In our tips folder we often get emails asking us to share a poll on UserVoice. We can’t oblige them all, but every now and then an idea comes through that even we can’t pass up.
Earlier this summer, we saw a developer pick up a Lumia 920 on eBay. However, that device was loaded up with an early build of Windows Phone 8.1 and was returned to Microsoft quickly. But not before screenshots of the software spread across the internet. In there, we saw our first look at Cortana – the internal codename for Microsoft’s digital voice assistant.
We have reason to suspect that codename might not make it to market, even though it is the perfect name for what it is. But maybe you can help make that codename the final name. Why would it be important? Well, if you're not familiar with the lore of Halo, or have never played an Xbox in your life, the name comes from the AI that aids the protagonist in the series of video games.
Yesterday the Windows Phone world exploded with more news about Cortana. Mary Jo Foley shared some inside information, Tom Warren tweeted some screenshots, and we added on top of what they provided. Together we have the basic idea of what Cortana can do. The too long, didn’t read version of yesterday was that Cortana would not be limited to voice interactions. Instead she’ll follow you from device to device in the Microsoft ecosystem, always ready to help you.
So, back to the poll. Microsoft has a UserVoice account for Windows Phone. It allows developers, consumers, enthusiasts, and everyone else to submit ideas and vote on them. It helps the Windows Phone team know what features and ideas you value and want to see implemented. One of those right now is to keep the name for the voice assistant as Cortana.
Android has Google Now, while the iPhone has Siri. If you think Windows Phone should have Cortana follow the link below to vote.
Source: Windows Phone UserVoice
Thanks for the tip Jason M.
Reader comments
Convince Microsoft to keep Cortana as the name for your future digital assistant
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I would love Cortana. It would sell so many freaking phoned if Jen Taylor was the voice. Cortana Microsoft, or Clippy the paper clip.
Call it whatever but give me the option to rename it on my device. I need to name my assistant something that sounds sultry so my phone can sue me for harassment.
Please no. Cortana is a great code name, but for the final product? No. Anyway, what about users choise, let the user choose a name for it individualy.
It's a terrible name and tarishes the mobile platform by associating it with microsofts terrible gaming brand, who do I email to make sure they change it?
RetardsRus@you.com
Word!!! Good idea, separate from pack!!!! Word!
How about Cor for short, but for anyone who cares it's also Cortana. That way there's a regular one syllable word for everyone in the world (could make it sound like Core), but the other side is happy too. As long as they keep the voice.
Who cares it has anything to do with Halo? I didn't know that it was a character in Halo, but I really liked the name.
Or what about just 'AI'?
Microsoft AI.
I think this name discussion is the wrong approach... Cortana, Siri, Louis, Francine... all are nice and lovely names... But not everybody associates the same with a name... why not let the user choose the "trigger word" depending of their own preferences. I think this approach matches the "Put people first" mantra perfectly.
Besides that, I would really like to see that the voice assistant in WP (xbox, W8 etc) can be activated without touching the phone itself.
Example: You're lying in the bed, but suddenly you remember that you have to get up tomorrow 1 hour earlier. It would be awesome to just say "Phone/Cortana/Lumia wake me up tomorrow at 6 o'clock" Your phone rests on your bedside table and just answers with a discreet "beep".
You don't have to take your phone into the hands and try to make settings manually (which can be very hard if you already close to sleep)
I know this "always-listening" function will drain the batteries. But I guess most of the people are charging their phones anyway over night.
Best regards
CWA
I put my three votes in!
I love Cortana. My second choice would be Computer, with Majel Barrett's voice. Third choice GLaDOS.
Just saw Jarvis mentioned above. Another good one.
I think is time for MS to promote there "X" for MS. If someone ask "I" pretty much related to the fruit brand. So 1520, I call XB phone for Xtreme Big. For cortana I name is Xavo. Promote the X like in Xbox. Xavo, Xtra assistant voice operation.
That's a terrible idea.
Halo is amazing and I love Cortana! They need to keep the name! It might also help sales a little bit.
I'd prefer microsoft to allow users to name it whatever they like..i have one in my Mind already..and i'd love for it to turn to reality.. :D
Clippy
Jarvis
I liked the voice but sorry...the name cortana sucks...and it sounds like a tough military lady name...not everyone on this earth plays xbox and be happy with it..
Cortana as our AI would be the best thing ever. Jen Taylor has to do Cortana's voice though.
I understand those with the "I don't play Halo" comment, I don't either. But Cortana is a cool name, I'm fine with it or whatever Microsoft is coming up, as long as the actual program works well :)
voted everyone remember cortana from halo its catchy cool name amoung millions of people keep the name and use her voice too
Went to vote no, but that wasn't an option :(
Lets have one that's more universally pronounceable... Not sure if this is Core-tan-a, or Core-tan-ya, or what.
Core-Tahn-Nuh. Halo?!?!
Certainly didn't foresee that pronunciation... Still don't care for it.
How about Clippy??
>_>
Voted
200 posts, sorry if someone beat me to it: Cortex, Cerebro or Skynet are my votes.
If they keep the Cortana name then they have to have her voice. Which I think may not be possible, especially for languages other than English.
How about giving it any name you choose when you get your new phone .......Now that's personal!!!
Oh, misa like this idea!
Terrible!!! Remember Star Trek, "Computer"........Computer, what is the weather like today? Or, Computer, text siri, "you are second rate".
Cortana is perfect
Why does it need a name? Think outside the box. Be unique.
If we are to use voice assistance like we do with Kinect, then it might make sense. But the way it is right now, you still have to press a button to activate it, making it impossible to even use the name.
make sure Jen Taylor voices Cortana! http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/forums/101801-feature-suggestions/sugg...
Halo for life!!!
I vote for Trinity.
Cortana, yes!
Ok, CORTANA PROs and CONS people! Let's meet in the middle: take down "Cortana" and replace it with "Corah". In my opinion, "Cortana" is just too long. "Cortana, please remind me tomorrow to call the dentist ... !" ... nah, doesn't cut it for me! "Corah, when is my dentist appointment?" ... yeah, feels better!
Sounds reasonable. I think Cortana would be appropriate; they seemed to pick the codename because of the similarity. It's a nice name and I don't really care about HALO. If the feature works, does it matter? Maybe each of us could call it by whatever name we wish.
That being said, Cora is very nice too. :)
How about Microsoft Sam? At least as an easter egg :D
How did I know that Sam Sabri would be the writer of this article !
Halo 24/7.
They should make it that when you call cortana the cortana figure shows up on your screen kind of like in halo
Yes, we should be able to see her when we 1st request her help and when she is giving us reminders, info, etc.
I want Cortana on my phone god damn it lol and while their at it make a green xbox phone so i can have the "achievement unlocked" sound when i get a text haha
People vote massively on Cortana...Microsoft obliges 2 years later. =P
Cortana is an awesome name. And im a huge halo fan. Was gonna name my first born Cortana if it was a girl, but we had a boy so named him Avery and I call him Sgt. Major. As in Sgt. Major Avery Johnson.
"Then listen up! When i joined the core we didn't have any fancy shmancy tanks... we had sticks! 2 sticks and a rock for the whole platoon, and we had to share the rock! Buck up boy, you're one very lucky marine."
I don't care what they call it as long as it works. Come on already!
They would be morons to pass this up. Maybe they are because why do we have to ask them to keep it when its common sense.
It's already in the top 15 of the feature suggestions. If they ignore this, they are idiots.
Cortana is the perfect name. And as an easter egg for all us Halo fans, how about when we say "Wake me, when you need me" into our device, Cortana sets an alarm to wake us up?
I'm voting. Using the name Cortana is a no-brainer; it's the perfect name from a beloved character in a Microsoft property (how often can you say that) who also just so happens to be an A.I. Microsoft needs a good positive shot in the arm right about now, I hope they don't screw this up.
TellMe us just fine!
Tellme sound boring to be honest cortana sound way better
Cortana, what will the weather be like tomorrow ?
It'll be cloudy with a slight chance of alien invasion, Chief.
or the alarm: "Chief, Wake up, Chief!"
But when you look at it, it would be a bad move, there would be no people on the streets only crazed creatures talking to their phones.
I never even heard of Halo, but this has to be the greatest marketing idea ever. Also, the name is very nice and way better then clippy or that stupid dog
If they don't keep Cortana, I'm gonna be disappointed to the stage where I'll not forget about it for about 2-3 weeks give or take a day or 2
I like the idea of it being Cortana. It is like giving it an actual name plus if u have to speak the name to initiate the command it is pretty rare that something else would have this name.
Knowing Microsoft they will just call it Bing.
keep the name and even the name the OS Cortana
What if they will give you the ability to name it whatever you want? That would mean the previous owner of the phone that was leaked had the bright idea of calling their AI "Cortana" /:)
"Cortana" doesn't sound Microsoft's style.
"Microsoft Windows Phone Automated Voice Assistant".. that's more like it.
MWPAVA
What about Gears of War's Female Voice?
Anya?
Better Ideia, include multiple assistants, like Gears of War Squad.
I thought on Cole Train hahahah.
Lol having cole train as a personal assistant would be fun!
Loving the cortana name! It should definitely be kept as it. It works so well! To change it wouldn't make any sense to me.
CORTANA
I'm an Halo fan and so my opinion is less important then others. But I like so much the idea to have Cortana on my Windows Phone ready to help me!!
Who knows Cortana understand that is the best, more appropriate name to give to an IA. Cortana is a source of information, knowledge and learning almost infinite!
Nope. Change it to Quorra.
They should make the name Mojave :P
Now, they just need to implement it correctly: using speech to activate, not button presses or apps. They have this already with the Xbox One.
Just like you can say, "Xbox, watch TV".
You should simply be able to speak to your phone, "Cortana, how to I get to the football stadium?"
Or while at home, "Cortana, launch SmartGlass on my tablet", "Cortana, continue Skype call on the Xbox".
Maybe they can give you a choice. For the normies they can say "Bing" and for us who know who the hell cortana is can give us the option to activate her. There problem solved.
not as long as ballmer is in charge. Elop, hurry up.
I don't know the character mentioned, haven't played any halo games. Still, something with a background and character would be more relatable to everyone. It sounds more fun.
Umm..we're not all gaming geeks. I want something elegant like Miley or Selena or Vanessa
Miley makes me think of Miley Cyrus, Selena makes think of the dead pop singer from the 90's, and Vanessa kind of old fashioned.
He means for you to think of Miley Cyrus, he also means for you to think lf Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens. All three were child Disney stars.
How about Crystal or Candy or Bambi?
How about Selena Gomez? "Selena, when how late is my doctor's appointment?" or "Gomez! Open 9gag, now!".
Ha, I see that you jest. But I also don't agree with Cortana
cortana is the best name they can use. i want to wake up to "chief i need you now"
HA! In a single day it made its way into the top 20 onto the first page of suggestions.
Trust us on this one Microsoft, just make it happen.
This would be so cool! If they would have Jen do the voice i would forever be a windows phone user. I will most liekly anyway but this would seal the deal for sure.
Cadbury
Belvidere
Ahmad
Iris
Holy fuck, I signed the petition when it was at 1800 late last night...now its at 11000.
clippy...
10,000+ votes already!!!
And Nokia for mobile phone department
Cortana makes sense for those who played Halo. For those like me, who didn't play it, it's just one more name that shouldn't go beyond the beta testing phase of the project.
Then you should look it up, I never owned a 360 but played halo for hours with my geek friends and this would be truly epic!!! And btw not using geek in a derogatory way lol.
Where does "Siri" make sense? Doesn't matter if you've played the game or never even heard of Halo, at some point they have to pick a name. Why not this one?
MS to do list:
1. Go with Cortana
2. Show Jen the money. Don't worry, you'll get that money back from sales rather quickly.
3. Come up with cool head gear "glasses" that will show way points based in Cortana's input among other things.
4. Give us the ability to have her call us by our name. Although I'll probably just use the default and have her call me "Chief" ;)
I believe naming it Cortana is going to bring more "gamers" (usually Android users) to the platform. I've been following the buzz about it on G+ and these guys are going nuts with the rumour.
Couldn't agree more. I went to IGN because I saw the news story posted there and people went crazy. Saying they would swtich to WP because of this. Same with Kotaku.
Yep. Lots of non WP users are just as excited as we are about this. I've also talked to (online and in real life) many people willing to switch to WP if Cortana is indeed the name/character/personality/voice they go with. I was extremely surprised because many of these people hate WP, but still are willing to switch for Cortana!
I wasn't a big Halo fan, but I dont see why not. Cortana is catchy at some point. If you give it a name like that, it would definitely need a personality and Human voice....a name like that implies a complete being...not something fractured and non functional.
When I heared about this I thought it was pretty much a given that Cortana would be the final name. Microsoft would be a massive fool if they don't do it. I honestly would lose faith in their chances to become competitive player if they don't use this opportunity.
First of all Cortana is a great name for a personal assistent. They will be able to mimic the cocky feminine feel of Siri without coming off as a copycat because Cortana and her character pre-date Siri. Secondly this would be a massive marketing boon. Even techsites that dislike WP would talk about having Cortana on board. This will make people interested. Even those who dont know Halo will be interested because people they know are interested.
Microsoft. DO.IT
Voted.
+920
I have seen on 3 other tech sites so far that the multiple people commenting have said they would switch to WP if this was named Cortana and they used Jen's voice. If that doesn't tell u this is a marketing slam dunk, nothing will. And knowing this, if MS doesn't capitalize on this opportunity, it tells us they will never have a clue. This is the easiest, most vocal showing of people willing to switch for a certain product MS can provide that we have ever seen.
I want it to be the voice of the lady who tells you to turn off your cell phone before a movie in the theatre.
Or Fran Drescher
Lol @ The Nanny
ROFL.
or the voice of "Janice" from the "Friends" comedy series. Complete with the hyena like laughter.
Ha ha ha! I would love that!
Just name it Jarvis.
BINGO! Finally. "Jarvis, I'm lost!" "Finding a new route sir."
I was scrolling down to say this if I didn't find it first. I couldn't believe how far I had to go. For those who don't know, J.A.R.V.I.S. is Tony Stark's intelligent computer buddy.
The licensing and stuff might be difficult because of Disney, but the name Jarvis would be a fun reference for those who know it and the two syllables provide good voice assistant UX.
I'm assuming voice assistant UX is a thing because I prefer two syllables to three, especially when on the go.
As much as I like the idea, I don't think Microsoft will even try to get the right of using the name J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent), not to mention calling Paul Bettany and using his voice :/
I think it's a great idea to keep the name Cortana. But Microsoft, being Microsoft, will probably screw it up and call it something like "Personal Digitial Assistant for Windows Phone".
My insiders have told me that the name will be:
BING Assistant Suplementary Service or otherwise known as BING ASS.
Cortana should be the middle name. Bing Cortana
Or a combination:
Bitana
Corting
Taning
I'd prefer it to be called 'Yo'. Like
'yo, what's the weather like'
'yo, what's up' (brings out schedule for the day)
The thug life chose you.
Oh god, please don't.
I get it, people who play Halo like the name... cute... but for the rest of us just... no. For everyone who doesn't play Halo, it's just a gimmicky name from some video game... it has no value for use sentimental or otherwise.
It needs to be a nondescript being, something you don’t even consider to be an entity, just an amazing service. If it’s an always listening service, that needs a “cue word” like “Xbox….”, then hell, use something like “Bing” or in worst case “computer”; at least that has a larger base of people who would recognize the popular concept.
But Cortana? Really? As a code name it’s great. But as a product name, it’s just about the worst thing you could do… maybe “Bob” or “Clippy” would be worse… but not by far.
If they come out with "Here's Cortana, your personal assistant!!" "Cortana write an email to Steve!" "Cortana what is the weather like?" etc... I’m fairly certain I will go into heart failure… as my brain will be too heavily damage from the massive face-palm I inflict on myself to keep me alive.
That all said, I can’t wait for this system to exist, if it works anything like the TellMe video from 2011 shows, it should be awesome!
Just… don’t effing call it Cortana.
+8.1 ;)
You think talking to "Siri" is any better?
What would you call it? The name cortana at least has recognition with millions of people. Legitimate question, not trying to come off as douchey
From what I've read now and understood, its only those who played HALO get the name. I've been using Windows right from Win 3.1 and didn't knew Cortana until yesterdays leaked screenshots.
Some name which MS as a whole would keep, than relying on HALO alone..
Or end-user custom name, that would kick ass!
I think you seriously do not grasp how many halo fans are out and about and even less grasp how many non halo players recognize the name. Even if you don't there are many who do.
I think you seriously do not grasp that Halo fans don't comprise the market share that Microsoft is trying to appeal to with their new "unified" product experience. You people take yourselves too seriously.
As someone who hasn't played Halo and did not know what Cortana was (why would anyone who didn't play Halo know?) I can honestly say that I don't really want to use a service that is associated with fanboys of a franchise that is essentially the Microsoft counterpart of Call of Duty.
I don't understand how we "take ourselves too seriously". I was merely suggesting that it isn't a bad idea to use the name for familiarity among people who know it. I'm not saying at all it comprises any market share at all but if there are only 80 million halo fans that's 80 million people who know what it is. And for those who don't know then don't associate it with anything and take it for what it is. If anything I'd argue that you are the ones who thinks that things like this matter, and are the ones that take yourselves too seriously.
And it has zero meaning to billions of people...
There are plenty of cute assistant names from popularly culture that would a) make a lot more sense, b) a lot more people would know/recognize, c) be genuinely easier to say/remember/promote, etc. But in the end using any of those names (Cortana included) is silly and childish... and other than faint nostalgia, don't bring any value. Jarvis from Iron Man or even something like Alfred from Batman would have far far far more recognition then a Halo character... but all would be equally as stupid to use.
As for what you call it, I already said in my post, but basically you don't call it anything... at least not in the cutesy "persona" sort of name. Hell, just call it your "personal assistant". "Bing assistant" would even be better than Cortana. It doesn't need a silly name like Siri... and it especially doesn't need to be modelled off of something from a video game. (I'm not knocking videos, I love them, trust me. It's just not what you base your worldwide business on...)
"With Windows Phone 8.1, along with other innovations like Kid's Corner, People Hub, and the Metro design language, we bring you the future of computing at Microsoft with your own "Personal Assistant". With Personal Assistant you can have it set up your schedule, complete tasks for you, even search things you like without you even have to ask! Your Personal Assistant is yours and will grow to learn about you, what you like, how you work, and how to make your everyday life easier. It's not just voice controlled search, it's completely new way to interact with our devices and soon it will be a part of all of Microsoft products."
Somehow I feel that fits a lot better than "Cortana".
I feel sometimes that people take life way to seriously. Its "childish" simply because it was used in a video game? I don't understand that logic. It could be called anything and someone would seen to have a problem with it. I say use something that already has some kinda social demographic and build user base from there even if you don't agree with it.
It's not childish because it was used in a video game... it's childish to name a global product feature off of a singular character from a series of entertainment fiction that is only popular with a small segment of the population. To name an entire product feature after any sort of entertainment, whether you own the IP or not, is childish and only has value to that small group of people who are nolstalgic to it.
Even if you took a far more popular piece of entertainment, like Ironman, and took an entity that even fits better to what this product feature is trying to do, i.e., Jarvis... aka a personal assistant that is basically an extreme advanced version of what Microsoft is trying to create... that would still be childish to name it after it.
It's not even really that the names come from fiction or from entertainment that makes them childish (but it sure doesn't help). It's the fact the basis that it's a "good name" comes from this emotional nolstalgia towards a character a group of people have positive memories of. This is quite basically the definition of childish: "immature: regarded as showing a lack of adult qualities such as emotional restraint, seriousness, or good sense."
As for any name will have detractors... yes that is a true statement, but your follow up conclusion receieves no support from that statement. Any name will likely have at least 1 person who disagrees... but that fact doesn't conclude that somehow a small demographic would be better than a name that is far more successful in the wider usuage base. For how ever number of people are familiar with Cortana there is a far larger number of people who don't care and have no clue what Cortana is. Furthermore, the fact the people know what Cortana is... or even have a positive reaction to what she is, doesn't give credence that is a proper name of a feature set of Windows Phone. All it means is that there are people in existence who like the character Cortana.
It would seem some people believe it needs a persona based name, like Siri... another falacy that doesn't seem to have any actual well reason support... if any support at all.
Given this will be a product feature that spans accross all of Microsoft products in the future, both consumer and business, while also taking into consideration the failure personas like Clippy or Microsoft Bob were, it's seems completely pointless to focus the name again on a personna much less one from a video game IP. No businnes meeting is going to want to be talking to Cortana, etc. Furthermore the naming convention simply doesn't fit into ANYTHING else Microsoft is doing.
Again the better name is just to name it what is already is: A Personal Assitant. No persona names. No names from "popular" culture. Just a service, one that is personal to you. In fact if anything, to be a product used accross all of Microsoft, Personal Assistant is probably too percise a name and needs to be more like a service such as Bing, Xbox, etc.
Oh and on a side note, someone please update this chat editor to work in IE11 it gives an error saying it's not compatiable. Sigh.
fine we'll call it Channing Tatum
How about Ellen Page? or maybe Olivia Wilde? Ohh, imagine how many people would switch if it was named Morgan Freeman... with Morgan Freeman's voice. It wouldn't even have to do anything... it would have to do is say "Hello, my name is... Morgan... Freeman."
Perfect.
I'm not a gamer, unless you consider Sudoku as gaming, but I like the name Cortana. When I first encountered it from Mary Jo Foley's article, I liked it right away, without even knowing it came from Halo. I certainly like it better than Jarvis, or Alfred, or Personal Assistant, or calling it Ellen Page, or Olivia Wilde, and Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors but I'd hate calling it Morgan Freeman.
If I was going with actors, I'd go with Samuel Jackson but I'd probably get tired of getting cursed out by my phone for trying to boss it around.
I'm sold on Morgan Freeman. My phone could say anything. I would have it narrate my life :P
Aw man I think your just being uptight about stuff.
It comes from a game that Microsoft made with bungie and became a symbol! It is a service and it can be called whatever they want ! Call it cortana is whatever for people without knowledge and it's just a bonus for those who know. Stop being so negative about it. What would you prefer to call it when you speak to a device that answers in a voice like a person? Cortana doesnt come from ANY videogame or fiction, it is from something that Microsoft was highly involved with and became Huge! How do they have any link To a name like Jarvis? Microsoft did not create iron man dude... Just play the game if you love gaming and then come back.
I just imagine the awesome advertising possibilities for this one!
Cortana is not that good because most non-gamers (unlike me) do not know what this means. Hard-core gamers might even switch platforms for this but think about this from a non-gamer's point of view and you will immediately realise that Cortana sounds stupid.
Lumia is a stupid name for this but not as bad as Cortana from non-gamer's prespective. It all depends on where that name has presence.
Personally I wish the name to be customizable, that would be awesome.
The majority of comments on the Cortana Verge article are positive with the Cortana name, with many saying they'd switch to WP if it had Cortana. Given how rabidly anti-Microsoft the Verge readers generally are, this says something.
Also, considering the success of Halo on Xbox, Microsoft would be stupid not to take advantage of this.
I highly doubt they would switch because the name was "Cortana".... it's because this new Personal Assistant itself is an amazing technology that they would switch.... again not because it was named after a video game hologram... if *was* because of the name... then they have very stupid reasons for staying on one platform or another...
In the real world, people buy products because they are good... not because they are named after characters they have a fondness for.
In all seriousness though, given the description of how the personal assistant works and the TellMe video example from 2011, it should be a very exciting addition to not only Windows Phone but Microsoft as a whole. Of course it all comes down to how well it works... but if it does work, then it will be far beyond Siri or Google Now... and that's a great reason to switch to Windows Phone... (beating a dead horse)... not the name Cortana...
Except... you would be surprised how many people buy Galaxies or iPhones just for the brand. Cortana has brand recognition, much moreso than Windows Phone, Bing, etc. Market it right and it'll take off. And with the name "Cortana" why not give themselves a head-start?
Cortana sounds fine imo. "Cortana, my dentist appointment is Sept 14th at 9am" and boom into your calendar.
Ehhhh...... I don't think Siri and Google now is better than Cortana simply because people don't really care about the name of the voice assistant.
The name is what people remember and associate with a product. I used TellMe to speak into my phone and find a location somewhere. It echoed my search, and someone around me stated, "Oh hey, it's just like Siri! Cool!"
All hail Clippy. Maybe he can pop out whenever you want to do something and ask if he can help you. That would be a killer feature.
http://www.geocities.ws/sash_elias/funny2/images/clippy.gif
Awesome clippy LOL. Truth be told I miss clippy :( ah the 90's
I never played Halo and i got excited about the Cortana name. Sure it has three syllables but the name is computerisque, it rolls off the tounge, and it becomes unique because it is three syllables long, You name it something like SIri with one syllable and it becomes a copycat. If Cortana wasn't the name of a Halo character what else would you have against it?
I would have to ask why would they have come up with Cortana in the first place? There's no reason to name the system Cortana or any other persona like name. That's the whole point why it is silly. Futhermore, it matters the least what the name is... but even given that, Cortana doesn't have a strong reason to be used as name regardless.
Giving it a name like Siri or Cortana is very similair to the ill fated early incarnations at Microsoft, Microsoft Bob and Clippy. In the end those were massive failures, in part by the fact they were something that attempted to personify a service that really shouldn't be.
This is a personal assistant service... not an AI we are creating. You don't need to have meaningful conversations with it like it's a human being... there is no reason for it to exist as an entity in that way. It is just a very useful tool, the understands human language well and is able to complete certain automated tasks.
The only benefit Siri brings by being "Siri" is an attempt to make it seem more than it is. An illusion. A trick. Very fitting for Apple, because that's the bases of how they do business. Reality is to harsh for them, so they have to make up fantasy.
Google Now, as a counter example, doesn't try to use this illusion. It's just a service that does some neat automated tasks.
As with pretty much every Apple product, it starts with this fantasy of what their products can do, which does attract a certain group of people who are partially delusional. People soon find out that the actual product is far less amazing than Apple's embelishments led to believe; and while some people would rather die than face this reality, the rest see it for what it is. In the case of Siri, it's a pretty shitty voice controlled thing that rarely works and is better just typing in stuff yourself.
Microsoft doesn't need to follow that path. They need to make a geat service that actually works accross all their products. It's something that will be built into Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox, Office, Skype, Yammer, Server products, etc. I fail to see how having an improved Siri clone named Cortana is going to help in all these different products, especially businesses. Instead having a strong service integrated into everything without some cutesy name from a fantasy IP that can be controlled fluidly with your voice makes far more sense.... even if the change is just a name. z
If they did this service right, they don't need a silly cutesy brand name, the product will speak for itself. Those who know the codename would be able to know the behind the scenes nod to Halo and that should be enough for those who think it would be so cool to have Cortana as a pet. Hell, they could even name the female voice version "Cortana" and get the voice actor if they really wanted to pay service to this small group of vocal people. For the rest of the world they will call something far more too the point and simple, for example your "Personal Assistant". That way the service can blend and apply to ALL of Microsoft products that exist in the real adult world.
It seems clear your personal assistant is superior to Cortana in everyway. First of all, it explains itself without you even having to know what it is. Next the name fits soooo much better with the wider array of Microsoft products it will be included with.
Lets try some examples:
"Use your personal assistant on Xbox One to find your favorite movie and games to play during your free time."
"When using Outlook, your personal assistant will keep track of your appointments/meetings and your current location to let you and those you are meeting with if you will be late."
"Your personal assistant knows your favorite music, so when you ask to play something mellow, it knows which songs to pick that you will enjoy.
"Ask your personal assistant to print a draft of your current document you just finished and not only know which printer to select, but it understands what settings you or your company perfers for that task."
"When you receive a txt message from your co-worker asking if you want to head the bar after work with Jenny from accounting, your personal assistant can see that both your co worker and Jenny are currently on Skype, and will ask you if you'd like to reply to them both right now."
And so on...
In all those cases, simply calling it your personal assistant manages to accurately transcend all the different services, enviroments, and situations it might be used in... yet I fail to see how calling it Cortana... or Jarvis... or Alfred, or Siri, or any cutesy name could possibly improve upon that system. It doesn't need to tell you jokes. It doesn't need to have a funny answer when it doesn't understand your request... it just needs to work.
People in businesses won't say "have Cortana set up a meeting for you"... family members aren't going to jump on the idea of talking to a "Cortana". People in other countries that don't give a shit about Halo, aren't going to feel anything for calling it "Cortana". This is nothing to game from calling it Cortana except for the few people who have some idea what Cortana is and think that it's neat to have a naked robot girl as a pet. It's pointless.
But everyone knows what a personal assistant is. I would bet it would be difficult to find someone who didn't want a personal assistant... granted they didn't have to pay them a salory. Every language will be able to translate "personal assistant". Every culture will understand what it means to have your own personal assistant. As a brand strategy having a personal assistant that can make your every day life better is brilliant... having a Cortana... is silly.
If anything at all, if it for some reason required each user to have a activation word, like "Xbox..." then just let people pick a word they want to use... but to force Cortana... or Bingana.... or Siriana... or Windowsana.... or even just Steve is just silly and brings nothing of value to the service as a whole.
First, How do you know if people wouldn't say cortana? No one does. Second, apple is a great company. It might be in decline but apple is still very intelligent in how to use hardware and how to sell that hardware. Like every product an iphone has its pros and cons. One thing it definitely doesn't do is make "tricks" I'm not going to say anymore to be their devil's advocate because they are still the most popular smartphone among the average consumer.
Third, people love personifying with their devices/property. How else do you explain how people feel for cars or how people usually felt like when they lost their ipods/zunes back in the day? They grow attached to products, and those are the people who spread a brand's popularity. This is how apple became so big today. The attachment to ipods was huge and suddenly it became a smartphone. It was a dream for the common consumer who didn't know much about tech. This voice activated shell by microsoft is hopefully going to be revolutionary. Giving it a name will enable people to fall in love with their phones because when you name something it becomes very personal. You know the rule: Don't name it if you don't want to get attached to it. Think back to Moster's Inc.
Your point about "personal assistant" is subjective, but I bet that most people here would really rather prefer the name cortana because what you are calling it is way too boring.
http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/forums/101801-feature-suggestions/cate...
here is the link plz vote yes.
I'm not sure I want Microsoft's assistant to be one named after an AI that could suffer from "rampancy, a terminal state of being for Artificial intelligence constructs, in which the AI 'develops delusions of godlike power', as well as utter contempt for its mentally inferior makers"... (credit to Wikipedia...). 8)
I won't spoil anything..... but... she's awesome
Cortana is just as much Halo as Master Chief is. Can't stand the new one Roland, though.
an A.I is functional for seven years before becoming rampant. So i think that would be just an extra feature, sort of a testament to nokia durability "if your using nokia" and your phone last 7 years!
I actually don't agree with this. Microsoft has a geeky image in the eyes of the world as it is. Imagine how that would be worse as people found out that Cortana is the name of a gaming world character?
Maybe I'm overreacting but it makes sense to me...
Geek is the new cool.
Right, because Android doesn't have a geeky image...
Like at all.
They need to take this ball and RUN! This is clearly a favorite among people. A "we heard you loud and clear" annoucement and unveiling some features that are coming in 8.1 would be a great marketing opportunity right now. WP is getting free publicity and more positive than they've received from their own marketing efforts that they've spent who knows how many hundreds of millions on. They need to capitalize on it while it's hot!
Halo could be the glue that brings many parts of Microsoft together. Alas, I don't see Microsoft having the vision and courage to go with such an iconic name. Nevertheless I added my vote to the request, maybe MS will surprise us.
I created this petition. I didn't submit it to WPcentral because I didn't think they would create an Article about it. Thank you Jason M.
You're welcome
Either Cortana, or give us the option to rename the "assistant" to whatever we want. Cortana is perfect though imho
^This
MS can give it a default name like anything.
but out in the world, people can name it whatever they like, like "Cortana" "Dude"
this makes sense as people with different accents can give it names they find easier to use. It would definately make a User-WP bond like no other assistance.
It's an ugly name I hope they come with something else :)
I know right like Bertha,
I kid cortana is a good name and I've hated halo since 3
It sounds "old" like my grandma's name that's why I think it doesn't fit with Windows Phone's modernity
+1
Yes!!
Can you guys ban the trolls in the comment section?
Let's be real. Cortana its a good name only for Geeks and Gamers.
Let's call it, Sira Ballmer.
Developers, Developers, Developers...
Googles code name was "Majel" after the computer in Star Trek. That name got a lot of people rallying behind it but in the end Now became the name. That seems more computery then "Majel" which sounds like name.
However calling this "Cortana" is a lot more like Apple with "Siri" who they inject with a bit of spazz and the apearence of emotion. If Microsoft wants this to be more like Siri and be more "natural" they should go for "Cortana" it has the brand recognition that is probably better than Bing if they get Jen Taylor to do the voice imagine the advertizing potential they could appeal to all the gamers out there.
The second-best they could do would be to call it "Spark" and give it Tim Dadabo's voice. Or make that an option.
But I'd still prefer Cortana. :)
Not too keen on the Spark voice, but as an option would be cool. But Cortana/Jen Taylor combo for me would be as perfect as nirvana.
Make 8.1 available by end of January '14 across the entire WP lineup!! That would be much better uservoice topic than naming of a Virtual Personal Assistant IMHO
Meh, I don't care for the whole AI assistant thing. It's a cool idea and more power to the ones using it, but I've been happy with Tell me. It is what it is, voice activated features. I don't see why an AI is necessary, but again, that's just me.
Only if she supplies the voice
Cortana just sounds wrong. I'd feel bad about saying the word 'cortana'.
You prefer 'Big Gay Al'?
Do you prefer Big Dick Malone?
I think the name is great but I do hope we dnt have to speak Cortana everytime for it to wake up or respond to a question.
How bout bonzai buddy lol
Three votes from me.
Whatever, just work excellently please!
+1
Cortana is the perfect name
Yeah I agree! Cortana sounds cool, and that's wht MS needs,
When I read the article yesterday, keeping the Cortana name was actual the first thing that came to mind! I think its a great idea.
Same, the second one was that they better use Jen Taylor as the voice
Agreed, have those two qualities and you have the PERFECT voice assistant.
Done....
I would take the fix for other storage than any Voice assistant no matter how good it is.
My phone (820) is unusable unless I reset it. This is even after GDR2. Other is taking 4 GB out of 5.6 GB. I influenced my cousin to buy WP and he also facing the same problem.
Sad thing is WP executives(Joe Belfiore) themselves denying this. He is saying its for all email attatchments, app data. I have cleaned everything related to emails also.
If Other is necessary why other OS's does not have this problem?
At least give us an option to remove it.
Some people say that after the GDR2 update you should hard reset, so the other memory is permanently deleted and then is managed in a better way
Same for me, it seems all the GDR2 update did was delete other storage, not actually fix the problem.
You did all there is to?
Turn Auto Upload in Skydrive off and some other stuff I cant recollect now?
I did not even install skydrive because i read that may cause this issue.
I did even reset the phone after gdr2. But in less than a month and after few apps, its at 4 gb
He's referring to Auto Upload Picutres via the Pictures Hub, not the SkyDrive app. I'd go to the WPCentral forums to continue this discussion. Please keep it on topic.
lol yeah because every comment in the comment section its and has to be about the article...
what are you gonna do, ban everyone for discussings something that isnt about the crappy cortana name (or whatever)?? you are NOBODY and NOTHING, not even a mod. so stop pretending you are one, its not like they asked for your help anyway :)
I love how you try to pretend you are someone important to tell these persons to stop discussing... dont like it, dont read it lol. "I'd go to forums" blabla, you know, but THEY arent YOU, if they want to keep discussing about how its better if WP team fixed other issues instead of add inecessary features. then YOU can go to forum and find a discussing you want in topic. please stop being funny and at the same time dumb :).
Wow, you just won the Internet Commentor Dick of the Day. I was just asking to keep the discussion on topic and the Comments section really isn't the place for help or issue resolution. That's the forums. I am not a mod, but Daniel has said this many times before, so this shouldn't be news.
Are you on your period ma'am?
How about installing apps on 64GB SD card ?
I thought the 820 had a microSD slot... Maybe you should hardreset. I have the 920. Updated to amber the day after I got it. No other storage issue here. I have quite a few apps installed. But it only took 1.4 GB so far.
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