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Hey, Cortana! Microsoft's personal assistant coming to Windows 10

By Nick T.

Updated: Jan 21, 2015, 12:05 PM

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You've heard of Cortana, haven't you? It is one of the features making Windows Phone smartphones even smarter – a personal assistant commanded by the user's voice. Well, you're about to hear about her even more often now as the feature is coming to Windows 10. Joe Belfiore made the official announcement during Microsoft's media event. In fact, he delivered a great demo of how the assistant will work on the upcoming OS, even though Cortana's Windows 10 implementation was still in its testing phase, as Joe noted on several occasions.

First and foremost, Cortana will be enabled at all times and will respond to your voice input, prompted by the "Hey, Cortana" command. For example, users will have an easier time searching for apps – results will include both those installed on the device and ones recommended by the Windows Marketplace. Searching for files has been streamlined by adding the option for users to specify file type or its creation date, all using voice commands. What's more, Cortana will be smart enough to bring highly relevant search results on top.

But that's not all. Cortana in Windows 10 is designed to learn details about the user on the fly, and the more she is used, the better she'll get at returning relevant search results. In case there are details about you she shouldn't know, you'll be allowed to filter them out using the Notebook feature. Cortana's list of tricks will also include the option to shoot messages and emails without pressing a single key. All you'll have to do is to instruct her to shoot an email to a specific recipient and to dictate the message itself.

For more details on Windows 10, tune in to the Microsoft event live stream available here.

source: Microsoft, images via The Verge