wraggster
September 13th, 2013, 00:30
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/09/windows-phone-81-polish-leak.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/windows-phone-8-1-rumors-hint-at-personal-assistant/)Windows Phone's future may involve more than just a few more home screen tiles (http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/06/nokia-lumia-1520-press-image-surfaces/). Elaborating on rumors from the summer, ZDNet claims (http://www.zdnet.com/cortana-more-on-microsofts-next-generation-personal-assistant-7000020602/) that the next version of Windows Phone (possibly 8.1) will focus on Cortana (http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/11/ford-patent-describes-the-digital-backseat-driver-you-never-want/), a personal assistant that goes beyond the likes of Google Now or Siri. The Halo-inspired component is reportedly more of a shell than an app, and would integrate the OS with Microsoft services like Bing. Ultimately, Cortana would find its way into versions of Windows and the Xbox One's Dashboard (http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/08/xbox-one-beta-dashboard-video-leak/).
The assistant might not be the only major feature in 8.1. Windows-Phone.pl has posted (http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=pl&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwindows-phone.pl%2Fcentrum-powiadomien-foldery%2F)what it says are photos of the OS running on a smartphone. They suggest that the previously leaked notification center (http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/08/windows-phone-notifications/) would reside in a Live Tile, and that users could group-select tiles like they can with Windows 8.1 (http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/windows-8-1-hands-on/). There's no guarantees that the images or the Cortana rumor are authentic, although they're consistent with Microsoft's publicly stated desires for both a notification center and a "service-enabled shell." We may not get any official details for a while, however -- if real, Windows Phone 8.1 might not ship until sometime in early 2014.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/windows-phone-8-1-rumors-hint-at-personal-assistant/
The assistant might not be the only major feature in 8.1. Windows-Phone.pl has posted (http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=pl&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwindows-phone.pl%2Fcentrum-powiadomien-foldery%2F)what it says are photos of the OS running on a smartphone. They suggest that the previously leaked notification center (http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/08/windows-phone-notifications/) would reside in a Live Tile, and that users could group-select tiles like they can with Windows 8.1 (http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/windows-8-1-hands-on/). There's no guarantees that the images or the Cortana rumor are authentic, although they're consistent with Microsoft's publicly stated desires for both a notification center and a "service-enabled shell." We may not get any official details for a while, however -- if real, Windows Phone 8.1 might not ship until sometime in early 2014.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/windows-phone-8-1-rumors-hint-at-personal-assistant/