cortana

Microsoft is planning to allow fridges, toasters, thermostats, and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices to access Cortana. The software giant is bringing Cortana to IoT devices with its Windows 10 Creators Update, due in March next year. ZDNet spotted a presentation about the plans at...

When I first saw Mr. Spock talking to the Enterprise’s computer, I thought it was so cool. I still do. But the more I look at Cortana, Windows 10’s inherent virtual assistant, the more creeped out I get. Let’s start with Cortana’s fundamental lust for your data. When it’s working as your...

Microsoft wants you to upgrade to Windows 10. Like, a lot. So much so that if you leave your PC to its own devices for too long, you might come back and find that Cortana has settled in and made itself at home. If you want to hang on your Windows 7 or 8 install without having to live in fear of...

NEW YORK—You may already be on a first-name basis with Siri, Cortana, Google or Alexa, the Fab Four of voice-activated digital assistants. Now that relationship is expanding from one device (typically a smartphone) to many. The major tech companies are putting these digital assistants, powered...

Microsoft is closing off one of the easiest ways to Google search in Windows 10. The company has announced in a blog post that starting today, it will block the ability to perform third-party searches through the Cortana digital assistant, as part of an effort to maintain an "integrated search...

You'll soon be able to use Skype to books trips, shop, and plan your schedule, just by chatting with Cortana. During its Build conference, Microsoft demoed how Skype users will soon be able to start a chat with Cortana and get things done just by having a conversation. "Cortana is brokering the...

Ahead of the Oscars, Microsoft has started airing a series of ads that focus on Windows 10, gross bugs, and the features Windows machines have that Macs don't. The spots all feature a pair of women discussing how Windows 10 helps their business — they highlight Cortana, touchscreens, and Windows...

When Microsoft’s Edge browser arrived this summer alongside Windows 10, it was seen as a major step forward, incorporating new features like Cortana Assist alongside tricks that had become popular elsewhere, like Reading List and the new InPrivate browsing mode. But now, new research suggests...

Microsoft has a new trick to convince Windows 10 users to stick with its new Edge browser over Chrome or Firefox. In a newly leaked Windows 10 preview (build 10568), the software giant has added a new prompt targeting users switching default apps. If you have Microsoft Edge set as the default...

Despite what you may have read, Windows 10 is not spying on everything you do. So feel free to remove your tin-foil beanie. However, Windows 10 could potentially collect a ton of data about you — probably more personal information than any operating system in history. That’s due largely to...

When a large business operates internationally it can introduce many challenges. One of the biggest is understanding cultures and how certain behaviors or activities can be unacceptable in that country and yet be OK in others. An example of this is Microsoft's Personal Digital Assistant...

Microsoft is close to finalizing Windows 10, and a newly leaked build today shows off some of the last-minute changes that are being added before the July 29th launch. Microsoft's Edge browser now has its new logo in build 10147, complete with a new look. You can enable a special dark mode...

Last week ended with the release of Windows 10 build 10130 to Insiders – the second test build released to those on the Fast Ring in a nine-day period. This week kicks off with the official announcement from Microsoft that Windows 10 will be available for Windows 7 and 8.1 users to download for...

Microsoft is set to release Windows 10 later this year and users of current versions of the operating system will get an upgrade free of charge. That's what Microsoft said and made abundantly clear last January when it presented key consumer features of the new OS including Cortana, Project...

Microsoft announced the name of its Windows 10 browser last week. While the code name, Project Spartan, was exciting and invoked visions of dominance and strength, the final name Microsoft picked is totally dull and mundane. Microsoft Edge is the successor to Internet Explorer, but the software...

When Cortana first arrived in Windows 10 preview builds, it was rough. Features, general usability, and the look and feel was really early, but Microsoft has been steadily improving things ever since. The software giant is now testing out even better ways of bringing some of the popular features...

Microsoft stripped out Aero Glass — a transparent and blurry glass effect — from Windows 8, but it looks like it’s making a slight return in Windows 10. Leaked screenshots from Chinese site IT Home reveal that the latest internal builds of Windows 10 include a new blurred transparency effect on...

Today I’m excited to share more details about “Project Spartan,” the new browser we are introducing in Windows 10. Project Spartan will be available across the Windows 10 device family. It is fast, compatible, and built for the modern Web. Project Spartan is designed to work the way you do...

Microsoft is releasing a preview of its Internet Explorer successor, Project Spartan, today. The new browser, which will be the default web experience in Windows 10, is part of an update to the PC Windows 10 preview. Microsoft promised faster builds for testers, and it’s delivering on that...

The wait is over. Microsoft has been teasing the capabilities of Project Spartan for months. Those that have held their breath with news of each new Build release can finally exhale. Today, Microsoft is rolling out a brand new Windows 10 build to Fast Ring Windows Insiders, build 10049. And...