim update". Windows Central. http://www.windowscentral.com/hands-on-hey-cortana-video.
53. ↑ Nirave, Author (February 3, 2015). "O2 Lumia 930 Denim update lands without "Hey Cortana" [Updated"]. Fonearena. http://www.fonearena.com/blog/130339/o2-lumia-930-denim-update-lands-without-hey-cortana.html.
54. ↑ Newman, Jared (July 29, 2014). "Windows Phone's Cortana taps Foursquare to suggest nearby places of interest". PCWorld. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2458949/windows-phones-cortana-taps-foursquare-to-suggest-nearby-places-of-interest.html.
55. ↑ Crist, Ry (October 15, 2015). "The new Lifx Windows 10 app lets Cortana toggle your lights". CNET. http://www.cnet.com/news/the-new-lifx-windows-10-app-lets-cortana-toggle-your-lights/.
56. ↑ "Cortana now taps into Foursquare to give you recommendations for lunch". https://www.engadget.com/2014/07/29/cortana-now-taps-into-foursquare-to-give-you-recommendations-for/#prclt-dRLWS1hv.
57. ↑ Hachman, Mark (February 21, 2014). "Microsoft's Cortana digital assistant guards user privacy with 'Notebook'". PCWorld. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2099943/microsofts-cortana-digital-assistant-guards-user-privacy-with-notebook.html.
58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 Warren, Tom (March 3, 2014). "This is Cortana, Microsoft's answer to Siri". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2014/3/3/5465264/microsoft-cortana-windows-phone-screenshots.
59. ↑ Guim, Mark (April 26, 2014). "How to set a person-based reminder with Cortana.". Windows Central (Mobile Nations). http://www.windowscentral.com/how-to-person-based-reminder-cortana.
60. ↑ Sams, Brad (February 13, 2015). "Windows 10: Cortana now syncs reminders.". Neowin. http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-10-cortana-now-syncs-reminders.
61. ↑ Kleiman, Jacob (March 3, 2014). "Windows Phone Cortana Mobile Assistant Detailed in New Leak". TechnoBuffalo. http://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/03/03/microsoft-cortana-windows-phone-assistant-leak.
62. ↑ kbridge. "Cortana design guidelines - Cortana UWP design and development" (in en-us). https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cortana/voicecommands/voicecommand-design-guidelines.
63. ↑ "Cortana Can Now Sync Notifications From Your Android Phone To Your Windows 10 PC - Thurrott.com" (in en-US). Thurrott.com. 2016-05-19. https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/67251/cortana-can-now-sync-notifications-android-phone-windows-10-pc.
64. ↑ Sabri, Sam (April 15, 2014). "How to set up Quiet Hours and Inner Circles on Windows Phone 8.1". Windows Phone Central. http://www.wpcentral.com/how-set-quiet-hours-and-inner-circles-windows-phone-81.
65. ↑ Warren, Tom (April 15, 2014). "Clippy replaces Cortana in Windows Phone 8.1 Easter egg". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2014/4/15/5617234/clippy-replaces-cortana-in-windows-phone-easter-egg.
66. ↑ Kessler, Derek (April 15, 2014). "Cortana Easter Egg resurrects Clippy as your personal digital assistant". Windows Phone Central. http://www.wpcentral.com/cortana-easter-egg-resurrects-clippy-your-personal-digital-assistant.
67. ↑ "Cortana's unbroken streak ends with Netherlands 3:0 win over Brazil". WMPoweruser.com. July 12, 2014. http://wmpoweruser.com/cortanas-unbroken-streak-ends-with-netherlands-30-win-over-brazil/.
68. ↑ Backaitis, Virginia (July 11, 2014). "Why Microsoft's Cortana is 14 for 14 Calling World Cup Matches". CMSWire.com. http://www.cmswire.com/cms/big-data/why-microsofts-cortana-is-14-for-14-calling-world-cup-matches-025853.php.
69. ↑ Akash KJ (July 10, 2014). "Germany Will Beat Argentina to Win FIFA World Cup 2014 Final Predicts Cortana". International Business Times. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/fifa-world-cup-2014-germany-will-beat-argentina-win-final-predicts-cortana-1456067.
70. ↑ Wint, Bradley (July 9, 2014). "Cortana maintains winning streak, correctly predicting 14 games in a row". KontentPort.com. http://www.kontentport.com/cortana-argentina-netherlands-1599.html.
71. ↑ Manfred, Tony (January 28, 2015). "The Microsoft Engine That Nailed The World Cup Is Predicting Every NFL Game – Here's Its Pick for the Super Bowl". Business Insider. http://uk.businessinsider.com/microsoft-cortana-super-bowl-pick-2015-1?r=US.
72. ↑ Curdie, Lewis (February 2, 2015). "Super Bowl winner correctly predicted by Windows Phone Cortana". Mobot. http://www.mobot.net/super-bowl-winner-correctly-predicted-windows-phone-cortana-75669.
73. ↑ Allison, Michael (February 8, 2015). "Bing now predicts ICC Cricket World cup". WMPowerUser. http://wmpoweruser.com/bing-now-predicts-icc-cricket-world-cup/.
74. ↑ Sieber, Tina (January 28, 2015). "Here's how to make the most of Cortana, the Windows 10 digital assistant". Digital Trends. http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/get-know-cortana-windows-10/.
75. ↑ "Hey Cortana...". 2016-11-17. https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/hey-cortana/.
76. ↑ "Microsoft takes aim at Alexa with Cortana Skills Kit". https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/10/stub-microsoft-takes-aim-at-alexa-with-cortana-skills-kit/.
77. ↑ "Windows Blog". February 16, 2018. https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/02/16/hey-cortana-turn-heat-cortana-now-works-smart-home-providers-ifttt/.
78. ↑ "Microsoft tries again to win developers with new Cortana Enterprise SKills Kit". https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-tries-again-to-win-developers-with-new-cortana-enterprise-skills-kit/.
79. ↑ Brad Chacos (July 30, 2015). "How to disable Cortana in Windows 10". http://www.pcworld.com/article/2949759/windows/killing-cortana-how-to-disable-windows-10s-info-hungry-digital-assistant.html.
80. ↑ Bright, Peter (August 13, 2015). "Even when told not to, Windows 10 just can't stop talking to Microsoft. It's no wonder that privacy activists are up in arms.". Ars Technica UK. http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/.
81. ↑ Smith, Chris (August 13, 2015). "Windows 10 might be spying on you even after you tell it to stop.". Boy Genius Report. http://bgr.com/2015/08/13/windows-10-cortana-search-privacy-settings/.
82. ↑ Nichols, Shaun (April 25, 2014). "Microsoft's naughty Cortana NOT ALLOWED NEAR CHILDREN". The Register. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/25/windows_phone_cortana_not_allowed_near_children_but_its_not_alone/.
83. ↑ "Windows Phone 8.1 Update brings Cortana to new markets + new features". Blogging Windows. http://blogs.windows.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2014/07/30/windows-phone-8-1-update-brings-cortana-to-new-markets-new-features.aspx.
84. ↑ "¿Qué es Cortana?- Microsoft Support". https://support.microsoft.com/es-es/help/17214/windows-10-what-is.
85. ↑ Doe, John (February 19, 2015). "Which sex does a computer sound like?". London Sound Survey. http://www.soundsurvey.org.uk/index.php/survey/post/which_sex_does_a_computer_sound_like/.
86. ↑ Tosie, Anthony (April 2, 2014). "Halo actress Jen Taylor to voice Windows Phone's Cortana". https://www.neowin.net/news/halo-actress-jen-taylor-to-voice-windows-phone039s-cortana.
87. ↑ 87.0 87.1 87.2 "Cortana's regions and languages". http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/cortanas-regions-and-languages.
88. ↑ Novet, Jordan (June 25, 2014). "Cortana will land in China and the United Kingdom in the coming weeks". Venturebeat News. https://venturebeat.com/2014/06/15/cortana-will-land-in-china-and-the-united-kingdom-in-the-coming-weeks/.
89. ↑ Warren, Tom (2016-12-08). "Cortana arrives in the UK on Android and iOS with an overhauled design" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/8/13882540/microsoft-cortana-uk-android-ios-features.
90. ↑ 90.0 90.1 Duckett, Chris (November 13, 2015). "Hobbled Cortana arrives in Canada, Australia, Japan, and India. As part of the latest update to Windows 10, Microsoft's digital assistant has arrived in a number of new geographies.". ZDNet. http://www.zdnet.com/article/hobbled-cortana-arrives-in-canada-australia-japan-and-india/#!.
91. ↑ "Microsoft's Cortana app adds support for Canada on iOS and Android". Onmsft. December 18, 2017. https://www.onmsft.com/news/microsofts-cortana-app-adds-support-for-canada-on-ios-and-android/.
92. ↑ "Windows 10 update: Cortana now understands Indian accent". The Indian Express. November 13, 2015. http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/windows-10-the-first-major-update-brings-cortana-to-india/.
93. ↑ Whitney, Lance (December 5, 2014). "Microsoft Cortana expands to French, Italian, German and Spanish". CNet. http://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-cortana-expands-to-french-italian-german-and-spanish/.
94. ↑ Surur, Author (February 2, 2015). "Cortana's Italian improves". WMPowerUser. http://wmpoweruser.com/cortanas-italian-improves/.
95. ↑ Hernandez, Pedro (December 5, 2014). "Cortana Goes Globetrotting in European Alpha". eWeek. http://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-cortana-expands-to-french-italian-german-and-spanish/.
96. ↑ Shanahan, Dave (March 4, 2016). "Cortana App for iOS now available in Japan.". WinBeta. http://www.winbeta.org/news/cortana-app-ios-now-available-japan.
97. ↑ Gary Marshall (April 3, 2014). "Cortana: everything you need to know about Microsoft's Siri rival". TechRadar. http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/cortana-everything-you-need-to-know-about-microsoft-s-siri-rival-1183607.
98. ↑ "Create Cortana Audio Files From Text Using PowerShell". https://thinkpowershell.com/create-cortana-audio-files-from-text-using-powershell/.
99. ↑ "text to speech - How to enable Microsoft Eva (Cortana's voice) on Windows 10?". https://superuser.com/questions/1141840/how-to-enable-microsoft-eva-cortanas-voice-on-windows-10.
100. ↑ Lee, Tyler (July 21, 2014). "Cortana Will Enable Itself Automatically, No Action Required". Ubergizmo. http://www.ubergizmo.com/2014/07/cortana-will-enable-itself-automatically-no-action-required/.
101. ↑ Ali, Fahad (October 6, 2014). "CORTANA CAN NOW ROLL SOME DICE, FLIP A COIN". Eye on Windows. http://www.eyeonwindows.com/2014/10/06/cortana-can-now-roll-some-dice-flip-a-coin/.
102. ↑ Tofel, Kevin C. (December 18, 2014). "Lumia Denim update arrives, bringing Cortana and better pictures". Gigaom. https://gigaom.com/2014/12/18/lumia-denim-update-arrives-bringing-cortana-and-better-pictures/.

## External links

* Cortana Compatible Devices
* Cortana Supported Languages
* Cortana for Developers
* "Microsoft's virtual assistant, Cortana"—The New York Times
* Cortana Analytics Suite Overview
* Dale, Jason (26 June 2019). "How to Quickly Disable Cortana in Windows 10". Hows.tech. Covers steps to turn off Cortana on Windows 10.

* v
* t
* e

Windows Phone

* Development history
* Removed features

Versions|

* Windows Phone 7
* Windows Phone 8
* Windows Phone 8.1
* Windows 10 Mobile

Device software|

* Action Center
* Bing Mobile
* Bing Audio
* Bing Maps
* Bing Vision
* Cortana
* Groove Music
* Internet Explorer Mobile
* Movies & TV
* MSN Mobile
* Office Mobile
* Pay
* Remote Desktop
* Skype app for Windows Phone
* Spotify
* Xbox Live on Windows Phone
* Windows Live for Mobile
* Zune Media Player

Desktop software|

* Zune software
* Windows Phone App
* Lumia Software Recovery Tool
* Windows Phone Recovery Tool

Services|

* Calendar
* Hotmail Mobile
* Microsoft account
* My Windows Phone
* Windows Phone Store
* OneDrive
* People Hub
* Xbox Live

Development|

* .NET Compact Framework
* App Studio
* DVLUP
* Nokia phones beta labs
* Silverlight
* SQL Server Compact
* XNA

Devices|

* Windows Phone 7 devices
* Windows Phone 8 devices
* Windows Phone 8.1 devices
* Windows 10 Mobile devices

* v
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* e

Microsoft Windows components

Management
tools|

* App Installer
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* Settings
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* System Configuration
* System File Checker
* System Information
* System Policy Editor
* System Restore
* Task Manager
* Windows Error Reporting
* Windows Ink
* Windows Installer
* PowerShell
* Windows Update
* Windows Insider
* WinRE
* WMI

Apps|

* Alarms & Clock
* Calculator
* Calendar
* Camera
* Character Map
* Cortana
* Edge
* Fax and Scan
* Feedback Hub
* File Manager
* Get Help
* Groove Music
* Magnifier
* Mail
* Messaging
* Maps
* Media Player
* Movies & TV
* Mobility Center
* Money
* News
* Narrator
* Notepad
* OneDrive
* OneNote
* Paint
* Paint 3D
* People
* Phone Companion
* Photos
* Quick Assist
* Snipping Tool
* Speech Recognition
* Skype
* Sports
* Sticky Notes
* View 3D
* Store
* Tips
* Voice Recorder
* Wallet
* Weather
* Windows To Go
* Windows Story Remix
* WordPad
* Xbox Console Companion
* Your Phone

Shell|

* Action Center
* Aero
* AutoPlay
* AutoRun
* ClearType
* Explorer
* Search
* Indexing Service
* IFilter
* Saved search
* Namespace
* Special folder
* Start menu
* Taskbar
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* Windows Spotlight
* Windows XP visual styles

Services|

* Service Control Manager
* BITS
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* Multimedia Class Scheduler
* Shadow Copy
* Task Scheduler
* Error Reporting
* Wireless Zero Configuration

File systems|

* CDFS
* DFS
* exFAT
* IFS
* FAT
* NTFS
* Hard link
* Junction point
* Mount Point
* Reparse point
* Symbolic link
* TxF
* EFS
* ReFS
* UDF

Server|

* Domains
* Active Directory
* DNS
* Group Policy
* Roaming user profiles
* Folder redirection
* Distributed Transaction Coordinator
* MSMQ
* Windows Media Services
* Rights Management Services
* IIS
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* Network Access Protection
* PWS
* DFS Replication
* Remote Differential Compression
* Print Services for UNIX
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* System Resource Manager
* Hyper-V
* Server Core

Architecture|

* Architecture of Windows NT
* Startup process
* NT
* Vista
* CSRSS
* Desktop Window Manager
* Portable Executable
* EXE
* DLL
* Enhanced Write Filter
* Graphics Device Interface
* hal.dll
* I/O request packet
* Imaging Format
* Kernel Transaction Manager
* Library files
* Logical Disk Manager
* LSASS
* MinWin
* NTLDR
* Ntoskrnl.exe
* Object Manager
* Open XML Paper Specification
* Registry
* Resource Protection
* Security Account Manager
* Server Message Block
* Shadow Copy
* SMSS
* System Idle Process
* USER
* WHEA
* Win32 console
* Winlogon
* WinUSB

Security|

* Security and Maintenance
* AppLocker
* BitLocker
* Credential Guard
* Data Execution Prevention
* Family Safety
* Kernel Patch Protection
* Mandatory Integrity Control
* Protected Media Path
* User Account Control
* User Interface Privilege Isolation
* Windows Defender
* Windows Firewall

Compatibility|

* COMMAND.COM
* Virtual DOS machine
* Windows on Windows
* WoW64
* Windows Subsystem for Linux

API|

* Active Scripting
* WSH
* VBScript
* JScript
* COM
* ActiveX
* ActiveX Document
* COM Structured storage
* DCOM
* OLE
* OLE Automation
* Transaction Server
* DirectX
* .NET Framework
* Universal Windows Platform
* Windows Mixed Reality
* Windows Runtime
* WinUSB

Games|

* Solitaire Collection

Discontinued|

| Games|

* 3D Pinball
* Chess Titans
* FreeCell
* Hearts
* InkBall
* Hold 'Em
* Purble Place
* Reversi
* Spider Solitaire
* Solitaire
* Tinker

|

Apps|

* ActiveMovie
* Anytime Upgrade
* Address Book
* Backup and Restore
* Cardfile
* CardSpace
* CD Player
* Contacts
* Desktop Gadgets
* Diagnostics
* DriveSpace
* DVD Maker
* Easy Transfer
* Fax
* Food & Drink
* Help and Support Center
* Health & Fitness
* HyperTerminal
* Internet Explorer
* Journal
* Media Center
* Meeting Space
* Messaging
* Messenger
* Mobile Device Center
* Movie Maker
* MSN Dial-up
* NetMeeting
* NTBackup
* Outlook Express
* Travel
* Photo Gallery
* Photo Viewer
* Program Manager
* Steps Recorder
* Syskey
* WinHelp
* Write

Others|

* ScanDisk
* File Protection
* Media Control Interface
* Next-Generation Secure Computing Base
* POSIX subsystem
* Interix
* Video for Windows
* Windows SideShow
* Windows Services for UNIX
* Windows System Assessment Tool
* WinFS

Spun off to
Microsoft Store|

* DVD Player
* Hover!
* Mahjong
* Minesweeper

* v
* t
* e

Virtual assistants

Active|

* AliGenie
* Alexa
* Alice
* Bixby
* Viv
* BlackBerry Assistant
* Braina
* Clova
* Cortana
* Google Assistant
* Maluuba
* Mycroft
* Siri
* Voice Mate
* Watson
* Xiaoice

Discontinued|

* Google Now
* M
* Microsoft Agent
* Microsoft Bob
* Microsoft Voice Command
* Ms. Dewey
* Mya
* Office Assistant (Clippy)
* S Voice
* Speaktoit Assistant
* Tafiti
* Vlingo

Fictional|

* HAL 9000
* J.A.R.V.I.S.
* Friday

* v
* t
* e

Computable knowledge

Topics and
concepts|

* Alphabet of human thought
* Authority control
* Automated reasoning
* Commonsense knowledge
* Commonsense reasoning
* Computability
* Formal system
* Inference engine
* Knowledge base
* Knowledge-based systems
* Knowledge engineering
* Knowledge extraction
* Knowledge representation
* Knowledge retrieval
* Library classification
* Logic programming
* Ontology
* Personal knowledge base
* Question answering
* Semantic reasoner

Proposals and
implementations|

* Zairja
* Ars Magna (1300)
* An Essay towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language (1688)
* Calculus ratiocinator and characteristica universalis (1700)
* Dewey Decimal Classification (1876)
* Begriffsschrift (1879)
* Mundaneum (1910)
* Logical atomism (1918)
* Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921)
* Hilbert's program (1920s)
* Incompleteness theorem (1931)
* World Brain (1938)
* Memex (1945)
* General Problem Solver (1959)
* Prolog (1972)
* Cyc (1984)
* Semantic Web (2001)
* Evi (2007)
* Wolfram Alpha (2009)
* Watson (2011)
* Siri (2011)
* Knowledge Graph (2012)
* Wikidata (2012)
* Cortana (2014)
* Viv (2016)

In fiction|

* The Engine (Gulliver's Travels, 1726)
* Joe ("A Logic Named Joe", 1946)
* The Librarian (Snow Crash, 1992)
* Dr. Know (A.I. Artificial Intelligence, 2001)
* Waterhouse (The Baroque Cycle, 2003)

See also: Logic machines in fiction and List of fictional computers

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