Is accesing Cortana going to be a pain in the neck?

[bsayegh]

I really don't like the idea of having to swipe up from the bottom to access the nav bar. Sounds pretty inconvenient. I am not sure if they have really discussed it anywhere, but does that mean you cant access Cortana voice controls without swiping up from the bottom and hitting the button? I usually use cortana when im driving and cant actually look at my phone (I just know where the button is). Adding another step doesn't make that any easier.

I know there is a cover that has it integrated in, but not everyone will have the cover.

 

[lkcbharath]

Pin cortana to start. #youchosewp

 

[WPenvy]

No, the op has a point though. Ease of access is the thing right now, it comes with all the instant gratification.

That along with the lack of camera button.

 

[bsayegh]

Did they just do this for real estate? There should at least be like a cortana button the side of the phone. I guess they didn't want to make ANY changes from the Android version, but I think some of the usability is lost here.

At least there should be a setting to pin the nav menu to the bottom of the screen so that its always available.

 

[jdriscoll636]

They setup Cortana for use with car Bluetooth systems. Just use your voice command button, and say call Cortana.

 

[Im_Q]

You don't need to swipe up for the nav bar if you didn't purposely hide it in the first place. The nav bar is persistent and acts like capacitive buttons on other phones. But it does have the ability to hide when told to do so. This is usually useful for games, photos, and videos. In those cases, you'd most likely have already swiped upwards for the nav bar to navigate away from those scenarios. The only time this might be inconvenient is when you're in those scenario and you need to jump directly into Cortana. Then you'd need to swipe upwards and press and hold for Cortana.

But like the previous poster said, if you use Cortana with Bluetooth, you can access her easily with voice command. Some cars have built in voice command activation, and others have simple voice-dialing of contacts where you can say "call Cortana." Older or simpler Bluetooth systems simply have speed dial entries where you can set Cortana as one of them.

 

[WPenvy]

They setup Cortana for use with car Bluetooth systems. Just use your voice command button, and say call Cortana.

So... What if I'm not in my car or I don't own a car or any Bluetooth devices for that matter?

 

[WPenvy]

Did they just do this for real estate? There should at least be like a cortana button the side of the phone. I guess they didn't want to make ANY changes from the Android version, but I think some of the usability is lost here.

At least there should be a setting to pin the nav menu to the bottom of the screen so that its always available.

I like your thinking, but I don't think extra buttons is necessarily the right way. They should have kept the core requirements of a power/lock button, volume rocker, and camera button.


My proposal:
What if, a double tap of the power/lock button was used as the hardware-call for Cortana? Just like the original idea of the dedicated camera button, a double tap can be used as a quick launch of our dear assistant from a phone in standby. Not only does this negate the need for extra components, it could be implemented on all Windows Phones featuring Cortana. Phones already in the wild would only need a firmware update.

 

[Fluffy Balls]

Did they just do this for real estate? There should at least be like a cortana button the side of the phone. I guess they didn't want to make ANY changes from the Android version, but I think some of the usability is lost here.

At least there should be a setting to pin the nav menu to the bottom of the screen so that its always available.

It is always available unless you hit the down arrow on the bottom left corner.

 

[mwdavis84]

It's not too bad. Double tap on the screen, pause, then hold the search button.

 

[badr0b0t]

Pair it with your handsfree bluetooth device if you have one in the car. When you talk to your bluetooth, it will activate Cortana. I have a blueant handsfree. I just say "Blueant, speak to me." and say "Phone Command", it will connect to Cortana. You don't even have to bring your phone out of you pocket or bag as long as it is connected via bluetooth.

 

[TechFreak1]

Pin Cortana to your start screen and I guess you missed this? (presuming you have the wpcentral app)

The solution to your car woes..:grin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXjl-7lG6wk

You only have to swipe up, if you choose to hide it via the small minimize (downward arrow) button next to the the back button otherwise it is persistent. If you watched the quick hands on done by Daniel and other reviewers.. you wouldn't have missed it.

 

[badr0b0t]

Pin Cortana to your start screen and I guess you missed this? (presuming you have the wpcentral app)

The solution to your car woes..:grin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXjl-7lG6wk

You only have to swipe up, if you choose to hide it via the small minimize (downward arrow) button next to the the back button otherwise it is persistent. If you watched the quick hands on done by Daniel and other reviewers.. you wouldn't have missed it.

Even with this tutorial, you have to press the call button to access Cortana. With other bluetooth devices like the Blueant, everything is voice activated.
Great tutorials there!

 

[TechFreak1]

Even with this tutorial, you have to press the call button to access Cortana. With other bluetooth devices like the Blueant, everything is voice activated.
Great tutorials there!

Well I don't own a car, I just came across this tutorial when I was watching the M8 hands video by Daniel & Mark on my X1 :winktongue: .

Edit:

I like your thinking, but I don't think extra buttons is necessarily the right way. They should gave kept the core requirements of a power/lock button, volume rocker, and camera button.

The main reason we got the HTC M8 was due to lax in requirements, the android version does not have a camera button, does not have capacitive buttons. There was no R&D involved to make a new handset for windows phone, all they had to was ensure that the hardware played nicely with Windows Phone.

If MS stuck to their guns and stayed the course I doubt we would have seen any movement from the big OEMs. As all they have to do is just simply slap windows phone on their android phones, QC it and ship it out.

My proposal:
What if, a double tap of the power/lock button was used as the hardware-call for Cortana? Just like the original idea of the dedicated camera button, a double tap can be used as a quick launch of our dear assistant from a phone in standby. Not only does this negate the need for extra components, it could be implemented on all Windows Phones featuring Cortana. Phones already in the wild would only need a firmware update.

Double tap on the power / lock screen button is just a terrible idea.. as you will ended up the screen flashing on and off, to prevent this you will have to increase the threshold between button presses (same principle as increasing the time between clicks for your mouse). Plus It is just is too complicated for basic users to grasp, not everyone can quickly double press a button.

This is where passive listening would have helped, however for that to work the mic(s) need to be on all the time listening for the trigger word... just look at how the X1 launch went and the hullabaloo that ensued when people got told the kinect was always listening out for "xbox on". People didn't hear that, they just heard "the kinect is always listening".

 

[badr0b0t]

Double tap on the power / lock screen button is just a terrible idea.. as you will ended up the screen flashing on and off, .
".

All buttons on the phone are programmed to perform specific tasks. A simple firmware update can change the way button responds to the user. Double tap of the power button turns the screen on and off for now because that is how it is initially programmed what to do. It can be changed any time just like how we customize our pc keyboard to do specific tasks by manually setting up key combinations.

 

[TechFreak1]

All buttons on the phone are programmed to perform specific tasks. A simple firmware update can change the way button responds to the user. Double tap of the power button turns the screen on and off for now because that is how it is initially programmed what to do. It can be changed any time just like how we customize our pc keyboard to do specific tasks by manually setting up key combinations.

Sure you could do that and that would be a decent solution, however it would have to be off by default (therefore opt-in) and would need to have a section in the set-up wizard which runs after you hard reset / first time you turn on the phone.

 

[badr0b0t]

It would have to be coded with Cortana. Once Cortana is enabled, the buttons will be set up accordingly.
Sent from my
Nokia Lumia 1520
using Tapatalk

 

[WPenvy]

All buttons on the phone are programmed to perform specific tasks. A simple firmware update can change the way button responds to the user. Double tap of the power button turns the screen on and off for now because that is how it is initially programmed what to do. It can be changed any time just like how we customize our pc keyboard to do specific tasks by manually setting up key combinations.

Teckfreak1, if you had read my entire post you would have seen my mention of a firmware change, as badr0b0t reiterated. The hardware is there, just add additional functionality. Example: when Apple added Siri to the iPhone and simply used the home button.

Sure you could do that and that would be a decent solution, however it would have to be off by default (therefore opt-in) and would need to have a section in the set-up wizard which runs after you hard reset / first time you turn on the phone.

I also don't think it would be necessary to have it off by default. As for the set-up process on first boot, or a hard reset a heads-up should be given to the user so that they know its there. Eliminates fuss for people that don't want their phone always listening, gives people that don't own a car/Bluetooth device a quick way in, and - again - doesn't need additional hardware meaning, a 920 could do this.

Poll here.

 

[RaRa85]

Did they just do this for real estate? There should at least be like a cortana button the side of the phone. I guess they didn't want to make ANY changes from the Android version, but I think some of the usability is lost here.

At least there should be a setting to pin the nav menu to the bottom of the screen so that its always available.

You do realize that you don't have to hide the navigation menu right?