Did you hear that?
That was the sound of two worlds colliding.

Microsoft has made no apologies for the fact that, although late to the mobile and tablet game, they are heavily invested in being a top contender in the marketplace. They bought Nokia. They designed a mobile interface that is instantly recognizable and yet drastically different from all the competition. They’ve integrated that new mobile operating system into the PC world and are slowly converting the laptop and desktop world to a touchscreen experience. Hi, welcome to Windows 8.
Therefore it should be no surprise that when it came to
featuring a verbal virtual assistant like Apple’s Siri and Google’s Google
Voice that Microsoft would soon be offering their own digital genie, coming
soon to both the Windows 8.1 platform and Windows mobile devices.

Not long ago I had the opportunity to drive a Ford Focus,
powered by Microsoft SYNC. I was
impressed by how easily it integrated with my devices. At the same time, I was also using a Garmin
GPS. It was amusing to listen as audio
feedback came from SYNC and Garmin systems for various tasks . . . because they
used the SAME voice. It seems as though
that voice has become the default, the universally accepted voice of
professional devices. But now that will change.
When you speak of Microsoft, many think of corporate big
business. Microsoft makes the majority
of their revenue from enterprise software and services. That being the case, you might ask why would
the name and the voice of Microsoft’s newest venture be that of a video game
character?
The answer is … because it’s awesome.
It is a great idea. And not just because Microsoft own the rights
to the character, but because to gamers that name and voice carry the expectation
of something far greater than Google
Voice and Siri. We want to suspend disbelief for something
more like a true artificial intelligence experience: just like Cortana herself. No promises have been made yet, but I want to
believe.
This could be Microsoft’s killer app, arming millions of potential Master Chiefs.
Ready and reporting for duty.
This could be Microsoft’s killer app, arming millions of potential Master Chiefs.
Ready and reporting for duty.
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