Page 313 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

Of course, none of this is a new idea. Apple introduced Siri for the iPhone

in 2011, and Google followed with Google Assistant for Android phones in
2012.

But Microsoft’s version is unusual in three important respects:

Cortana runs on your PC. In addition to Windows 10 phones and
tablets, Cortana also runs on your laptop or desktop.

You can type your commands instead of speaking them. That’s
handy when you’re using your computer in, for example, church.

She speaks with an actual recorded human voice. Siri is a
synthesized, slightly robotic-sounding voice. But when Cortana
speaks, you generally hear actual recordings of an actual actress.

Tip
Cortana is named after a voluptuous female character in Halo, the video game. In fact, Microsoft
hired the same Cortana voice actress—Jen Taylor—to record Cortana’s responses.

In a few spots, Cortana uses a synthetic voice—but it’s derived from sound

recordings by that same actress.

Note
Microsoft keeps expanding the number of languages that Cortana understands. Already she
understands English (U.S., U.K., Indian, Australian, and Canadian flavors), Simplified Chinese,
French (France and Canada), Italian, German, Portuguese, Japanese, and Spanish (Spain and
Mexico). To change her language, visit → → Cortana.

Setting Up Cortana

When you click the on the taskbar, the Cortana panel appears (Figure 5-
1). She’s ready to help you with generic questions about the weather, time,