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Windows Phone's Cortana voice assistant to be powered by Foursquare, says Bloomberg

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Feb 07, 2014, 5:42 AM

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Windows Phone's Cortana voice assistant to be powered by Foursquare, says Bloomberg

Microsoft made a multimillion investment in Foursquare out of the blue the other day, leaving us to wonder what's behind it. Bloomberg is now reporting that the partnership is actually for Cortana, Microsoft's upcoming voice-operated assistant in Windows Phone 8.1.

With the deal, Microsoft will get deeper access to Foursquare's database of places and reviews, so that Cortana and other WP apps give you personalized and location-aware recommendations, deals and tricks. “We’re building some contextually aware experiences to power some upcoming products in Windows Phone,” commented Zig Serafin, a vice president in Microsoft’s Bing search unit.

Furthermore, Cortana will also be able to tap your stock apps, like calendar, weather, calls, alarms and charging status, which will be used for managing basic phone functions with your voice, in addition to the Bing-powered info stream and the Foursquare crowdsourced wisdom that the personal assistant will be providing.

source: Bloomberg & TheVerge

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.