Cortana available on iOS and Android • Hacker News Board

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#21

Post by MBCook » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:10 PM UTC

arihant wrote: post #14

dharma1 wrote: post #9

do Siri, OK Google or Cortana offer any API's for 3rd party apps? So that I could do things like get X app to do Y with voice commands? Either when I've got the app open/focused, or even when the app isn't running?

I think both Siri and Google Now offer third-party hooks, even on the watches. I'm not sure about Cortana.

Siri does not, at least at the moment. It's widely hoped that it will, but today no.

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#22

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:10 PM UTC

dharma1 wrote: post #9

do Siri, OK Google or Cortana offer any API's for 3rd party apps? So that I could do things like get X app to do Y with voice commands? Either when I've got the app open/focused, or even when the app isn't running?

[deleted]

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#23

Post by jinst8gmi » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:12 PM UTC

bst287 wrote: post #12

Is there any clear benefit to using Cortana over Siri?

Not having to buy an Apple device which is unaffordable for many...

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#24

Post by josu » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:12 PM UTC

probably_wrong wrote: post #10

I want to like Cortana, I really do. Unfortunately, it's linked to my phone's default language. So even though I could speak English, Cortana will not talk to me because my phone's interface is in Spanish. That is something I can understand - maybe there are development reasons why second language voice recognition is not possible. However, every time I update my OS, Cortana is added to my main screen again, perhaps…

I have the same problem with Android Wear. My phone's setting overrides my language choice when I set up the watch.

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#25

Post by danpeddle » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:12 PM UTC

probably_wrong wrote: post #10

I want to like Cortana, I really do. Unfortunately, it's linked to my phone's default language. So even though I could speak English, Cortana will not talk to me because my phone's interface is in Spanish. That is something I can understand - maybe there are development reasons why second language voice recognition is not possible. However, every time I update my OS, Cortana is added to my main screen again, perhaps…

Sigh, that's sad.

It baffles me that there are still so many services that try to 'automagically' intuit which language someone wants to have a service in, instead of just simply .. asking.

Google play is a prime culprit, for example, showing a mixture of language content on the play store. See also subtitles, dubbed content, books..

Another one - Sony's Playstation store, where if you choose a country, then the language (despite them having the assets available through their international presence) is permanently set and impossible to change.

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#26

Post by asyncwords » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:14 PM UTC

melling wrote: post #15

No way to say "hey Cortana" even if the app is open? Personally, I'm looking for an app where I can say "take a note" then spend the next 15 minutes saying my notes into my device with having to touch the screen.

The Android version can use "Hey Cortana"; it's under Settings. No idea about the iOS version, though.

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#27

Post by untog » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:17 PM UTC

Can anyone that has used Cortana say how it compares to Google Now? The Google Play preview screenshots show a lot of great stuff - flight tracking and so on - that Google Now already has. I'm not wedded to Google by any means (in fact, I like the idea of diversifying the services I use) but I'm not seeing huge pluses to Cortana yet.

Irrespective, Microsoft has really been impressive lately. If I were in the market for a new laptop I would be strongly considering a Surface Book - I imagine Cortana on my phone would be a great addition if I had one.

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#28

Post by hudell » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:19 PM UTC

probably_wrong wrote: post #10

I want to like Cortana, I really do. Unfortunately, it's linked to my phone's default language. So even though I could speak English, Cortana will not talk to me because my phone's interface is in Spanish. That is something I can understand - maybe there are development reasons why second language voice recognition is not possible. However, every time I update my OS, Cortana is added to my main screen again, perhaps…

Until just a few weeks ago, even switching the phone region and language, I couldn't use Cortana because it just wouldn't download the Language Pack for english. It only started working after a system update. It didn't take me another day to notice that it was useless to me and that I shouldn't even have bothered.

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#29

Post by falcolas » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:25 PM UTC

jinst8gmi wrote: post #23

bst287 wrote: post #12

Is there any clear benefit to using Cortana over Siri?

Not having to buy an Apple device which is unaffordable for many...

In that case, is there a clear benefit to Cortana over Google Now?

Re: Cortana available on iOS and Android

#30

Post by Maarten88 » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 5:26 PM UTC

reitanqild wrote: post #20

probably_wrong wrote: post #10

I want to like Cortana, I really do. Unfortunately, it's linked to my phone's default language. So even though I could speak English, Cortana will not talk to me because my phone's interface is in Spanish. That is something I can understand - maybe there are development reasons why second language voice recognition is not possible. However, every time I update my OS, Cortana is added to my main screen again, perhaps…

On PC it refuses even if my user interface is English.

Indeed. I think Cortana does not have the knowledge and data it needs as an assistant (such as restaurants, shops, transportation) for many countries even if you set the language to English.