News - Siri-equivalent in Windows Phone 8.1 comes from hit game Halo

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So you may have previously met ‘Cortana’, Microsoft’s new personal assistant.

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Read more.

So Microsoft are hoping for a halo effect on their phone OS from one of their successful games title, (weak pun intended)?

Rest of the changes look good - and the fact that one of the screen shots was from a Lumia 620 bodes well for the hopes of current Windows Phone users that they will get this update soon.

Wonder if Windows Cortana will have the same problem with accents that Siri does?

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Originally Posted by crossy

Wonder if Windows Cortana will have the same problem with accents that Siri does?

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At a guess, I assume it will still use the TellMe functionality which WP had before Siri for voice commanding and navigation.

I've found it to be hit and miss, OK when I am in the car, just about.

I wonder if these voice technologies will drive people to speak properly and get rid of the difficult regional accents?

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

At a guess, I assume it will still use the TellMe functionality which WP had before Siri for voice commanding and navigation. I've found it to be hit and miss, OK when I am in the car, just about.

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S-Voice on the S3 is the same - very hit and miss. Although I've got to say that it's usually okay with normal words, but doesn't seem to handle people's names very well - you'd think it'd be clever enough to check your contacts list.

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

I wonder if these voice technologies will drive people to speak properly and get rid of the difficult regional accents?

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So that's Received Pronunciation for everyone or, like some I could name, a Lloyd Grosman type "mid atlantic" brogue? Maybe there's a way that Microsoft could put some clear blue water between them and Apple/Google - better support for local accents and local slang, (like these).

The problem you have with voice recognition technologies is that there is very little competition driving things forward. Nuance rules the roost in this segment by buying all its competitors up.

Nuance definitely provide the services for Siri and I imagine for all the others too.

So don't expect any of them to be radically better with accents than the others.

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

I wonder if these voice technologies will drive people to speak properly and get rid of the difficult regional accents?

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I'd prefer it if they could widen the scope than narrow it. Most people do not *choose* to speak with "improper" accent, and with some exceptions, most people simply can not speak with a "perfect" accent even if they spend the rest of their life speaking it if they started past their formative year. Unifying words/spelling/grammar and that sort of things is probably feasible, but I think that accent is a different story.

Can I say at this point, I dislike accents that are hard to understand. I think it is better that we strive to have more understanding between people, accents and the like I don't think help.

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

Can I say at this point, I dislike accents that are hard to understand. I think it is better that we strive to have more understanding between people, accents and the like I don't think help.

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:) you'll maybe find that a lot of the difficulty is down to a deliberate ploy on the part of the speakers. I've been away from, (or should that be "awa frae"?), the place of my birth (and who's accent I STILL carry) for a long, long time yet I don't have any problems fully understanding most people locally. In fact, the only folks I've had trouble understanding are those who've deliberately accentuate their accent to put me down. Funny though,that in a lot of cases the comment from the other side of the conversation has been "what the eff wa they on aboot - ja unnerstan' any o that blether?" or somesuch... :)

Always been keen on a geordie accent though - don't ask me why, it's just one of those gut things. Don't like "cockney street" though much myself, all that (stereotyped?) "it's all, like, init, bruv" slop just makes me want to hurl.

After Nokia's sale to MS, I was planning not to buy a Lumia anymore. Guess I have to reconsider that. Halo FTW :D

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Originally Posted by theanalyzer

After Nokia's sale to MS, I was planning not to buy a Lumia anymore.

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Surely that sale just makes it a better proposition to buy a Lumia, rather than buy an HTC?

I wonder if it will use the same voice actress??

I hope so!!! I would get a motorbike helmet, stick my phone in the back and run around with a cardboard assault rifle while humming the halo theme song - that's how much fun I could have with this! My 11 year old self would be well jealous!

Now I want my Android phone to talk like GLaDOS :D

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Originally Posted by DanceswithUnix

Now I want my Android phone to talk like GLaDOS :D

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Have you seen Pacific Rim??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...uZPIc8nSk#t=33

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Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

Have you seen Pacific Rim??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...uZPIc8nSk#t=33

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Nope, with youngish kids movies can be kind of tricky. Is is worth watching then?

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Originally Posted by DanceswithUnix

Nope, with youngish kids movies can be kind of tricky. Is is worth watching then?

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It was fun:

http://forums.hexus.net/movies-tv-mu...cific-rim.html

Del Toro is a Portal fan,so the Jaeger AI has the same voice as GLaDOS.

Its a PG-13 film though.

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Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

It was fun:

http://forums.hexus.net/movies-tv-mu...cific-rim.html

Del Toro is a Portal fan,so the Jaeger has the same voice as GLaDOS.

Its a PG-13 film though.

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Cool!

Though GLaDOS is not quite as heavy ;)

Looks like an excellent movie to crack open a beer and unwind to, shall add it to the list. I have a few DVDs/bluerays that I haven't watched yet but should get some more free time soon (I hope).

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Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

It was fun:
http://forums.hexus.net/movies-tv-mu...cific-rim.html
Del Toro is a Portal fan,so the Jaeger AI has the same voice as GLaDOS.
Its a PG-13 film though.

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Hmm, didn't know that - thanks.

Actually thought it was a heck of a lot better than the review had me thinking. From those I was expecting/dreading a less intellectual version of Transformers (yes I know - a mindboggling concept). In actuality I found it pretty watchable.

Great now you say "open app store" and it will say "sorry app store empty"

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Originally Posted by GalacticAlien

Great now you say "open app store" and it will say "sorry app store empty"

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Actually strangely enough I've had quite a few folks who's apps I have on Android send me mails saying "Now available on Windows Phone" - maybe Microsoft is splashin' the cash to get some better support for their OS.

Missus' phone also got three MS and one Nokia update at the weekend - nice to see Windows on phone has the same (annoying!) approach to updates as the desktop software does. You just think it's finished and it pops up with another that it needs to apply, (and reboot at the end of it).

Maybe it's just me being a skin flint, but most of the "must have" apps on my current Android phone now seem to have versions available on Windows Phone. :)

It's a bit of a tough one, because as much as I like my windows phone, I do miss some apps. Things like instagram I don't give a crap about, to be honest having seen people use the iPhone version, the third party ones are probably better anyway. So when people say the whole 47 out of the top 50 or whatever, it is a bit meaningless.

Unlike my android devices, all of the apps actually work OK on my device. This really is a problem in the Android market if you buy something other than a Nexus or a Samsung S-series.

However, WP does lack one or two great apps on Android that are for the more niche things. A great example is SkyDemon. 99%+ of you won't give a crap that its missing. Those who do (like me!) probably want a dedicated device for it anyway.

However, I think it is hard to say that you are disadvantaged with only 200k+ apps.