We've seen Microsoft's Cortana, the personal assistant loaded on Windows Phone 8.1, but aside from capabilities available today, what else would you like Cortana to do? Would you like her to turn on your TV remotely, or perhaps you'd like her to automatically start up your Windows 8 PC as you step inside the front door? Share with us your ideas.
Push back reminder times with voice commands. This seems like such a simple thing it should already be possible - or I just might not be saying it right if it's already possible.
I think it'd be really awesome if Cortana could do something like a start screen background slideshow by giving it pictures and a set time interval or other command (such as "each time I go to the start screen, use a new background based on a series of pictures").
I'd like it if I was able to turn the lights on in any room in my house through an interactive map of each floor - but that's probably something that'll happen way in the future since there'd need to be something also done with the house's light switches.
I would like Cortana to help me when behind the wheel.
Be nice to have her point out tailgaters, light runners, speeders or any other potential dangerous in traffic situation.
I have a few other wants dealing with personal security.
Don't want to get into the big brother thing however.
I want Cortana to allow for customized automation rules - things like: - Turn off my security pin-code when I am at home; - Do not activate Quiet Hours if I am not at home; - Turn on my rewards card app and open to that particular rewards card whenever I arrive at my grocery store; - Open driving mode and start my GPS app when I get in the car and connect to my bluetooth; - Turn off my pin-code when I am driving so I don't have to actually type on the phone to unlock it; - Set certain brightness settings when I have a game or my Kindle app open and active; - Silence my phone when I have a movie event listed on my calendar and I am located at that theater's GPS coordinates. - Silence my phone and auto-respond to phone calls with an away message when I am at the office and have a calendar event titled "Client Meeting."
I want Cortana to allow for customized automation rules - things like: - Turn off my security pin-code when I am at home; - Do not activate Quiet Hours if I am not at home; - Turn on my rewards card app and open to that particular rewards card whenever I arrive at my grocery store; - Open driving mode and start my GPS app when I get in the car and connect to my bluetooth; - Turn off my pin-code when I am driving so I don't have to actually type on the phone to unlock it; - Set certain brightness settings when I have a game or my Kindle app open and active; - Silence my phone when I have a movie event listed on my calendar and I am located at that theater's GPS coordinates. - Silence my phone and auto-respond to phone calls with an away message when I am at the office and have a calendar event titled "Client Meeting."
This is exactly the type of stuff I desperately want to see -- and I want it yesterday. Thanks anseld1986
I think the "remind me" section of Cortana's notebook should have a to-do list that doesn't require a time, date, or contact and could take to-dos from the calendar app. I keep setting reminders expecting this to be there because it seems (to me, at least) like an obvious feature that Cortana should have. For example, if someone is in college and they want to set a reminder for work to be done later, there might not be a specific time, place (dorm or library, for example), or person (study group, alone) that the reminder could be associated with.
We would like to ask "Cortana, how many calories are in a Cheeseburger" (Siri does this). If the GPS indicates that we are near a particular restaurant (e.g., McDondalds), then it should tell us the calories that are specific to that restaurant (e.g., calories in a McDonalds Cheeseburger)... (Siri does not do this).
We would like Cortana to remind us to leave at a certain time in order to arrive at an appointment on time. For example, Cortana would see that from my current location, it will take me 35 minutes to get to my Appointment location. About 35 minutes before my appointment, Cortana will say, "You better get going if you're going to make your next appointment with..." (Siri does not do this).
We would like Cortana to remind us to leave at a certain time in order to arrive at an appointment on time. For example, Cortana would see that from my current location, it will take me 35 minutes to get to my Appointment location. About 35 minutes before my appointment, Cortana will say, "You better get going if you're going to make your next appointment with..." (Siri does not do this).
That seems like a perfect feature for HERE Drive to incorporate with Cortana.
^Cortana already does all that except for location aware calorie. honestly it isn't that big of a deal since you can always add "restaurant name" into the search and it'll pull it up.
Whenever MS wants to give some insight or reasoning behind a decision or a strategy, they normally go to their blogs. They might put it on a podcast. They might have someone do an AMA. They might give a press release.
What I think MS should do is record Jen Taylor giving responses to common questions about MS products and services. New and upcoming products. MS events. Common problems. FAQ. Etc...
I set one of my interests as political news when I first set up Cortana. I removed that interest today because I did not want a diet of political headlines fed to me via Cortana of nothing but Fox news. I would like to select the news source if Cortana can only provide political news from Fox. The last place I go for political news is Fox.
First of all be universal. First question at start up should of course be In what language do you want me to henceforth communicate? Also possible to change that later in the settings. Then as a final touch the question What would you like to call me? (in your preferred language and also changeable in settings).