iOS has Siri, Android has Google Now and Windows Phone has Cortana. Cortana is the youngest of them all, and is as functional as its competitors. As a matter of fact, it understands the Indian accent better than others do. As per the latest reports, Microsoft is believed to be working on a new version of Cortana for Android as well as iOS.
The project of bringing Cortana to competing smartphone platforms has been codenamed ‘Einstein’ by Microsoft. It will be released as a standalone app for the Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.
"This kind of technology, which can read and understand email, will play a central role in the next roll out of Cortana, which we are working on now for the fall time frame," said Eric Horvitz, Managing Director of Microsoft Research and part of the Einstein team. However, he declined to comment on Microsoft taking Cortana to Android and iOS.
Microsoft positions Cortana as an intelligent virtual assistant which predicts your needs rather than being just a virtual assistant (which seems similar to the idea of Google Now). The company’s interest in the two other platforms has been increasing for a while and one of its flagship products, the smartphone and tablet specific Office for Android and iOS is an example of that. Some even say that the Office suite for these two is better than the one for Windows itself.
The company is trying to create its relevance on other platforms by taking its products to them rather than forcing people to opt in for Windows as a choice of platform.
"We're defining the competitive landscape... of who can provide the most supportive services that make life easier, keep track of things, that complement human memory in a way that helps us get things done," added Horvitz.
The codename has been based on Albert Einstein’s work on space and time. The company is trying to use where you are, what you are doing and what time is it to create an intelligent virtual assistant for you. Let us wait and watch where things are headed in near future.
