Cortana likely to get package tracking, clues found in Windows 10 preview

By John Callaham
published

Someone who decided to dive deep into the code of the Windows 10 Technical Preview has found references to a possible upcoming feature for Cortana that may allow it to be used for tracking packages.

Rahul Aggarwal used his Twitter account to post up a screenshot from the preview build which shows a mention of "ParcelDelivery" in the code. While this code may indeed be in the preview of Windows 10, that doesn't mean it will actually be enabled in the Windows Phone or Windows 10 version of Cortana.

cortana

Microsoft has been adding new features to Cortana on a regular basis for Windows Phone 8.1, including public transit reminders and most recently a way for it to remind users if their favorite band is scheduled to play nearby.

Cortana is expected to be added to Windows 10 when the consumer preview version of the OS is launched, which should happen sometime in early 2015. Do you think adding package delivery features to Cortana is a good idea?

Source: Rahul Aggarwal on Twitter

John Callaham
John Callaham
75 Comments
  • Good enough
  • That would be COOL. Another "gap" filled between Google Now and Cortana. Go team! :-)
    I'm also hoping for features like those found in this post, and suggestions I've made!
    What "MAGIC" can happen when Cortana on PC and WINDOWS PHONE come together!?!
    Here are my thoughts on that!:-)
    CORTANA on PC and WINDOWS PHONE; WORKING TOGETHER:
    http://jltechword.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/cortana-on-pc-and-windows-pho...
  • I would like that a lot. I currently use doorstep, but an integrated solution would be nice.
  • Great!!
  • WHAT IS PACKAGE DELIVERY
  • Have you ever had a package delivered from FedEx or UPS? This will tell you where it is and when it gets to you.
  • Ptt/yurtiçi/aras kargo takibi gibi ömer.
  • Oo kardeşim saol. Bu arada ben 1320 kullanıyorum 8.1.1 pfd ve lumia cyan. Cortana uygulamalarda gozukmeye başladı fakat açınça uşkeniz uygun deil yazısı geliyor bunun hakkında bir fikrin var mı
  • Yeah, I use package tracker a lot.
  • Loves Package Tracker!! It would really be nice in Cortana
  • I hope Microsoft reimburses all the developers which apps it makes superfluous with integrated services.
    Don't get me wrong. Integrating the one or another functionality is great, as long as a function is not available in a separate app (for example when they integrated the optical scanning functionality into Bing).
    But if there's an app available which Microsoft substitutes with an integrated functionality, I'm afraid it discourages developers.
  • What developers??? Most of the have already discouraged microsoft to the point where they have to integrate services using bing so as not to make an app that is obviously a web wrapper. for some reason if its integrated, users find it useful and dont see it as a web wrapper like they do stand alone apps that are
  • The guy who made Weave got hired by Apple. Dev who made Beem got hired by as a PM. Rudy Huyn started his own studio. The vision: apps are stepping stones for devs to excel onwards to bigger thing. The reality: Close to the vision BTW, package tracker is great
  • Apple did integrate those solutions just like Siri posting on facebook and what not. If people love the app they can always keep using it. Having it in Cortana does not take away from developers and it shouldn't discourage developers.
    Example: Cortana recognizes music/siri does the same. Is Shazam done? I don't think so. Shazam recognizes far more complicated remixes than Siri or Cortana. So your comment is not completely valid. It's consumer preference and laziness.
  • Cough (Netscape) cough
  • What's package tracking?
  • Hell yeah I think that's a good idea. That'd be cool
  • Yes! I need this
  • Great stuff are coming to Windows.. It'll be interesting to see how Cortana changes the human-pc interaction..
  • This is the first step to "input-less" interaction.
    Microsoft Research is rumored to develop a system, that gives answers without the user asking, just by knowing the user would want the information (like sports scores in Cortana).
  • +928!!!
  • Awesome! On one hand, I'm really excited about it, on the other I feel a little bad for the Package Tracker app guy... a lovely app, which I purchased, but... it's really a simple app and you can't bank on the fact that something better (and free) wouldn't come along at some point and blow you out... hopefully he takes his skills and makes more stuff rather than leaving the platform.
  • u have options that's what the store is meant for.
  • Is there is a way for Cortana to ask you if you want to track the package using the Package Tracker app? That would be a nice feature/option to have instead of making Cortana do all the work. It'll be like asking Cortana "What is going on with my Facebook Friend Bob Ross?" and then she opens the Facebook app to Bob Ross's profile page.
  • There certainly is a way; the developer has to integrate it.
    But I have the same quarrel about integrating lots of functionality into the system.
    Having CHOICE often leads to people choosing the easy way (which in this case means NOT installing a separate app, for a functionality that is integrated into the system already), even if they were willing to pay for the separate app.
  • Sure. Here's an example: If you ask Cortana for directions and you have multiple navigation apps (HERE Drive, Waze, Copilot), after you view the map and click the link for directions you'll be shown a list of nav apps and you can choose which one to use. You can do this every time or choose to set one as the default.
  • Many times stand alone apps have more functionality than the built in ones so customers choose to use them even if the same feature is built in. As an exapmle I prefer to use Soundhound on my iPhone instead of the built in Siri Shazam integration.
  • And what if Cortana doesn't know about your package delivery service, or your country? Package Tracker app does! There is always a need for more complicated apps than the built -in functionality.
  • I would love for Cortana to be able to do everything humanly possible as far as assistance goes. Tracking packages is a great idea!! The more she does, the less apps we have to use for these task. I'm for it!!!
  • Exactly. I miss the old Windows Phone 7 philosophy of not needing an app for everything - unbundling social media, killing Zune etc. Its like Microsoft lost their own war of words for not needing an app for every little task like other OS's yet it was a cornerstone of why I got a WP7 (HTC Mozart); that and Nokia killed Symbian 18 months too early so I refused to get another S^3 device as well as see what Nokia were getting into.
  • I also believe that an integrated system is the best thing, but people in general do not think like this, and MS have to keep selling WPs. so that they can invest in the development of the platform. I believe they are in the right way.
  • Great.
  • It'll be very useful if it supports tracking packages from local retailers and not just Amazon or eBay.
  • Local retailer, Amazon, and ebay most likely use either fedex, UPS, or USPS to ship their packages. These app generally scan your email for the package tracking numbers and then pulls tracking updates.
  • I would love for her to have a built in scientific calculator!!!! That would be hot!!!
  • Yes, I would love that.
  • I just recommended the calculator idea to Microsoft.
  • Yea, I suggested a few months ago it would be nice if Cortana solve advanced math problems, like Siri, but Siri gets her results from Wolfram. I also suggested Cortana use Wolfram
  • Doesn't Bing pull results from Wolfram Alpha?
    By the way. Why is there no official Alpha app? They even have apps for Kindle Fire and Nook.
  • How different will this be from what we can do today??  Type or copy/paste the tracking number into Bing or MSN Search??????
  • Say you get an email from Amazon telling you your recent purchase has been given a shipping label through UPS and is on its way to your doorstep. Cortana will "read" that email and will then ask you if you want her to keep track of your Amazon purchase. You hit yes and whenever a status update of delivery time and location is added on the UPS website, Cortana will notify you, either through the live tile or whenever you open the Cortana app. No need to copy/paste and open up the browser etc.
  • MS does listen!!! I've been putting in this in the Feedback section of Cortana since I've been on WP8.1
  • I find it neat..
  • Hell yezzzz the coolest digital assistant around
  • Nice, but my Icon doesn't have the Cyan update. Thanks Verizon
  • Cool, finally ;) a useful looking feature in the works, and we should get it by the end of 2015! Now make it not ask "which one?" when I ask it to turn of the only alarm that is on.. :P Ok, I am just cranky since I did not have my afternoon caffeine yet. This will be a very useful feature, especially around the holidays!
  • This would be awesome! I use doorstep now.
  • Will amazon and eBay use Cortana for windows phone?
  • I still haven't seen the music in Cortana's interest settings...
  • Neither have I..
  • I definitely would like that feature added..
  • If Cortana comes with Windows 10 in desktop, then I should always grab my headset (with mic) so I can speak to her all the time.
  • Cortana > Siri
  • But if it'll understand English only, it's useless in other countries, for example here in Finland.
  • Don't worry, its not (at least yet) really THAT useful anywhere. :P
  • Haa, toinenkin suomalainen!
  • Joo, tosin asun USAssa. :)
  • RIP Package Tracker
  • yes I would like to see this added to Cortana.
  • This is logical because it does it on WP already kind of... Enter tracking number in search and it asks "track package?" Clicking it takes you to carrier web site but still works well
  • Seems US only
  • It must track Royal Mailservice to! and Cortana also need a feature for public transport. When your train is out of time she need to warn you of this.
  • Can it predict when Verizon can break away from its I-Gasm long enough to release cyan?
  • I really wish we could teach Cortana to do things using custom commands.
  • AI is just5 getting there, and guess who's leading the way? Microsoft Research :) surely in a couple years Cortana will have a much much smarter AI mind :) When I say couple years I mean like 3 minimum lol AI is a very, very complicated mess
  • It's about time. You type in a package ID into Google search, and it automatically shows your package info.
  • I would like Cortana to be in eveything from phone to pc to xbox. Although voice recognition was terrible on the 360 and I'm very dissapointed that it hasn't seemed to improve on the xbox one.
  • Package tracker is great I use it daily for all my work and amazon deliveries. I would love for this to be built in and automatically detect tracking numbers in my email.
  • In love with this idea! I can't wait to see what's in store for Cortana over the next couple years!
  • Maybe it will answer the question of where all the parcels MyHermes lose go to.
  • For me, this is great news as i currently use two tracking apps.  I hope its very accurate
  • Can any one help me out,how to get cortana in my phone.I have Lumia 720 with wp8.1 and I live in India.
  • If you highlight your tracking number, then hit the magnifying glass, Cortana already automatically knows what carrier you're using and takes you to their webpage. Yall didnt know this?
  • I (like many of you) carry different phones around with different OS's and I use the Google now package tracker on my Android 4.4 phone a lot, its something Google got right by automatically taking a tracking email from gmail and giving you notice on google now. Glad to see something simular is comming to Cortana.
  • Cortana please track package won zee xray won five niner, no wait damn start over. won zee xray won five six foxtrot, shit, no not six, go back. arrghgh.