Microsoft Pits Cortana Against Siri in New Ad Showcasing Contextual Reminders, Traffic Alerts

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Chopper read said:
do people actually use voice controls on any device? I hate voice controls on anything. in a car or on a phone. Find it easier to press a button with out everyone in the street hearing what I'm about to do. Every manufacture seems obsessed with getting voice controls working. I don't know if its actually catching on and if everyone really uses them?
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Yes, in an office or any place around lots of people it's silly. But in a car, it's amazingly useful! Do you drive? Also much faster for putting in to-do items. I can say "remind me to stop at John's house at 10:30am on Wednesday" about a hundred times faster than I could enter it with the screen.
 
Hey Cortana! Is there an app for that? No? Yeah, didn't think so.

/Though I would always love more functionality from Siri.
 
Waxhead138 said:
I don't know enough to compare between the two services on any serious level, but all I know is that it's irritating to only be able to use the Hey Siri functionality when plugged in.
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The bigger problem is that it falsely triggers several times a day - usually when I'm driving and listening to a podcast. I guess I should just shut off the feature until it works right and lets you change the wake-up phrase.
 
Good job, Microsoft...for only 2.5% potential smart phone owners. Within that 2.5% market share, there're probably 1% of them actually using it...That means around 0.025% smartphone owners use Cortana.
 
Freqsound said:
SIRI does provide traffic alerts, at least I have seen them on occasion. If I have something on my calendar with the address included, it will warn me to leave early or tell me there is an accident etc. on my normal route. I'm not even sure what triggered these at first, but they have been useful to me.
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Oh, I didn't know that. I haven't had that happen to me.
 
Waxhead138 said:
I don't know enough to compare between the two services on any serious level, but all I know is that it's irritating to only be able to use the Hey Siri functionality when plugged in.
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Why? the only time iPhone is not with you is when it's plugged in or charged. Other than that "hey Siri" is useless if the phone is within your reach (pocket, on table in front of you...or so.
 
Chopper read said:
do people actually use voice controls on any device? I hate voice controls on anything. in a car or on a phone. Find it easier to press a button with out everyone in the street hearing what I'm about to do. Every manufacture seems obsessed with getting voice controls working. I don't know if its actually catching on and if everyone really uses them?
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Love it - press button - say "call my wife" - done. whats not to like?
 
I think putting out these Cortana commercials is a smart move for Microsoft. Anedotecly (i'm not gonna spell check that..hate that word!) I haven't seen my Windows phone owning friends ever using Cortana. I don't think they don't even know they have a voice assistant. If anything, these commercials will make prospects and owners more aware of the fully featured voice assistant that is in a Windows Phone, while taking a jab at Apple.
 
MacRumors said:
Microsoft today launched a new video advertisement that compares its Cortana virtual assistant to Apple's own digital assistant, Siri, showcasing Cortana's contextual reminders and traffic alerts, two functions that Siri does not have.

Article Link: Microsoft Pits Cortana Against Siri in New Ad Showcasing Contextual Reminders, Traffic Alerts
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The big problem isn't the Siri/Cortana voice issue. It's that contextual reminders suck in iOS! I can't put in a reminder on an iPhone to tell me to get milk when I'm near any supermarket. I can't even have it remind me to buy an iPhone case when I'm near any Apple Store! It will only remind you for a specific, physical, single location. Idiotic and 90% useless. I complained to the "Geniuses" about this just weeks after location reminders came out and still no updates. But Cortana can do this so what's Apple's problem?
 
Honestly, these ads are becoming just as annoying as the Samsung ads. Im sorry, but I'm not going to buy your products if you can't sell them based upon your own merits. I cringe whenever I have to use Windows 8 and I highly doubt their handheld devices are any better.
 
fallenjt said:
Good job, Microsoft...for only 2.5% potential smart phone owners. Within that 2.5% market share, there're probably 1% of them actually using it...That means around 0.025% smartphone owners use Cortana.
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Pointless comment. So if Apple has so much bigger marketshare, why is Siri so far behind on features? And no, I'm not buying a Windows phone. Just got an iPhone 6+ last week and have all iPhones and Macs at home. Just wish Apple wasn't getting left so far behind on many visible features.
 
Siri is not as advanced as Cortana in many areas. I don't think this is up for dispute. The question is does the average user care yet? I hope they do. I want these assistants to improve. The faster we improve AI, the sooner we'll be able to get more work done. This is good progress (provided they don't go all Terminator on us )
 
Microsoft are very good to come up with UI, in this case they followed Apple after bashing Siri back then. Anyway, Microsoft have cool UI but bad user experience. Look at Kinect, it's a good UI but damn hard to interact. You must hold your hand STILL for few seconds in front of the screen to select a menu...Kinect voice control sucks ball too.
 
MasterRyu2011 said:
I think putting out these Cortana commercials is a smart move for Microsoft. Anedotecly (i'm not gonna spell check that..hate that word!) I haven't seen my Windows phone owning friends ever using Cortana. I don't think they don't even know they have a voice assistant. If anything, these commercials will make prospects and owners more aware of the fully featured voice assistant that is in a Windows Phone, while taking a jab at Apple.
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Not doubting you but I never use Siri around other people since I'd look like an idiot and be annoying. Only use it alone - mostly when driving.
 
Reason077 said:
Wow, Cortina's speech technology does actually sound pretty impressive. Much less "robotic" sounding than either Siri or Google Now.

Then again, she sounds so "perky" that it'll probably get annoying after a while.
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The funny thing is is Siri is actually much higher quality now, way less robotic. I think when you first activated it sounds that robotic, then it downloads the high-quality voice and it sounds way better.
 
I still can't believe Siri/Reminders.app can't set a location reminder based on a city or a general type of location (grocery store, bank, etc.).

Cupertino, start your photocopiers! :D
 
i think I could count on one hand how many people chose a windows phone over iphone based on its digital assistant capabilities.
 
fallenjt said:
Why? the only time iPhone is not with you is when it's plugged in or charged. Other than that "hey Siri" is useless if the phone is within your reach (pocket, on table in front of you...or so.
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You're mostly right....except if your stationary, say at home and your busy doing something else and can't / don't want to pick up the phone. Also it's not a good long term habit to simply leave a rechargeable battery plugged in when it's not necessary. Murders the charge cycle count given enough time.
 
"Microsoft has a long history of targeting Apple in its advertisements"

Yeah, really long. Not quite as long as Apple doing the same.
 
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