Hey Cortana

[mikeycl]

Microsoft announces Lumia Denim update, Cortana enhanced and 4K video added - Pocket-lint

So it has been confirmed. Cortana will be coming with voice activation.

Looks like she is very quickly catching up with google now with missing features.

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Yeah, that's awesome! Patiently waiting for it!

 

[Pete]

Yep, never did like that "Debian" name anyway.

 

[D M C]

It's a feature for premium phone only.(Didn't expect from MS)

I don't understand how Motorola able to make hand free Google now. They doesn't need SD 80+ processor.
Neither Android does(as far as I know.......correct me if I am wrong).

Then why Cortana?

I think may be Motorola & Android devs are more talented than Cortana team.
They made it available for all.

 

[Timo Suominen]

"Hey cortana" - not gonna be availbale for Lumia 920 (due to hw restrictions)?

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

Better come for my Lumia 630...

 

[D M C]

Better come for my Lumia 630...

No, Cortana only loves L930 & L1520.

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

No, Cortana only loves L930 & L1520.

It's not only her who loves the 1520

 

[Kiba85]

No, Cortana only loves L930 & L1520.

WPCentral says so, but I'm not sure. This feature might use the SensorCore, which is a DSP included even on the S400. The step counter is just one of its implementations, available in fact only on L630, L930 and L1520.

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Do 730/735 and 830 have the SensorCore feature..? I think they should have.

 

[DavidinCT]

WPcentral said the only phones were 930/ICON and 1520 as of right now. Unless something changes, the phone needs to be based on the 80X chipset.

I have a ICON and I am looking forward to this, finally Cortana will be more useful, normally when driving or just sitting in my pocket when am too lazy to grab my phone...

 

[Kiba85]

Do 730/735 and 830 have the SensorCore feature..? I think they should have.

Sure, as they have the same SOC of the L630. I believe that Cortana's always listening mode should be available on these devices too. I don't see why not.

 

[rpac78]

Sounds like a cool idea but I'm wondering how it'll impact the battery life if Cortana is set to listen all the time.

 

[Kiba85]

I created a suggestion on Uservoice asking for "Hey Cortana" on every device with Sensor Core. I think it's better to make it clear that we want this feature on every device that can support it. Unfortunately I can't post links yet, you can search for my suggestion on uservoice (Make "Hey Cortana" available on every device with Sensor Core)!

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Sandeep already tweeted that it's currently not possible, and he does understand that everyone wants this feature.

 

[Trevor Wolfe]

I really hope there is a way to set it so this feature turns on when connected to Bluetooth because I dont want it listening all the time. Just when I'm driving and connected to my cars bluetooth

 

[Antchexec]

I am led to believe that the sensorcore can use detectors (gyro, microphones, magnetometer etc) without powering them. Don't ask me how! Therefore, the always-on listening will not have a huge effect on battery life. However, quite why this is not true for the S400, too, is unclear to me; perhaps it just does the same but with less sensors - and does not include the mic; but that is a wild guess.

In any event, none of this seems to me to exclude the option of a software solution that allows 'Hey Cortana' whilst the phone is on charge. It strikes me that in situations when I would require this feature, that would be the case - whilst driving; when the phone is across the room; on the bedside table, and so on. At all other times, the phone would be in my hand or next to me, and it is easy to use the search button.

Just a thought.

 

[a5cent]

I am led to believe that the sensorcore can use detectors (gyro, microphones, magnetometer etc) without powering them. Don't ask me how! Therefore, the always-on listening will not have a huge effect on battery life. However, quite why this is not true for the S400, too, is unclear to me; perhaps it just does the same but with less sensors - and does not include the mic; but that is a wild guess.

Sure, as they have the same SOC of the L630. I believe that Cortana's always listening mode should be available on these devices too. I don't see why not.

For those of you interested in understanding what SensorCore is, how it relates to Cortana, and why always-on listening won't be available on all devices, I've created a thread specifically for you...

http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...5-what-exactly-sensorcore-answers-inside.html

Enjoy!

 

[Antchexec]

Thanks very much for that; very interesting. It seems that my "wild guess" wasn't all that wild after all.

However, I'm not quite sure if what you say excludes the possibility that my suggestion, of having the microphone active when the phone is on charge, a non-starter?

 

[a5cent]

Thanks very much for that; very interesting. It seems that my "wild guess" wasn't all that wild after all.

However, I'm not quite sure if what you say excludes the possibility that my suggestion, of having the microphone active when the phone is on charge, a non-starter?

In theory that is possible, although keeping the mic on is trivial. The hard part is the circuitry that must continually analyse ambient noise, filter out human voices, and then recognise words to see if the phone's owner might have said "hey cortana".

Anyway, the reason why your suggestion is theoretically possible but practically very much a "pain in the ***", is because the two solutions function completely differently. As mentioned in the other thread, a large part of the solution resides in Qualcomm's sd800 senser core. That represents a huge amount if development effort that MS would have to replicate, if it is to work on plugged-in non-sd800 devices. that would (a) cost millions, for what is (b) essentially throw-away software because in two or three years time all of Qualcomm's SoCs will support always-on listening, and (c) prevent those engineers from solving other problems that currently have no solution at all on any WP device.

Considering all those drawbacks, and that such a sometimes-on listening feature would be somewhat crippled anyway, MS can no doubt serve their customers better by focusing those engineering resources elsewhere.