Microsoft challenges Apple and Google with Cortana

Windows Phone 8.1 updates the present phone. According to rumor mill (not so unlikely rumor), Windows Phone 8.1 with Personal Digital Assistant Cortana should be available as early as April 2014. This may coincide with the build conference.

Looks like Bing Search will be replaced by 'Cortana' for voice and text search, taking the battle a step nearer to Apple's 'Siri' and Google's NOW. MSFT has done lot of work with voice and I am not sure why they did not turn on this feature earlier. MSFT does not like to test water, unless a shark is swimming and a whale is shooting air. Anyway, good luck, it's never too late.

Nokia appears to be working on the hardware side of the phone with mostly 007 related stuff like 'Goldfinger' a '3D touch' system(Industry first?) and 'Moneypenny' using onscreen keyboard.
According to the same sources, looks like Microsoft also wants a second serious hardware manufacturer, the like of Samsung and it working towards this goal.

On a serious note, these many things should take The Phone (reserved for windows Phone only) to more giddy heights by 2015.

Sources quoted:
http://redmondmag.com/articles/2013/12/17/windows-phone-8-1-coming.aspx
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/12/4722472/microsoft-cortana-windows-phone-personal-assistant
http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/16/5215484/windows-phone-8-1-features-notification-center-cortana

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