Microsoft officially put the Cortana app for iOS and Android out to pasture on Wednesday, announcing the end of support for the mobile apps, effective immediately. Reminders and lists created by Cortana users will no longer be accessible through the mobile app, but they still can be used on the Windows 10 Cortana app, Microsoft …
Read More »Tag Archives: cortana
Cortana app for iOS, Android going silent in UK, Canada, Australia, Microsoft says
Microsoft is discontinuing its Cortana mobile app for Android and iOS in the UK, Canada, Australia and several other countries, the company said this week. As of Jan. 31, Microsoft will no longer support the virtual assistant app in the above-mentioned countries, it said in three regional support notes. When asked if the iOS and Android apps will also be shuttered …
Read More »Microsoft’s contractors listened in on Xbox users
Microsoft’s contractors listened in on Xbox players using Cortana voice control features, Vice reported Wednesday. Voice data was also captured from the Kinect system’s voice commands prior to Cortana being added in 2016, according to the report. Microsoft last week revealed that humans could be listening to “short snippets” of voice conversations on its audio services, including Skype and virtual …
Read More »Microsoft says humans could be listening to your Skype calls
Microsoft has revealed that humans could be listening to “short snippets” of voice conversations on its audio services like Skype and virtual assistant Cortana, Motherboard reported Wednesday. Microsoft confirmed the report saying the disclosure came in an update to its privacy statement. The news comes a week after Motherboard reported that Microsoft contractors listen to recordings of some Skype conversations and …
Read More »Microsoft cuts the cord on Cortana for Xbox One
Microsoft has a message for Xbox gamers: It’s removing virtual assistant Cortana. Instead of talking to Cortana via their headset, users will have to use the Xbox Skill for Cortana via the Cortana app on iOS, Android or Windows, or use a Harmon Kardon Invoke speaker, according to a blog post by Microsoft Wednesday. The change comes at a time …
Read More »Microsoft, at its Build 2019 conference, wants us to have conversations with our computers
In the futuristic Star Trek-like world, people don’t spend so much time tapping their phones or typing on keyboards. They have conversations with their computers. That future, in which people effortlessly ask for something from their always-everywhere computer and can ask further requests based on the response, isn’t several centuries away. Apparently, it’s possible today. During its Build developer conference …
Read More »Microsoft appears to dump Cortana in Skype for Amazon’s Alexa
As of April 30, the Cortana bot will no longer be a part of Skype. Skype users have reported seeing notifications saying the Cortana bot, the chatbot version of Microsoft’s voice assistant, will no longer be available on the video app. Instead, Microsoft is advertising a new Amazon Alexa voice assistant integration, according to OnMSFT. “We are constantly evaluating and testing our products …
Read More »Microsoft hopes to improve Cortana in third
Despite the significant lead that voice assistants from Google, Apple and Amazon have over Microsoft’s offering, Cortana isn’t giving up. A Microsoft patent application published late last month details plans to better incorporate Cortana into third-party apps. The tech giant said it wants “an extensibility client that exposes an interface and service that enables third-party applications to be integrated with …
Read More »6 ways to customize the Windows 10 lock screen
It’s something you stare at each time you sit down in front of your PC, but I doubt you even see it as you quickly type in your password and unlock windows. The Windows 10 ($144 at Amazon) lock screen can be more than just a password-entry screen. It can be set up to show app notifications, calendar events and …
Read More »5 privacy settings you should change in Windows 10
Microsoft has made attempts to be more transparent with its privacy settings and, while it may have simplified some of the language of its policies, there is still work to be done. Here are five privacy-related settings you can change for a less invasive and more secure Windows 10 experience. Now playing: Watch this: Microsoft CEO on using tech for …
Read More »