Microsoft’s Cortana virtual assistant software isn’t exactly dead, but it’s not exactly living its best life either. Earlier this year Microsoft announced that it was killing off some key features including support for third-party Cortana skills and support for using Cortana to control music playback and smart home devices. Now Microsoft has confirmed that all […]
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3 Comments on Microsoft Cortana is losing music and smart home features (in shift to productivity aid)
Microsoft Cortana is losing music and smart home features (in shift to productivity aid)
3 Comments on Microsoft Cortana is losing music and smart home features (in shift to productivity aid)Cortana started off looking like Microsoft’s answer to Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. These days it’s looking… a lot less useful. Microsoft has announced a few new scheduling and task management features for voice and keyboard users… but the company has also revealed that it’s pulling the plug on a whole bunch of other features. […]
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Microsoft is killing its standalone Cortana apps for Android & iOS (in some regions, at least)
1 Comment on Microsoft is killing its standalone Cortana apps for Android & iOS (in some regions, at least)Microsoft is pulling the plug on its Cortana apps for Android and iOS according to supports pages on the Microsoft Australia, Canada, and UK websites. It’s possible the app will live on in the US and other markets, but I’m not holding my breath. Does this mean Microsoft is giving up on supporting the smartphone […]
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Do you want a phone that talks and texts to people for you?
Google’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones will be able to make phone calls to local businesses to ask about hours or even book an appointment on your behalf, saving you the trouble of talking to a human being. The feature will be available starting next month when Google’s Duplex technology gets a public […]
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Now you can use Cortana to talk to Alexa… or vice versa
Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung all have virtual assistant software that you can interact with by voice. While there’s a lot of overlap in features, there are some things you may be able to do in one that you cannot do with another. So when Microsoft and Amazon announced plans last year to let their Cortana […]
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Amazon Alexa coming to more smartphones, headphones in 2018
Amazon’s Alexa voice service made its debut with the company’s Echo line of smart speakers, but these days it’s also available on tablets, TVs, and other gadgets from Amazon and third-party companies. A few companies have built Alexa into wearables like smartwatches and headphones in the past. But we’re probably going to see a lot […]
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Samsung unveils Bixby 2.0 virtual assistant platform
Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant is growing up… a little bit. First unveiled along with the Galaxy S8 earlier this year as a way to control your phone with your voice, Samsung’s virtual assistant has only been available in the US for a few months. Now Samsung says Bixby is available in more than 200 countries […]
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Samsung launches Bixby voice assistant Early Access program in the US
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ may have dedicated keys for the company’s Bixby virtual assistant software. But the full version of Bixby wasn’t ready to go when the phones first launched… at least not in the United States. While South Korean customers could use Bixby to speak to their phones, customers in the US could […]
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Cortana now supports third-party “skills,” HP and Intel working on Cortana-enabled speakers
1 Comment on Cortana now supports third-party “skills,” HP and Intel working on Cortana-enabled speakersMicrosoft’s Cortana virtual assistant software is baked into Windows 10, and it’s expected to power the upcoming Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker. But at the start of this week’s MS Build conference, Microsoft made a few more Cortana-related announcements. First up, HP and Intel are also planning to launch Cortana-enabled devices. Or rather, HP is… and […]
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Samsung confirms Galaxy S8 will feature Bixby voice assistant
Apple may have kicked off the recent virtual assistant craze with the launch of Siri. But these days Siri has a lot of company: Microsoft Cortana, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant (which might have the least creative name of the bunch). Soon they’ll be joined by Samsung’s Bixby. We’ve known it was coming for a […]