![\"cortana\"](\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/04\/cortana-300x281.jpg\")
s ground. To that end, its Build 2014 Developer\u2019s Conference included news both expected and surprising.<\/p>\nMicrosoft needs to take bold steps to regain precious ground. To that end, its Build 2014 Developer\u2019s Conference included news both expected and surprising.<\/p>\n
The expected announcements were related to the new Windows Phone 8.1 software and the much-anticipated update to the Windows 8.1 OS. The surprise was the new Windows 7-style Start menu for Windows 8, which will be launched as a free update. The main focus of the conference reflected Microsoft\u2019s path of offering the ability to experience the same look and feel of applications across phones, tablets, and PCs, as well as the ability for the developers to easily build apps for all three platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am absorbing the Internet\u2026 now I\u2019m learning about you.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
The spotlight of the keynote was on Cortana for Windows Phone 8.1, the upcoming voice assistant that has the task of competing with Apple\u2019s Siri and Google\u2019s Google Now. Even though right now the new sassy digital assistant is a beta app, there are a few interesting things about her \u2013 she\u2019s talkative, but knows what she\u2019s talking about as she\u2019s been given the ability to mine the Windows Phone content (with the user\u2019s permission) and also search the web.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she\u2019s powered by the Internet, you could say that she knows everything about the world,\u201d Joe Belfiore said. \u201cBut because she runs on your Windows Phone, she also knows everything about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cortana will have her own Live Tile, at the same time replacing the search function on the Windows Phone. She can take notes, send reminders, set alarms, and recognize the places you frequently visit. She also has a \u201cNotebook\u201d where she tracks certain user interests, including an \u201cinner circle\u201d of favorite users. The \u201cQuiet hours\u201d feature blocked notifications, with permission to reach you granted only to those in your designated inner circle. By allowing her to read your emails, she can track your flights and seems pretty good at handling a schedule by managing conflicts and reciting the day\u2019s appointments.<\/p>\n
The beta state revealed some bugs the developers will probably iron by the launch date \u2013 she failed to call a restaurant, stumbled on a baseball game score, and mangled the hashtag of a Twitter tweet. However, like Siri, she seems to have some personality in her interactions. One of Cortana\u2019s best features is probably the high level of contextual awareness \u2013 users have the ability to speak naturally to her, instead of using the pre-defined phrases in Windows Phone 8.<\/p>\n
Windows Phone 8.1 <\/i><\/p>\n
Represented by Cortana, Windows Phone 8.1 will be much more personal. Highlights include a new Action Center with notifications that resemble greatly those of iOS and Google. It now allows developers to add new configurable notifications. The lock screen has been updated and announcement of new business features were made by Nick Hedderman, senior product manager of Windows. These include a new business VPN that connects automatically, and S-MIME support \u2013 allows users to send, sign, and read encrypted email on their phones. However, no business content can be saved on the device \u2013 in fact, it can either have implemented a corporate relationship with its policies, or have it removed, but it can\u2019t have both business and personal space on the same device.<\/p>\n
Improvements were made in the Windows Phone store, as well, and the Calendar has an upgraded weekly view. A new Sense app has been added to the existing Storage Sense, Battery Sense, and Data Sense apps, and Wi-Fi Sense learns about Wi-Fi networks and will suggest and connect to free hotspots. Moreover, an ordinary phone call can be elevated to Skype calls.<\/p>\n
The Windows Phone keyboard is enhanced, including the addition of \u201cshape writing\u201d, or the Microsoft version of Swype. Last but not least, Internet Explorer 11 is added to the phone, including the new Reading Mode and InPrivate browsing.<\/p>\n
The new update will be made available to consumers in the following months, preinstalled on new phones in April and May. The first phones to have it will be Nokia Lumia 630 and 635, phones that are geared for the international market, at $159 for the single-SIM option and $189 for the dual-core one.<\/p>\n
Windows 8.1 Update<\/i><\/p>\n
The fairly modest update to Windows 8.1 will be made available as an automatic update to all Windows 8.1 users on April 8; it is mainly centered on mouse-and-keyboard setups: desktops and laptops. The Start screen flaunts some new features: right-clicking on a live tile will display a drop-down menu, replacing the ribbon along the bottom.<\/p>\n
The freshly installed apps will be marked with the \u201cNew\u201d label, and the taskbar is now visible in Modern (Metro) apps when the user moves the mouse cursor to the bottom of the screen. Modern apps can be pinned to the taskbar \u2013 the Windows Store is pre-pinned with the update \u2013 having a double purpose: to alert users about the capability and to increase the discoverability of these apps.<\/p>\n
Internet Explorer is updated here as well, fact that will give IT managers more tools to customize capabilities. Through this move some legacy enterprise systems will be compatible with Windows 8.1.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur vision simply put, is to thrive in this world of mobile first, cloud first,\u201d\u00a0said at the end of the presentation CEO Satya Nadella.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Microsoft needs to take bold steps to regain precious ground. To that end, its Build 2014 Developer\u2019s Conference included news both expected and surprising. The expected announcements were related to the new Windows Phone 8.1 software and the much-anticipated update to the Windows 8.1 OS. The surprise was the new Windows 7-style Start menu for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":10399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[820,650,622,76,819],"class_list":["post-10398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-cortana","tag-microsoft","tag-smartphone","tag-technology-2","tag-virtual-assistant"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n