Cortana's photo, allegedly Siri's rival, has been featured online. But this has not yet been confirmed.

Halo is successful in Xbox. Will Cortana make it for Windows Phone 8.1? Cortana is the digital assistant for Microsoft's Windows Phone, believed as Apple's Siri rival and Google's Google Now, but no official acknowledgment yet.

Cortana can make calls, do text messaging, set calendars and a lot more.

Better Than the Others?

Microsoft is expected to unveil Windows Phone 8.1 during the Build Conference for developers in April and speculations cited Cortana might also be part of the debut. Microsoft has been pointing that their devices can do more than the others. In some aspects, this claim is true.

Windows 8.1 tablets offer real multi-tasking, apart from what iPhones, iPads and Android handsets are doing. Windows Phone handsets can access to apps of mobile office, subscript-free. There is a line between a product that allows people to do more and what the people have chosen to use.

Cortana Details

Cortana can use Google Now's and Siri's capabilities such as addressing a user of his preferred nick; respond to questions regarding the stock market, news and the weather. It can remind users of coming events and also make recommendations based on location and context-based services.

Cortana does not want to be regarded as a typical female so it will appear as a circular icon which will animate when working, giving her some sort of personality. According to ZDNet Reporter Mary Jo Foley, Cortana will expand from Windows Phone to other Microsoft platforms.

Cortana seems to be broadly competitive. But to succeed means superior functionality and the capability to safeguard both privacy and security. Cortana does have promising features and Microsoft hinted some rhetorics to the entire OS.

Satori

Some people doubt that Cortana will rely on Satori, Microsoft's machine learning technology in Bing. Stefan Weitz, director of Bing, told CNET that Google Now and Siri offer a shallow understanding of the world. Retired Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company's technology understands people's needs. It provides data and assistance. The UI for instance will be very personalized.