Microsoft’s Cortana Headed to iPhone and Android Phones

http://blogs.wsj.com/personal-technology/2015/05/26/microsofts-cortana-headed-to-iphone-and-android-phones/?mod=WSJ_TechWSJD_NeedToKnow

by abetaha • 11 years ago

150 67 11 years ago

blogs.wsj.com

jimmcslim• 11 years ago

There's a subtle irony in that while Cortana can probably be more deeply integrated with Android than iOS, the same can't be said for Google Now on Windows Phone...

higherpurpose• 11 years ago

Yup. Android is still far more open than Windows Phone/mobile from that point of view, which is why it's possible for Microsoft to do many of these things with Android. Last I checked you couldn't even have another browser other than IE on Windows Phone, and I assume that won't change with Windows 10 mobile.

Also you can make Android apps work on Windows or another OS relatively easy but the reverse isn't true (not counting the very hacky WINE on Linux).

All of that still shows that at least for now Google is still much more "open" than Microsoft is.

The unfortunate thing is that these moves where Microsofts gets to integrate with "open" stuff from Google, and then gets all credit for doing that, is only going to force Google to become more closed to stop Microsoft from doing that. It's kind of a nash equilibrium.

When you open up a lot of stuff and your competitor uses it freely and gets credit for doing that, but you can't do the same with your competitors' products - what's the outcome?

It reminds me of when Gtalk was open right until Microsoft wanted to integrate it with Skype. Then Google shut down that API because it couldn't have done the same with Skype, and Microsoft would've been the one with the app that has "both Skype and Gtalk", and not Google.

Artemis2• 11 years ago

Android is open, Google is not at all. Google is actually pulling source code off AOSP (the actual open-source Android) to put more of it into their custom, closed-source applications. As a result, a base install of Android without all Google's services is very poor and pretty outdated. [0]

Most of the work Microsoft does on Android (and iOS) would easily be replicable by Google on Windows Phone: Office, Skype, OneDrive... are all apps that Google has competitors for on Android and iOS. Instead of playing the same game, Google chooses to be the evil one. [1]

0: http://www.infoworld.com/article/2610371/android/meet-aosp--...

1: https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2013/08/15/the-lim...

xexers• 11 years ago

Last I checked you couldn't even have another browser other than IE on Windows Phone, and I assume that won't change with Windows 10 mobile.

Opera is available for Windows phone now.

https://www.windowsphone.com/en-ca/store/app/opera-mini-beta...

ntakasaki• 11 years ago

When you open up a lot of stuff and your competitor uses it freely and gets credit for doing that, but you can't do the same with your competitors' products - what's the outcome?

You mean like how Chrome is bundled with Flash and Java updates on Windows, yet alternate browsers cannot even be made for Chromebooks?

is only going to force Google to become more closed to stop Microsoft from doing that.

Being "Open" is about principles, no matter the outcome. If you close off something because people are using it, then it was never open in the first place.

It's like saying I offer you $100 on the condition that you won't take it. What would be your reaction if MS restricted Secure Boot on Windows to stop Linux because people are dual booting or switching to it? Or what if they block Chrome on Windows to boost IE/Edge? Would you say they are being forced to do that because Chrome is getting marketshare, like you said Google was forced to close Hangouts and Android?

Aoyagi3• 11 years ago

Android is still far more open than Windows Phone/mobile from that point of view

From any point of view. WP is the tightest OS I can think of (or at least as tight as iOS) without the user benefiting from it in any other way besides general security.

Heck, even the settings menu is depressingly limited.

Redsquare• 11 years ago

Nor IE on any os apart from windows

soperj• 11 years ago

Kind of wonder now why they don't cross platform IE?

BinaryIdiot2• 11 years ago

One of the biggest advantages of Cortana was its ability to interface with third party application pretty much at launch (something Siri and Google Now still don't do much of). Going cross platform is awesome though I'm not sure if it'll be quite as useful. Realistically Microsoft could strike a deal and make an Android phone use Cortana by default (which might be really good) which would be quite interesting (especially if it could integrate with third party apps on Android, too).

One thing that makes me hesitant when choosing a new app is what platform(s) it's available or will be available on. I bounce between Android and iOS almost once a year; this type of ubiquity Microsoft is pushing makes me use their products more and more because I know they'll be available everywhere I go.

macspoofing2• 11 years ago

Realistically Microsoft could strike a deal and make an Android phone use Cortana by default

Zero chance for Google doing it but maybe one of manufacturers or Cyanogen?

nivla• 11 years ago

Ha extremely true. There is absolutely no way Google is going to let Microsoft peddle on their turf. They have been not so subtle about wanting to avoid windows phones for their core products and even to some extend actively sabotaging (remember that whole fiasco with Google blocking maps for Windows phone users?).

This makes me wonder if investing in Cyanogen was a wise strategy for Microsoft? This way they could get past the gates of Google and into the land of Android.

maemre• 11 years ago

They may convince manifacturers (like Samsung) rather than Google and ship Cortana as part of OEM software.

yellowapple3• 11 years ago

With Microsoft's recent friendliness to CyanogenMod, I'm thinking the latter is pretty likely. Combining this with a good competitor bundle to replace the "Google Apps" package that generally goes hand-in-hand with installing CyanogenMod on a phone (so including Outlook, a mobile Office, Cortana, some Bing stuff, etc.) would be at least a decent strategy. So, instead of downloading a "gapps" package to be flashed alongside CyanogenMod, a user could instead (or even in addition) download a "mapps" package that would give the user a more Microsofty experience. Hell, maybe Amazon could get in on this with an "aapps" package for things like their custom app store, Amazon Video/Music/Kindle, etc. (which would, granted, compete with their own forays into Android, but they already make these things available to normal Android devices anyway).

jfuhrman3• 11 years ago

Realistically Microsoft could strike a deal and make an Android phone use Cortana by default (which might be really good) which would be quite interesting (especially if it could integrate with third party apps on Android, too).

Is there no way for the user of a Android phone to set Cortana as default? That seems strange given Google's and other folks' claims that Android is open.

If this is the case then it looks Android is more closed than a Windows PC where it would be trivial for a developer to create such a service without the platform owner's permission. How is Android more open than Windows again?

yohui5• 11 years ago

The user can. BinaryIdiot means striking a deal with a manufacturer, the same way PC manufacturers make agreements to preinstall software on Windows machines.

But while manufacturers such as Samsung can and have agreed to preload Microsoft apps on Android devices, I don't think Google would allow manufacturers to change the search provider. Though that still doesn't prevent them from preinstalling Cortana, or replacing the homescreen with a Cortana launcher.

Partnering with a custom ROM such as CyanogenMod is certainly an option, too.

userbinator• 11 years ago

Windows (desktop) is more open in the sense that the platform has fewer constraints on what the user can do by default. Android is more open in the sense that most of the source code is available. These points are not exclusive and do not conflict with each other. It's possible to have a very "hackable" platform without any source code at all - if there is enough interest in RE - and also a very limited platform of which all the source is available, but crypographic signing and other measures get in the way of being able to modify the software.

Windows (phone) is far less open though, and in general this has been the case with mobile devices.

But Windows (desktop) is slowly getting more locked-down too, as a consequence of the "war on general purpose computing".

devsquid• 11 years ago

You can do all these things.

Android is very open, if it wasn't how could other companies take the OS and make their own very successful clones. Such as Amazon or any of the Chinese variants. No one has done that with Windows.

jedberg• 11 years ago

It's interesting that Microsoft seems to be using the same playbook they used with Windows -- make the software run everywhere and sell the software that goes with it. While Apple keeps using their playbook -- make software that goes with their hardware so that people buy the hardware.

It will be interesting to see which one wins out this time. So far it's clearly Apple, but time will tell.

josu• 11 years ago

It will be interesting to see which one wins out this time. So far it's clearly Apple, but time will tell.

If you want to compare apples to apples (no pun intended) you should take a look at software sales. So far, neither seems to be doing that well on mobile platforms. I have never bought a Microsoft nor an Apple app on my mobile devices.

sib• 11 years ago

Not sure that's really a relevant comparison given that Microsoft is (effectively) a software company and Apple (effectively) a hardware company. Apple's relative lack of software sales on mobile does not prevent their software and ecosystem from driving literally hundreds of billions of dollars of high-margin hardware sales.

zobzu2• 11 years ago

Arguably Apple has been playing it's playbook without any competition from MS so far (since MS started by copying Apple's strategy on mobile - which was obviously now an unrealistic move)

This on the other hand, looks like real competition - and competition is always exciting.

zobzu2• 11 years ago

Go Microsoft. This is the right move. Embrace. They had forgotten how, they're learning it again.

(and yes, extend, and possibly extinguish may still be next).

As a part-time Windows 10 and MS Band and Android/iOS user, I for one will happily use this.

And if I can integrate it for my own voice recognition needs in third party apps, all the better.

julianz2• 11 years ago

How about they actually get around to releasing it on Windows Phone? I bought a Lumia 735 three weeks ago partly based on advertising on the MS NZ site that said Cortana was available. It's not, and now they've removed that page.

The most annoying thing about that is the "quiet hours" feature is somehow dependent on Cortana, so the phone doesn't do that either.

(Other than that, very nice phone and OS, just hobbled)

hbharadwaj• 11 years ago

You can just set your location as US. That would make it work. (Not ideal)

julianz2• 11 years ago

Thanks - I did try that but I haven't been able to come up with any combination of location and regional settings that works on this phone. Even setting it to US everything doesn't work.

spoiledtechie• 11 years ago

I dont know how many of you are windows phone users but I think Microsoft missed a few very important features with Cortana. Most notably the qr scanner and Bing backgrounds that they had with the previous search feature. It diminished my experience soo much that I disabled Cortana entirely from my phone only to go back to the default search, which is just as good if not better than Cortana. I wasn't a power user with Cortana by any means, but they sure didn't bring the features up to Cortana that they already had with default search. I still love my phone, but the default search is much nicer feel than clunky Cortana.

jkestner• 11 years ago

Really, you used QR codes? Those two things I never thought about. I don't remember much about the previous experience, but I use Cortana quite a bit. Just having it be smart about suggesting directions, flight tracking, reminders, text messages, all from one point where I can either speak or type, makes it a thing I go to without thought. Voice recognition -> helpful answer is the best overall intelligent assistant I've used.

BrianEatWorld• 11 years ago

You can still get access to the QR feature/Bing Vision, you just have to look under Lenses.

I was also bummed about this change, but used it infrequently enough that I don't mind it being located under Lenses.

If you check the Store, you can even pick up an app called QR for Cortana that can be pinned as a shortcut to get quick access to the Lenses menu.

Aoyagi3• 11 years ago

As a Windows Phone user with my secondary phone I hope there will be a way to remove it from the system some day.

jfuhrman3• 11 years ago

Earlier discussion of the actual source here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9606188

Looks like it was quickly knocked off the front page by the flamebait detector thanks to the offtopic toxic comments accusing MS employees of voting up the the post.

http://hnrankings.info/9606188/

castell2• 11 years ago

During the Microsoft Build event a lot of Microsoft employees registered new HN account (shown as green) and up-voted MS related headlines in the following days. Not that I'm complaining but it looked more like a coordinated effort. HN certainly relies on some automatic voting ring detection.

frik2• 11 years ago

"But the release of Cortana and the companion app—as well as other fully featured Microsoft apps like OneDrive, Office and Outlook.com—on iOS and Android is an acknowledgment that Windows phones will likely never be chosen by a significant chunk of even the most diehard Windows users"

Microsoft Excel 1.0 was first on Mac, there was never a 1.0 for DOS or Windows. Windows is still the monopoly on PC with 90+% share due OEM and EFI. For the mobile devices both iOS and Android are big, then comes the smaller rest of Win, Blackberry, Bada, Jelly, Ubuntu, FirefoxOS, etc. WinCE had a head start 20 years ago, but especially the die hard Windows users turned away from WinMobile 6.5 (CE based) as it was dumped with all its app eco system in favor of WinPhone 7 (still CE but with only Silverlight/XAML apps) that was as useful as Android 1 or iOS 1.

empiricus• 11 years ago

Well, I'm still waiting for Cortana to be available on the Surface Pro tablets.

Microsoft’s Cortana Headed to iPhone and Android Phones

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