Cortana

Cortana is Microsoft's answer to Google Now and Apple's Siri. Its launch coincides with the arrival of the Windows 10 operating system, where it comes built-in, although it becomes more portable and helpful with the use of its official Android app.With this assistant, you can send commands or questions with your voice or the virtual keyboard. It uses your browsing preferences, current location, and installed apps to respond. This way, you can ask questions that can be searched for online (through Bing, also owned by Microsoft), or have Cortana perform more difficult actions like saving reminders or editing your contacts.

Features:

Cortana, the AI virtual assistant from Microsoft, comes with a wide range of features that can help users stay organized, find information, and perform tasks with ease. Some of its key features include:

Personalized assistance - It can recognize individual voices and adapt to each user's preferences and needs.

Voice commands - Users can use natural language voice commands to ask Cortana to perform tasks, such as setting reminders, sending emails, making phone calls, and playing music.

Calendar and scheduling - It can help users manage their calendars, schedule appointments, and set reminders for upcoming events.

News and weather updates - It can provide users with real-time news and weather updates.

Location-based services - It can help users find nearby restaurants, shops, and other places of interest.

Productivity tools - It can help users create to-do lists, manage their email inbox, and perform simple math problems.

Translation - It can translate phrases and sentences into multiple languages.

Device integration - It can integrate with other devices, such as smart home systems, to provide users with a seamless experience across all their devices.

Pros:

Handy two-way syncing and texting with Windows 10: By default, Cortana will notify you on your PC when you miss a call or message on your phone, or when your phone's battery is low. You also have the option to enable syncing of all of your mobile notifications to your PC.

In fact, if you enable that last one, you can also set up Cortana on your PC to let you send SMS text messages from your PC to your phone. In Cortana's settings on Windows 10, enable "Send notifications between devices" and add your phone contacts on your PC. From there, your Windows 10 machine will let you send an SMS when you tell Cortana "Text (name of contact)" or type "SMS (name of contact)" in the AI's question box in the lower- left corner, next to the Windows 10 Start button. It's not quite as slick as iMessage on a Mac, but it gets surprisingly close.

When you open a webpage within the Cortana mobile app, there's also a button in the upper right that can send that browser tab to your Windows 10 PC. If your PC can't be contacted at that time, you can tap on Continue Later to get a notification on your PC when it becomes available.

Overall, Cortana's cross-platform integration is not only helpful but also something that we haven't seen emulated by Google, not even with its own Chromebook laptops and tablets.

Easy text entry -- though it may not look like it at first: Being able to communicate with your virtual assistant silently is an important feature to have, because you don't want to be talking at your phone all the time, especially in public. The Google Assistant app, for example, has a button you can tap to open your mobile device's virtual keyboard, and iPhones and iPads have a "Type to Siri" feature available in their accessibility settings.

With the Cortana app, you just tap on the bottom of the screen where the suggested question is located. It doesn't look like an interactive section, but tapping there pops open the keyboard and presents you with other popular questions you can tap on to get verbal answers from Cortana. Tapping on the downward arrow right below the last displayed question will show you a longer list.

The suggestions may not all apply to you, but the phrasing at least gives you a better idea of how to speak Cortana's language.

Cons:

The "Hey Cortana" wake-up phrase only works with the app open and in front of you: On Android devices, Google doesn't allow third-party virtual assistants to be summoned outside of their apps, probably for security reasons but also to enforce their own vision for the operating system. With the use of "Hey Cortana" limited to when you are actively using the app, the wake phrase doesn't have much utility; pretty much every section of the app already has a microphone icon that you can just tap on to talk to her.

Cortana ultimately isn't as effective of a taskmaster as the Google Assistant: As good as the Cortana app has gotten, Cortana herself isn't as sharp as the Google Assistant at understanding your input or at presenting its information clearly. When we asked for directions from the San Francisco Ferry Building to the Fruitvale BART station, Cortana gave the starting location as "Edificio Ferry, CA." "Edificio" means "building" in Spanish, but why is this being translated into another language to begin with?

In fact, Cortana could not produce directions at all during our testing. Does mapping require a mobile data connection, and not just Wi-Fi? The app doesn't say; it just stalls at the "getting you directions" step. Meanwhile, it had no trouble pulling up stock prices or a 10-day weather forecast, or telling me the President's birthday. So the app's data connection did not seem to be an issue.

Asking Google Assistant for directions couldn't be more different of an experience. This opens up Google Search results from within the Google Assistant app, with a Google Maps card featured right at the top with estimated travel time, travel distance, and a highlighted route -- all with just Wi-Fi enabled on the phone. Tapping on the fat Directions button opens up the actual Google Maps app with all the turn-by-turn navigati

Compatibility and Integration

The application boasts compatibility with Windows 10, the Edge browser, various Microsoft Office applications, and even extends its services to platforms like Outlook and Exchange. Its utility is not just limited to Microsoft's own suite; it interacts with substantial third-party offerings such as Skype and can access information through Bing's extensive search capabilities.

Functionality That Listens

At the core of Cortana's functionality is its voice recognition technology. By merely saying "Hey Cortana," users can awaken this digital companion and issue a variety of commands or queries. The ability to set calendar events, schedule meetings, and send emails through vocal instruction can significantly streamline the organizational aspects of one's digital life. Cortana's adaptability also means that it can assist with simpler tasks, such as solving math problems, converting measurements and currencies, and providing definitions or translations.

User Experience and Interface

Cortana's interface is user-friendly and intuitive, melding unobtrusively with the Windows 10 operating system. Engaging with Cortana can be as simple as typing a request or question directly into the taskbar or utilizing the hands-free convenience of voice activation. The assistant's design emphasizes efficiency and ease-of-use, ensuring that whether you're seeking to check the weather or need help with a complex itinerary, Cortana is equipped to help with minimal friction.

Privacy Considerations

The balance between personalized assistance and privacy is a subject of increasing importance. Cortana does collect data to offer a tailored experience, but this might raise concerns for users sensitive to their personal information's usage. Microsoft provides the flexibility to adjust Cortana's settings for privacy-conscious individuals or to remove the assistant entirely if so desired. It is essential for users to be aware of these options and evaluate their comfort levels with data sharing.

Conclusion:

All in all, Windows Cortana is a powerful virtual desktop/laptop assistant from Microsoft that can help users stay organized, perform tasks, and find information quickly and easily. All recommendations from the FileHorse review team for this great AI virtual assistant for everyday use!