Introduction to Cortana

If you have recently purchased a new laptop or upgraded an existing one to the latest Windows 10 you may have noticed this new thing that keeps popping up when you click on the “Ask me anything” field at the bottom left of the taskbar. This is Microsoft’s latest version of a voice-activated Virtual Assistant and is an introduction to Windows 10 automation. Cortana was modeled after real-live personal assistances and has video game origins. She is also named after her counterpart in the game Halo.

Like Amazons Alexa, Googles Assistant and Apples Siri we now have Microsoft’s Cortana. She is a personal assistant that can do things for you related to your PC. She can launch applications, schedule appointments, and adjust a handful of device settings like turning on or off WIFI or Bluetooth. You can use it to get the weather forecast, set timers, tell jokes, search the internet and find files. Microsoft claims that as she evolves she will be able to strike up chit chat and have more personable conversations. The more you use Cortana the more personalized your experience will be.

By default, Cortana only listens when you click on the little microphone icon and you get the spinning orb. You can enable her to be listening all the time just like with other Virtual Assistants. This can be done by going into settings and there you will find a button to enable Hey Cortana. Once enabled now all you have to do is say “Hey Cortana” or just “Cortana” followed by your command and she will respond. Now keep in mind Cortana is in the very early stages of development and currently, has limited capabilities.

Getting Started:

You can ask her about the weather. e.g. What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow?

Define a word. e.g. What is the definition of “principle”

Read the news. e.g. Show me top headlines

Draft an email to [contact] saying [message]

Perform simple calculations. E.g. What’s 40 times 26? Whats 23 minus 4? How many teaspoons in a cup?

Settings

Turn on or off WIFI

Turn on or off Bluetooth

Turn on or off Airplane mode

Applications

Open Outlook

Open Word

Open Excel

Open PowerPoint

Music

Open Groove

Open Pandora

Open Spotify

What is this song? This also works like shazam and you can ask about a song on the radio.

Reminders/Appointments

You can set an appointment to your calendar. E.g. Add doctor’s appointment to Monday at 1 pm.

The appointments will be added to your outlook.com calendar.

Remind me to call mom tomorrow at 10 am.

Set an alarm for 7 am

Show me alarms

Set a timer for 30 minutes

Ask about holidays. e.g When is Easter?

Find files

Can you find a document called “5 Easy Steps to a Smart Home”?

Can you find a picture called Dad?

Basic search results

When is Abraham Lincolns birthday?

What is the score of the last Chiefs game?

What is the rating of “Keeping up with the Joneses”?

How long is the movie “Tron Legacy”

How’s the weather in New Jersey?

What are the seven wonders of the world?

Show me a map of Arizona

Fun tips and tricks

What’s up?

What does the fox say?

Tell me a joke.

What do you think of Windows 10?

Who’s better, you or Siri?

Play the movie game.

Surprise me!

Parental Control

Another cool smart feature in Windows 10 is parental control. If you have kids in your house and you want to be able to control how much screen time they will be allowed, or protect them from sites they should not be going too you should consider the new feature Microsoft has implemented in Windows 10. You can setup days, hours, and minutes that you allow your child to have access to the computer.

For example, on school days you could set rules that only allow 2 hours of screen time but on the weekends, there are no restrictions. It also gives them a 15 minute and 2-minute warning message. I use this feature in my home and it helps reduce contention. Instead of having to yell at my kid’s multiple times to get off the computer because it is time for dinner or bed the computer just locks them out. Once they are locked out they can request more access time. In this case, you get an email notification and you can choose to extend their time or not. You also get weekly activity reports that show the latest searches, websites blocked, most visited sites, apps and games as well as total screen time for every day of the week. I have found this feature very useful and hence the reason I mention it. You can manage your account at https://account.microsoft.com

Smart Home

Cortana which is based on the Microsoft IoT CORE is making its way into the Smart Home automation arena. Windows 10 automation is IoT designed to work with a wide variety of devices by integrating Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) protocols. Support for OCF is planned to be integrated into Windows 10 coming in 2017. The OCF standard will support several types of connectivity (e.g. Ethernet, WIFI, Bluetooth and ZigBee).

Cortana will allow users to automate task using their PC, Mobile or XBOX. Users will be able to turn on lights, adjust the thermostat or unlock doors. Windows doesn’t support all devices yet and only works with devices that support AllJoyn protocol. For example INSTEON has done integration with Cortana to be able to control you lights, thermostat and other devices in your home. The OCF is led by many of the big players including Microsoft, Samsung, Intel, Qualcomm, CISCO, and several others. The goal of OCF is to provide a common language and unite IoT protocols under one umbrella. Look for more updates later this year.

Resources

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17214/windows-10-what-is

https://industrial-iot.com/2016/02/meet-the-open-connectivity-foundation-ocf/

http://www.infoworld.com/article/3050929/internet-of-things/microsoft-puts-windows-10-cortana-at-the-center-of-smart-homes.html