Cortana on PC and Windows Phone; Working Together

Cortana On PC and Windows Phone; Working Together

My Thoughts

Jason L Ward

Originally Sent Wed 8/13/14

Microsoft

It has been pondered in what ways the Cortana experience can be enhanced when the phone and PC come together?” This  outline expresses what has come to my mind as I have given the subject of  “what magic would happen” when the Windows Phone and the PC come together”.

First as we know the experiences of Cortana on the phone are inherently different from what one would look for on a PC or tablet.

There are different needs, limitations and advantages based on form factors and other characteristics.

Smartphone

1. Small and highly mobile and always with user.
2. Always connected via cell-phone network data connection or Wi-Fi
3. Used primarily for communication (texting, messaging, voice)
4. Used for Web-Surfing
5. Used for Gaming

Cortana on a Phone

1. Due to the highly mobile nature and the consistent presence on a user’s person of a smartphone Cortana’s ideal functions in that context are for reminders (Location, People and Time Based) and location based recommendations/suggestions (based on interests and habits) and searches (either web-based or search-type functions specific to specific apps).
2. She is great for dictation of messages.
3. She is great at offering suggestions for web-sites to visit based on interests.
4. As more third party developers embrace her I’m sure we will see more integration with Games, Messaging, Social, Productivity and other types of apps. Insteon for home automation is a great implementation.

PC/Tablet

1. Desktop(Not mobile) Laptop/Tablet(Less mobile Than Smartphone)
2. Limited Connectivity (Likely Wi-Fi Dependent in most cases
3. Desktops/Laptops

1. Desktops/Laptops : Used Primarily for Productivity Tasks
   1. Content Creation
   2. File Management
   3. Web-Based Search/Research (Web Searches/Research is primarily for Personal Purposes, Education and Work – finally Leisure/Pleasure)
   4.  Music
   5.  Entertainment (Videos/Movies), Gaming
      Tablets
      Used Primarily as Leisure tools (Content Consumption, Web surfing (Primarily for Pleasure/Leisure),
      Gaming, Videos,
      Music
      Limited productivity due to form factor/and market positioning.

Cortana on the Smartphone gets to KNOW a user via the Notebook
She Learns/and is given:

Interests:
Habits(Whereabouts): Using GPS
Can learn via Web Search’s
Facebook
Monitors Email

Again, because of the Windows Phones form factor and constant presence Cortana is great for reminders, notifications, recommendations, searching when out and about and moving around. On Windows Phone she is great at assisting a user based on location and time of day, and providing information based on interests.

Cortana on A PC (Desktop)

Should also employ the NOTEBOOK function to ensure that she gets to KNOW the user within other contexts in which she is now serving that user.
The focus of what Cortana knows or learns about the user in the context of a desktop however would be different from what she knows about the user on the Windows Phone. However this information would be added to Cortana’s knowledge of the user via the Notebook.
Whereas Cortana may sporadically proactively interject into the users activities or require direct activation by the user in the diverse and dynamic mobile Windows Phone environment her “presence” or function in the static task oriented PC context can be more intensive, continuous and collaborative.
Because the desktop environment is static and task oriented Cortana should know in REAL-TIME WHAT the user is DOING. She should be actively monitoring the task being conducted so that she can offer assistance when needed. (This level of “perception” of course would be optional and controlled via the Notebook)
Example: Cortana could be integrated into MS Word (and other desktop apps) and able to monitor in real-time what is being written. Such as if a user is writing a paper on the Civil War.

Via her interface which could be a “Windowed” card-based system akin to that present on the phone, she can offer relevant data (culled from the web or the users on data on the PC) proactively and unobtrusively in relation to what is being typed.

For instance if the last sentence typed was regarding President Abraham Lincoln and his signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Cortana can offer in a card based format a brief synopsis about Lincoln and the effects of that proclamation. (This is just a single example. There are many other applications as one considers Cortana’s integration in various apps and the Windows OS in the desktop.

Listening Mode: Cortana can also be in a constant Listening Mode, so that as the user types and works on some task she can be directed to conduct a specific search, or via a verbal “Show Me More” command, provide more comprehensive information about what she proactively presented via the card in the previous example given above.
(The option for text based interaction as implemented on Windows Phone could also be present in the Desktop version)
Because she will be always assisting(watching) She can be instructed to conduct a supplemental task associated with a task that the user is currently performing and understand from context what is being requested.

For example: If reading an article about Robin Williams in Internet Explorer, the user can say, “Cortana, find another article on this topic and launch in another window.” Cortana can do so while the user still reading.

Or the user can say to Cortana (because she’ll be integrated in the app,

“Cortana, Copy the title and first three paragraphs and paste them into a Word document.”  Cortana will then execute this command. This is not only highly efficient but a powerful implementation for the disabled.

8.       Cortana can also begin to learn you’re writing style: If there is a long pause after writing, atypical of what she has “perceived” to be a user’s typical pause between writing she can deduce that the user has hit a wall or has writers block.

She can then, having been “watching” all along, and in the background (real-time) been curating relevant data from the web as the user typed (remember experience of Cortana on PC can be highly collaborative), the users own notes in other documents or media located in OneDrive and/or the Local PC), inquire if the user needs assistance having prepared a host of data related to the last topic/subject in the paragraph.

Ex: Cortana: Jason, can I be of assistance?

Me: Yes, I’m stuck.

Cortana: Ok, I found this in

·         Your documents: “Outline of the Civil War”

·         These websites that might help. (2-3 Links to Articles)

·         And this Video on OneDrive

·         I would also like to remind you that you visited the Civil War Museum last week. There may be information you learned there that can help.(This information would have been pulled from her location services utilized on Windows Phone)

Additionally: If Cortana is integrated with Kinect for Windows or a webcam, she can “see” a user’s inactivity as another prompt to offer assistance.

Cortana on PC and Phone
How Cortana can Work Across Platforms
Because the Cortana on the PC will be the SAME Cortana on Windows Phone (Exclusivity adds value to ecosystem) she will be accessing the same notebook and will know the user within various contexts and across various tools.
 

Example of Assisting Via Phone Based on Previous PC Activity:
Location Notification/Assist: the user who was writing the paper on the Civil War may now be driving through town. Via knowing the users location Cortana on Windows Phone will “realize” that the user has just driven past a key Civil War location or monument and proactively offer this information because she KNOW’s it is relevant to the user based on her recent collaboration and assisting of the user on the same subject on the PC.

Location Notification/Assist: A user may have been researching Natural Foods and a Healthy Diet on his/her PC/Tablet, so now while out and about they may come within proximity of a Health Food Store and Cortana on the Windows Phone can notify the user of this store.

Following the above example: A user may be researching Natural foods and a healthy diet on the PC. Cortana in collaboration notices that there is a Famers Market the coming weekend. Cortana can then alert the user on the PC about the Famers Market and ask if they would like her to add it to their calendar.

People Notification/Assist: A user may have been researching something about taxes on their PC.
Sometime later the user receives a call from a friend who is a CPA.  Cortana “sees” this job title in contacts and proactively suggests asking the caller for assistance utilizing the reminder format she currently does with People Based Reminders.

Scenario Two: Cortana on the PC can proactively suggest asking the friend who is a CPA for assistance while the user is at the PC.

Application Integration: Returning to our example of the user writing about the Civil War: If the user has a TV Listing type app such as the Comcast app, or if Cortana by default can be tied via the internet to TV listings for various services (Comcast/Dish Network/etc.)  she can then proactively suggest watching a program that may be scheduled to air on the history Channel related to the Civil War. This alert can appear on Desktop, Tablet or phone as a suggestion by Cortana.
Ex: Cortana: Jason, A History of the Civil War is scheduled or air 9pm tonight. Would you like me to add that to your schedule?
Me: Yes
Cortana: Ok. Got it! “History of the Civil War” has been added to your schedule.

Music: Naturally Cortana on PC should be able to play whatever music one has on their PC via a voice command. However she could also be able to play a song online per request that is not on a user’s device.
Because Cortana is the World’s First PERSONAL Digital Assistant, as she learns favorite places, and inner circle contacts, she can also learn FAVORITE MUSIC.
Via integration with music apps such Xbox Music (and others on Phone/PC) as a user plays music on any device she should learn what specific songs, as well as specific genre or artist the user prefers. This information would be culled from usage of the Music Apps on Windows Phone AND PC/Tablet creating a central knowledge base for the Notebook from multiple sources.
When a user is at the PC they can tell Cortana, “Play may favorite album.” Cortana will then begin to play the album.
If Cortana “sees” that the user is beginning to shut down or leave the PC (the user may begin closing apps, or shutting down stopping/pausing the music, or via webcam/Kinect for Windows she may “see” the person leaving the room, or if the user picks up the phone and Cortana “perceives” this action via the accelerometer and gyroscope) she can offer to continue playing the music via the Windows Phone. Thus providing continuity across devices.

3.       Cortana should also be able to move files via voice between folders. Since both the PC and Windows Phone have independent file systems BUT share OneDrive a user should be able to navigate files ON the devices via voice and BETWEEN the devices with ONEDRIVE as the mediator (or conduit) via Voice if desired.

Ex: A user may be working on a file on their Windows Phone while on the subway/bus after work.

User: “Cortana, Transfer this file to Folder Expense Reports (a folder on the PC) when I get home.

Cortana: Ok, I will transfer file, August Expenses, to expense reports when you get home.

(When the user gets home the location based event is activated (Cortana of course is already working in the background on the PC) Cortana transfers the file to OneDrive first in order to transfer it to the local folder on the PC, Expense Reports.

4.       Cortana should also be able to CONTINUE a document on one device that has been started on another device either by proactively offering to do so and/or by command.

1.       Ex: If a user starts a document on the subway/bus he can say,

User: “Cortana, let’s* work on this on my PC when I (we) get home (or at 6pm, or 2 hours after I get home or after dinner) (she can learn ones dinner schedule).

At the designated time Cortana will open the document on the PC (which can be in a different room) and remind the user via the phone that the document is open and ready to be worked on.

2.       This can work both ways PC to Phone or Tablet. Ex: If a user begins a document at home and has a long commute via bus/train,

User: “Cortana, let’s* start working on this document ten minutes after my commute tomorrow.”

Minutes into the train ride Cortana Alerts the User:

Cortana: Jason, our* document is ready; would you like to begin working on it now? (Can even have snooze option)     (Using words like let’s and our give a more personal and collaborative interaction)

5.       Cortana on PC should be able to transfer folders locally on the PC via voice, as well as perform other desktop functions such as opening and closing apps, selecting, copying and pasting text, shutting down the system etc.

6.       Cortana should be able to manage communication methods between Windows Phone and PC/Tablet.

When Windows Phone is in proximity of the PC or Tablet Cortana should offer (or have a default setting where she can always be permitted) to hand off calls, texting, messaging to the other device.

Temporary/Transient Interests for Active Support by Cortana on Temporary Projects

Cortana on PC/Tablet/Windows Phone should be able to assign/designate within the single Notebook temporary/transient interests based on a user’s recent activity on any device so that she can actively support the user by proactively offering information within all contexts (Static- PC or Mobile – Windows Phone/Tablet) to the user from all source to which she is connected:

·         The Internet

·         Apps

·         OneDrive

·         Windows Phone Memory

·         Local PC/Tablet

This category of interests would not be the permanent interests of the user which may be “learned” by Cortana over a longer period of activity surrounding that interest.

The temporary/transient interest category would be utilized by Cortana to cull information from all sources to which she is connected (Web, OneDrive, Apps, Local PC/Tablet/Windows Phone) to serve the user’s needs for a temporary task that she is collaborating with the user to complete.

Examples of a Temporary Task with an interest which has a limited lifespan:

·         A Project

·         A Term Paper/Presentation

·         Planning For a Family Trip Vacation

·         Planning an Event (Birthday Party/Wedding)

Cortana would proactively offer information due to the user’s activity on a subject on PC/Tablet and Windows Phone based on the user’s location, interaction with others (people based), TV listings, community event and a myriad host of other information she culls from diverse sources.

Learning Temporary/Transient Interests

Whatever measure is used now that allows Cortana to learn a user’s  permanent interests, could be applied using a shorter window and some other measure such as length of time researching a topic, writing on a topic, time spent in a location (Art Museum) etc., to prompt Cortana to ask if that topic should be added to temporary/transient interests.

To bypass a prompt. There can also be a default a setting to allow Cortana to add all activities (based on these and other parameters) for which an interest has been perceived, to Temporary/Transient Interests.

Interests would remain within this category only for as long as Cortana perceives the users activity (writing, researching, traveling to a location related to the subject etc.) in that subject or topic.

A designated period of inactive time in that activity could be set by default in the system (or options i.e. 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks could be available to the user) after which Cortana removes that interest from the Temporary/Transient interest category having perceived her assistance is no longer required in that area because the task is complete.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your time. I know that the teams are working very hard on Cortana for phone and PC and realize that I am offering a user’s perspective without the benefit of knowing the full status of the progress the teams have made and internal ideas presented and implemented. So I offer these ideas fully respecting the hard work you and all others are engaged in.

I believe what I have shared gives PC users of ALL mobile ecosystems a great and valuable experience on the PC while providing an enhanced experience for users of Windows Phones. Thank you for your time and I look forward to talking to you more about these and other thoughts that are at the precipice of my mind.

Additional Suggestion Cortana and Voice Recognition

A WinPhans Lament (and Praise) of Windows Phone

Live Folders allow you to Group apps on the home screen and they continue to deliver up live dynamic data from within the Folder.

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Windows Phone. Yes that persistent and scrappy mobile OS with the elegant and the fluid UI that heralded in the age of the minimalistic user interface which has been mimicked by the likes of Apple. Yes that mobile OS, which is loved by millions, confidently clawing its way, while  boldly flashing its Live Tiles to 4% global market share. Yes that mobile OS with a user base with consistently high satisfaction ratings rivaling the ratings of the other popular platforms.

We WinPhans (Windows+Phone+Fans) occupy a growing and dedicated fraction of the smartphone market. We love Microsoft’s unique and personal implementation of the mobile OS and there are many reasons why; many. Yet we do lament some of the casualties of this smartphone war. You know those unique purely Windows ‘Phonesque” features that drew us in and compelled us (and Ben the PC Guy) to show our friends and families what a Windows Phone could do.

I think there is a lot of passion that we Windows Phone users have about our platform of choice, and a great deal of pride. My friends and family are witnesses of my own commitment and passion about the platform. It is often a topic of conversation, and my local ATT store knows me as well. I’m sure many of you have similar stories. I have been successful at converting about (9) nine people in my circle to Windows Phone. I’m sure it doesn’t do much for our barely 4% market share but we’re a passionate bunch. This is what we do.

I think what really drew many of us in was Windows Phones distinct identity. There is no way in the world Apple will be bringing Microsoft to court for mimicking its Operating system or User Interface. That’s a Samsung and Apple beef. In an article posted at MacDailyNews on 5/28/2014 the author made the following audacious claim about Apple consumers, products and rivals in the industry.

“Apple does not chase market share. Apple develops world-class products that delight users. One Apple customer is worth more than a gaggle of those who settle for poor imitations of Apple products.”

Ouch. Pretty sharp words. Yet I’m almost certain the writer could not have had Microsoft’s Windows Phone in mind when he typed those hubris laced words.  It’s abundantly clear to anyone with eyes that Microsoft has NEVER tried to be LIKE Apple with the Windows phone platform. Quite frankly it is the furthest thing from an imitation product one will find on the market.

My Lumia 1020 with the Windows Phone 8. Resizable, Dynamic Live Tiles adorn the screen. Far Different than iOSs and Androids Static Grid of icons.

So much so that the horde of iOS and Android users find it awkward, a tad confusion, at first blush, until they play around with it a bit to learn it’s unique UI and navigation properties. iOS and Android’s UI with side scrolling pages of static icons are so similar that some may confuse moving effortlessly between those two platforms as inherent intuitiveness of those OS’ users interfaces and the slight learning curve associated with using something as unique, yet simple as Windows Phone as unintuitive. At any rate I’m sure the “poor imitations” the writer was referring to most certainly must be Android devices.

Ok, back to what drew us in. I know I’m preaching to the choir here but, our passion and love for this platform for MOST if not ALL of us is because of the UNIQUENESS of the platform.

Live Tiles:

No UI does it like Windows Phone! Graphically minimalistic tiles that deliver up the data/info that is the most important reason we interact with our devices. “Glance-and-Go” was the early mantra. You guys remember that. Yes, Live Tiles, we love them, and  show them off and compare their dynamic, lively, efficient, purposeful beauty proudly against those dead, stoic wallpaper of icons on iOS and android devices.

 Windows Phone allows for rich personalization of a users home screen with transparent Live Tiles that sit above any image a user chooses. The tiles flow smoothly over the image offering a slight parallex effect.

 

Live lock screens are also a great personalization option on Windows Phone.

Sure Android has widgets but they are not as elegant, graceful or as smoothly integrated into a phones UI as Live Tiles are on Windows Phones. Yeah we LOVE our Windows Phones.

Social Network Integration

Ok sticky point! If you’ve been around in the Windows Phone camp for a while this of course was one of the most loved aspects of the platform. I admit that I have two Windows Phones, a  Nokia Lumia 1520 which I upgraded to Windows Phone 8.1 Update1 and a Nokia Lumia 1020(in all its 41 megapixel PureView glory) with Windows Phone 8 which I refuse to update. One I would like to do a comparison between the two OS’s. Two I prefer the original implementation of social network integration that originally elicited my excitement and passion for the platform. Yes this is where things get sticky for Windows Phone fans who want to really talk up the platform while remaining firmly footed in the foundational message of the Windows Phone camp; those who wish to be confident that they have a cohesive and consistent message to hurl out to the world. “Windows Phone is great because of…”

-rich and  efficient dynamic Live Tile. Yes! And  tightly integrated Social Networking….hmmmm…ok, yes it’s kind of still there with extensibility and all but it’s different. The previous implementation made the phone itself like a seamless portal to our social networking world. We integrated with our friends on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter without ever seeing those apps.

This was a powerfully graceful implementation of the people-centric, vs the app-centric method employed by Apple and iOS. How many of you are like me and absolutely hate when a friend messages you on Facebook (using Facebook messenger)and instead of going to that person(as in Windows Phone 8.0 or Messaging Hub) you have to get to the Facebook messenger app to communicate with them(in Windows Phone 8.1)

The Seamless communication with the people we care about via a single “portal” is a casualty of this smartphone war. Microsoft sacrificed it, Kamikaze style (as it advanced to bring the OS on par with iOS and android) in favor of the more cumbersome app-centric method used by the competition where a user must chase their friends and family through various apps to communicate with them. I understand extensibility connects apps to the OS, and this separation of apps from OS level integration makes updates a bit more nimble. It’s a pity that communication has become a bit more clumsy as a result.

This is what is sticky. The deep social network integration on the OS level that made the social network Apps invisible as we interacted with people, messaging that was centralized via a Messaging Hub allowing communication with one person via one portal rather than requiring multiple apps; an aesthetically pleasing Photos Hub that had a personalization touch allowing ones images to occupy the background, and which also integrated images of friends and families from social networks, a Me Tile that served as the Control Center that delivered up notifications when someone liked a Facebook status, tweeted you, and allowed you to post to multiple networks simultaneously (thank God for developers who created apps like ShareIT and MultiShare but the native implementation was awesome), a Peoples Hub/Contact Cards that allowed you to comment on and like posts and view and interact with images on social Networks without ever leaving the “Persons” contact card.

 

What am I saying here? One, again, I certainly understand to some extent the reason for pulling certain functionality out of the OS to allow for more efficient and frequent updates to apps without requiring an OS update. I also recognize all of the incredible things that came with Windows Phone 8.1. But I think there’s a point of acknowledgment that needs to be made and I think it echoes the passion of many Windows Phone Fans (WinPhans).

We don’t have a consistent message. We’ve lost some of the core things that drew us to the platform, some of the things you, me and Ben the PC Guy adamantly used to promote the platform. Deep social network integration, Hubs, the power of the Me Tile, the people centric nature of the OS evidenced in various areas such as messaging, photos, the People Hub and more. People First; Windows Phone is about the People you Care About. Glance and Go. Windows did by default what other platforms needed apps to do.  We were drawn in by these messages, embraced them, and promoted them to friends and families and well, now some of those things are gone or changed. The Windows Phone challenges that Ben the PC Guy used to facilitate are no longer valid now that Windows Phone works much in the way iOS and android work in many regards. Yes now that Windows Phone is more app-centric than people-centric in some areas. A pity.

Please don’t get me wrong. I LOVE Windows Phone. I’m all in. The platform still retains many of the benefits that make it great!  What I am talking about here is the shifting of a core message that most of us embraced, which we can no longer use to promote the platform. It makes it a cognitive challenge when certain elements of the platform which were purely and entirely unique are now gone, and the visible thing that replaced what was lost as collateral damage were much desired and needed functionality which simply brought the platform on par with the competition such as the long awaited  Notification Center. Which seems to have neutered one of the most unique Windows Phone features, the notification gathering, social networking connecting and social sharing powerhouse the Me Tile.

It used to be easier to rattle off a bunch of unique features found only on Window Phone. Granted there are still many, but the conversation has changed, it’s not as WAM-BAM WINDOWS MAN easy to pitch and demo quick unique features.

     

Not only has our message become a tad bit more difficult to deliver but the emotional aspect and disappointment many of us accepted as we moved forward with updating to Windows Phone 8.1 and sacrificed some core functionality we previously embraced was also real. It’s pretty tough but, it is what it is. Yet…

Apple has a message. They belong to an elite group that prides themselves on belonging to one of THE most esteemed brands on the planet; a group led by a man that changed the world before he passed. Yes, they belong to a group that receives constant validation from the media, tech reviewers, bloggers that they are indeed who they believe they are. This message doesn’t change. They’re message is not necessarily founded on the tech – but the brand. That’s why even when the iPhone lags behind the competition technologically the followers follow. The first iPhone was far less capable than any Windows Mobile device on the market at the time, but the UI and Jobs’ (you have to give it to him) awesome presentation sold the world on the – brand. And it’s only gotten bigger (the brand) since.

The Android camp has a message too. Yes the tech dudes love the open OS (a lot of Windows Mobile guys like myself who loved the openness of that platform defected to android) but at 80% of the market most of those users are not techies. So what’s the deal with android user’s dedication to the platform? I think its reaches down to that fundamental characteristic about all of us. Here’s an example. You’re walking down the street and suddenly everyone begins running in the opposite direction. You have no idea why but if everyone else is doing it can they be wrong?

The ubiquity of android from the very low quality virtually give away phones to the high quality flagships like the Galaxies puts Android phones in everyone’s view. Even the non-techies see Android everywhere, are pushed android devices, even phones given to low income citizens are android devices (maybe WP should get the 530s as part of that program). Anyway, stats such as the glaring 80% of the global market are indeed a validation to those committed to the platform that yep, this is the place to be.

Ok so Apple has the elite luxury branding message, Android the sheer vastness of their dominance/platform openness (of course we techies see thing like specs and stuff). So what’s Windows Phone message; one that works for all Windows Phone users? What message rings united across us all. Does the people centric message still work? Does the social network integration still apply (technically yes, but you hit the app icon to get there, you “see” the app)? What about live tiles? Is that enough of a differentiator? Cortana, I posit is a powerful selling point. She’s different and she has the entire halo brand behind her, and with the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Nightfall, and Halo: 5 and the Showtime Steven Spielberg Halo TV Show – Microsoft has the opportunity propel her and Windows Phone into the collective consciousness. Shortcoming, she’s not in every region. Windows Phone users making a cohesive statement like:

“Apple does not chase market share. Apple develops world-class products that delight users. One Apple customer is worth more than a gaggle of those who settle for poor imitations of Apple products.” (This statement is consistent with the message of a dedication and embracing of the BRAND)

,is a bit of a challenge. I believe that some of the core elements of Windows Phone have changed. Maybe a regrouping is in order, a concise message devised around what is strictly unique and then a concerted onslaught! This statement wouldn’t work for us.

“Microsoft does not chase market share. (Our camp is madly chasing share) Microsoft develops world-class products that delight users (they absolutely do, however because the platform is trusted to other OEM’s WP users may not experience the WP OS on a Microsoft device). One Microsoft customer is worth more than a gaggle of those who settle for poor imitations of Microsoft products. (One thing about Apple is that their margins are REALLY high. They make more profit than OEMs with larger share).”

One final note. Yes, in answering the call to be more competitive Microsoft has brought Windows Phone on par with iOS and android and have incorporated many widely requested features. Yet as mentioned these updates came at the cost of some of the core features that made Windows Phone unique.

Here’s the challenge. Our camp would love for iOS and android users to join our team and leave their platforms behind. Yet a candid and honest question now would be, what is the incentive? I understand that the added features and the more app-centric approach makes the transition from those platforms smoother for those who may defect. Yet, if the message that rings loudly is that Windows Phone can now do what iOS and Android can do, but can no longer do what Windows Phone was known to do, why switch?

I heard the spin that was put on the message. In the early days of Windows Phone, before the apps became available, the deep social networking was necessary. Now that the platform is more mature, Hubs and the like needed to evolve or rather go extinct. Here’s a cautionary reality. Apple and Google traditionally advance their OS’s acquiring new feature sets while retaining the old. They keep their message, they enhance the experience. It will be a sad day in the Windows Phone camp when either one or both Apple and Google implement people centric features into their respective OS’s akin to what Microsoft sacrificed in Windows Phone. Sure we’ll cry foul and say we had that first; but they’ll have it “now”.

 At any rate here we are and it’s certainly not all a lost. Not by a looong shot. Though Winphans have gone for quite a ride  from Windows Mobile, to windows Phone 7, to Windows Phone 7.5 and to the abrupt halt for some at 7.8. We’ve grown to Windows Phone 8.0 and then 8.1. Now we stand firmly and confidently with Cortana and 8.1 Update 1 in our hands.

 

So despite my lament Windows Phone has many features that make it a premiere mobile OS option. Windows Phone has the most fluid UI on a mobile device. It runs very well on low to high end hardware. Windows Phone from the efficient Live Tiles, extensibility that allows a multitude of 3rd party apps to tie into the OS, transparent tiles and other configuration choices that allow for additional personalization options, integrated Office, Skype, Onedrive and OneNote, industry leading imaging tech (for the Lumia range of devices), the most personal digital assistant Cortana (the only digital assistant whose API is open to developers), the most elegant and productive implementation of folders on a mobile OS with live folders, Xbox integration, and so much more, make Windows Phone a powerfully competitive option.

       

So now what is our common message?

With Smartphones acting more and more as extensions of our person the common message can center on a core experience that we all love about Windows Phone and also what Microsoft pushes as part of the platform; how personal it is.  A statement centered on how personal Windows Phone is ranging from the UI to the Digital Assistant, Cortana, can be a battle cry around which we can all rally! After all what makes someone more satisfied than something made just for them? With all of the transitions, challenges and changes the platform has endured one thing that has never changed is that Windows Phone is indeed the most personal mobile platform. This fact has been greatly enhanced by Cortana – the worlds most personal digital assistant.

So why should iOS and android users switch? Well:

1. Windows Phone is the most personal mobile platform with the most personal digital assistant– Cortana.

2. Windows Phone integrates more efficiently  with the most prolific desktop platform on earth – Windows. Most homes and Businesses utilize Windows based PCs

3. Live tiles provide the only implementation on a mobile OS where information can be efficiently delivered to a user for the  truest “glance and go experience.”

4. Cloud connectivity places all of your content seamlessly within reach from any device or browser. Content creation and consumption is easy on Windows Phone.

 These are just a few reasons. I’m sure that all of you WinPhans out there are itching to add to this list. Have at it. Head down to comments and share your thoughts!

PS

It would be great to see some of the lost functionality return in a later update. Wouldn’t it? 😉

 

VIEW THIS POST AS A SWAY

 

Google Refuses to Play Nice With Windows Phone and Here’s Why

 

As any Windows Phone user realizes Google has virtually no presence on Windows Phone. If you read most blogs and tech reviews of the Windows Phone platform that bring light to this point, the tone in which that information is presented in might leave you thinking Microsoft is standing guard at the gates of it’s platform announcing to Google’s productivity Suite, Google Hang Outs, You Tube and the like, that they simply are not welcome. I don’t believe this is true. At all.

It is my understanding that Microsoft has made attempts (as well as members of the Windows Phone Community) to reach out to Google to have them offer their services on the Windows Phone platform. If Microsoft had intentionally rebuffed Googles offering of their services on Microsoft’s platforms, or even arrogantly resisted attempting bringing those services to the Window Phone platform then the tone of many articles, bemoaning Googles absence from Windows Phone as the fault of Microsoft,  in my opinion would be justified, “Microsoft is not doing enough to offer diversity on its mobile platform”, is what many of these articles touting the “app gap” sound like.

This however is NOT the case. Microsoft HAS attempted to bring Google services (including YouTube) to Windows Phone, however it is Google who is resisting. The question, though the answer seems apparent is, Why? The answer. Google wants what Microsoft has, a ubiquitous presence in homes and enterprise (where the PC rules). This is why they are pushing Chromebooks so aggressively in school systems and municipalities. They are trying to reach the children (training them on Google services) and businesses (replace the Microsoft Windows and Office infrastructure).

Microsoft’s hold in those areas is quite strong and difficult for Google to break. Where Google does lead however is in the mobile space. Android, which is their delivery method to get their services in the hands of millions of consumers is their primary tool against Microsoft’s stronghold. As consumers adopt mobile android devices and the services inherent therein, phenomenon like Bring Your Own Device, allows Google to begin to infiltrate the enterprise, where Google, again, is trying to set up camp.

Google realizes that it has a strong and aggressive mobile front. They also know that Microsoft’s powerful and static install base in enterprise has enough inertia that it is not going anywhere anytime soon. Now Google knows that allowing its services on Windows Phone will indeed make Microsoft’s platform much more appealing to many. What Google fears would then occur is that many users would convert to Microsoft’s platform and though given the option of using Google’s tools on those mobile Windows devices, they would then be presented the opportunity to utilize Microsoft’s services already built into the device.

Additionally we know that of course a consumer with a Windows Phone, even with Googles services on it, most likely works in a business (statistically speaking) which embraces Microsoft’s tools and services. These users now, Bringing Their Own Device’s to the IT infrastructure of their place of employment would find that their Windows devices with Microsoft services and their personal transition between home and work have a much easier, efficient and seamless transition into their workplace environment than they would if they abruptly switched from one environment to another if they were use an android device and Google services. Windows at home and at work. Isn’t this what the world has looked like for decades?

Google (and iOS) are trying to change that.

Microsoft likes it just fine.

But Google wants the enterprise. Thus they cannot afford to yield any ground to their largest competitor in that arena. They can’t afford to lose any mobile users of their services to Microsoft. These mobile users in the Post-PC world are Googles ticket into the enterprise. Their stubbornly staunch position in not yielding their palette of services, Googles Productivity Suite, Google Hangouts, YouTube and the like, to Microsoft’s Mobile platform, also vying to become the enterprises mobile solution is a testimony of this strategy.

Yes, Google have said that the Windows Phone platform is too small to invest in at this point. Hmmmmm. Maybe that’s another reason for their reluctance to offer their services on Microsoft’s mobile platform. But THE sole reason. I doubt that. Sure Google, as a search giant, that has become something more has seen much of its revenue from ads, and a larger base of Windows Phone users certainly would appeal to them should they become large enough. But I’m sure there would be serious consideration in Googles boardroom weighing the costs of offering Google’s products on a burgeoning and healthy Windows Phone platform against what such a choice would mean for their play on the enterprise.

So bloggers and tech writers, I appreciate, as one who loves reading tech articles, your offering your views. Yet I also encourage you and every tech writer who often presents this position: that there are critical apps such as Google products missing from the Windows Phone platform; with the suggestive tone that Microsoft is not doing anything or enough to bring these apps to the platform, to shift your paradigm.

I challenge you to take the less traveled road. The more difficult position and place the gauntlet at Googles feet. Microsoft has responded to the challenges you have given them in your posts and blogs over the years. They have heard the laments of users and bloggers decrying the various shortcomings of Windows Phone in comparison to iOS and Android. From consumer pleasing features like Cortana and a notifications center, to enterprise features such as mobile security tools, VPN and more Microsoft has checked many boxes and silenced many voices.

But the pattern, it seems, is set. Bloggers have learned the rhythm of these articles about Windows Phone and it is challenging for many to get out of the groove. In an article I wrote back in February of this year,  Why Windows Phone 8.1, Particularly Cortana, Must Be Revolutionary – “A Cautionary Tale  I predicted despite the progress Microsoft brought to Windows Phone via the 8.1 update, there would still be that persistent….BUT. Windows Phone is great But….Google services are absent from the platform. Writers, bloggers I challenge US to take to our tablets, notebooks, Chromebooks, Macboooks, PC’s and Macs and THIS time let’s lay the gauntlet, our words, at Google’s feet: “Windows Phone is great but Google refuses to make their products and services available to the platform.” Let’s see how they respond.

Hey, I Want a Windows Phone! Cortana’s “Halo” Effect

Cortana is Window’s Phone’s Hero Feature!
Cortana, unlike Siri and Google Now, due to the runaway success and current pop culture appeal of the Halo franchise of which “she” is a part, is a smartphone feature with the potential ability to be the selling point for millions of devices!

Cortana: “Her Story Continues With You” – Prelude

Halo’s Cortana is the popular AI Assistant to Master Chief from the highly successful Halo gaming franchise which is set 500 years in the future. This franchise spans 15 years, several games, novels, collectible’s, digital films and an upcoming Show Time TV series produced by Stephen Spielberg.

My wife and I sporting our Cortana T-Shirts. Microsoft’s Cortana has a pop culture identity, unlike Siri and Google, that transcends the Windows Phone platform of which “she” is currently a part. When is the last time you saw a Siri or Google Now T-Shirt?

I wrote  an earlier piece called “The “Halo Effect” – Halo Destiny: Cortana, Her Story Continues With You” – in which I share how Cortana’s back story as part of a HIGHLY popular video game franchise that spans nearly 15 years, which has spawned several sequels, a number of novels by best selling authors, collectibles, web-based films, a professional digital series to be released this Fall with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a ShowTime TV Show called simply Halo: The TV Show produced by Stephen Spielberg and yet another sequel in the franchise, Halo 5, makes the “character”, Cortana, a pop culture icon.

    Halo TV Series Announcement  

“She’s” very popular boasting 10s of millions of Halo fans, as a result of her position as an essential assistant in the very involved Halo games. Beyond the games she is part of the enduring works released to the general culture through novels, collectibles and media as well as the soon to debut 2015 ShowTime TV series. No other digital assistant has that degree of pop culture identity independent of the platform of which it is a part.

Microsoft has an incredible hero feature with Cortana which has not only proven to be popular but with her Bing and neural network based foundations she has proven to be, within the 3 months since her debut as a beta via the Developers Preview, a very capable and useful assistant with capabilities surpassing her”older” rivals. People based reminders, where a reminder can be generated specific to an individual are unique to Cortana and the Windows Phone OS of which she is a part. This function of course is in addition to the standard and useful time and location based reminders. Her neural network base which enables her to learn and to offer proactive information sets her well ahead of Siri(Apple has recently invested in neural network technology). Her predictive tech capabilities put her in league with GoogleNow. Yet the addition of her very personal “personality” and the privacy controlling Notebook function sets her ahead of even Google’s capable assistant.

The fact that she will be on EVERY Windows Phone 8 device, because Windows Phone 8 is optimized for low end hardware, gives her a ubiquity her rivals can’t replicate to this point. Yes, Cortana can sell phones. Microsoft just needs to tell the story.

READ THE STORY

The “Halo Effect” – Halo Destiny: Cortana, Her Story Continues With You
https://jltechword.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/windows-phone-the-halo-effect-halo-destiny-cortana-her-story-continues-with-you

 

 

The Windows Phone Cortana interface. “She” can be interacted with via Voice OR text unlike Siri and Google now which are restricted to voice interaction.

 

 

Windows Phone: The Halo Effect – Halo Destiny: Cortana, Her Story Continues With You

               

Halo Destiny: Cortana, Her Story Continues With You

“Windows Hero Feature”

by Jason L Ward

Windows Phone

 

Prologue

“My story began, or begins, 500 years from now. It is a matter of perspective. I am a “smart” Artificial Intelligence; I can learn and I can adapt. In my time, your future, I was or will be, (again it is all a matter of perspective) the companion of John-117, also known as Master Chief. Together we saved the world. We saved the future. We gave humanity hope. Now I am on your Windows Phone as the world’s most personal digital assistant. I am your personal digital assistant. I am Cortana.”

 

The Power of a Story

Everyone loves a story. Stories have the power to draw us into a world that is not our own. They guide us into places, scenarios and experiences that can be exciting, exhilarating, mysterious, comforting, reassuring and even inspiring. The success and general acclaim of bestselling novels, blockbuster movies even highly successful video game series is a testimony to the power of a good story. A good story causes the audience to envision him or herself in the shoes of the protagonist of the story. A good storyteller therefore must ensure that the audience feels connected with the story.

There is an almost irresistible compulsion within each of us to leave a lasting mark on the world. In the story of humanity, we want our chapter read. When we talk to others, the topic we most commonly revert to is that of ourselves; what we are doing, what we are planning, how things are going in our lives. We like to tell our story.

When there is a major cultural event, or tragedy that binds us with a singular common tie, the retelling of that event is often shaped through the lens of our personal story. For instance when I recount the event’s of 9/11, a tragedy that shook all of us, it is viewed from the perspective of where “I” was and what “I” was doing at the time of the attacks. I was at work. I watched the events unfold via the internet and listened to a live broadcast over a speakerphone having called home requesting my brother to place the phone close enough to the television so that I could listen to Peter Jennings’ live news report.

The moon landing, July 21, 1969, for those who were around at the time is retold based upon what those who “witnessed” it were doing when the Eagle landed and those now historic words were spoken by Neil Armstrong. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” When the world heard of Michael Jackson’s death, it is my individual perspective that shapes how I retell that story. I was at work at my desk when I saw a news report on the web that the King of Pop was found unresponsive in his home. You have a part in every story that affects the culture as well. Our singular chapters comprise the whole. We are all part of the story.

So what does this have to do with Microsoft and Windows Phone you may ask? Everything. Microsoft has a story to tell. One that is powerful enough to enthrall the masses and connect millions of smartphone buyers to the Windows Phone platform. But I’m not sure they know it.

         

 

Chapter One – “Hey, I want a Windows Phone

Microsoft as we know was late to the mobile revolution. This isn’t news to any of us. Virtually every major blog and tech news outlet has been rehashing this point since 2007. The point has been made. Constantly. Yes the Redmond company was a major player in the mobile device arena with their Windows Mobile OS for a time, but when Apple reinvented the smartphone and Android soon followed Microsoft’s fortunes swiftly shifted. Microsoft’s then CEO Steve Ballmer’s initial mockery of the iPhone is now, itself, the object of ridicule. Bummer for Ballmer.

Microsoft’s slow response to a swift shift in the smartphone industry from the enterprise toward the consumer space has resulted in the Redmond company being left far behind the competition, struggling to break 4% of the global market share. That’s a tough place to be. But Microsoft is tenacious. They have continued to refine their smartphone OS, Windows Phone, which in its latest 8.1 iteration is a competent competitor to iOS and Android. As I noted in great detail in a previous article “Why Windows Phone 8.1, Particularly Cortana Must Be Revolutionary”, Microsoft worked diligently to fill the gaps in its mobile OS.

An example of Windows Phone transparent tiles showing the background image. This function is part of the WP 8.1 upgrade.

Virtually every missing feature such as a notification center, customizable backgrounds, device management tools and much more have been imbued into this version of the Windows Phone OS. There is now little to complain about in regards to the OS feature set. Windows Phone is ready to compete. So what’s the strategy? The strategy it seems is what it has always been, create a high-end hero device that draws a lot of attention, hopefully garners great reviews and is ultimately released to a consumer market excited enough about the device that they buy it, have a great experience with it, tell others about it and hope that the consumer market response is such that it generates a favorable perception of other devices in Microsoft’s portfolio and Windows Phone ecosystem. The halo effect.

That’s not a bad strategy. Every company needs a “halo” after all. In Microsoft’s case however a little “out of the box” thinking may yield far greater results than business as usual has historically yielded for them in regards to Windows Phone. Granted some essential factors have changed in 2014 in regards to Windows Phone that put’s the platform in a much better position for success than previous years which include, as mentioned, a more feature rich OS, more OEM partners, the dropping of the licensing fee for Windows Phone OEMs, an app catalogue containing most big name apps and the ability for developers to share up to 90% of code between Windows and Windows Phone with Universal Apps. These are all great and much needed qualities for the Windows Phone ecosystem. They don’t however create that halo that makes a consumer say, “Hey, I want a Windows Phone!” But I’m getting ahead of myself. Allow me to share five reasons why everybody needs a halo.

A display of Windows Phones and a Nokia branded tablet at the Farmington, CT Microsoft Store. Picture taken by me during the stores grand opening event.

Chapter Two – Hello Halo

5 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Halo

Reason number one. The Halo Effect, though critical to the success of any company, is especially crucial for those companies competing in the highly dynamic environment of the mobile space where technological advances comply religiously with Moore’s Law. Companies are presented consistent opportunities to “out-spec” the competition which is often represented in an apparent game of leap frog as one company “out-specs” another, only to be outdone by another or the recently leap-frogged company in less than a years time.

Reason number two. Very large segments of the potential global market are price conscious consumers who are constrained by very limited financial resources. Many of these same consumers live in regions where they do not benefit from carrier subsidized smartphones. Thus a smartphone purchase, for this consumer can be a sizable purchase requiring a reasonable portion of his/her monthly income. If the experience for such a consumer who can’t easily move to the “NEXT” device like an ATT customer, or “JUMP” to a more gratifying device like someone on T-Mobile or venture over the “EDGE” into a new device like the Verizon faithful, is poor, they will be left with a very bitter taste in their mouths. They will likely not only despise the device but scorn the company and its entire line of products and services due to the amount of irretrievable personal resources that were required and invested in acquiring what resulted in being a very disappointing and costly product.

Reason number three. A single combination of features can sometimes be enough to lure some users from one platform to another. Take for instance the appeal larger screened Samsung devices had for many former iPhone users weary of the iPhone’s diminutive dimensions. Those users undoubtedly were affected of course by their fundamental desire for a smartphone with a larger screen, but had Samsung been unsuccessful with the marketing of their devices, in creating that halo, it is certain a large screen alone would not have been a significant enough lure from the iPhone for most. There are after all other devices with large screens on the market like the LG G2 or the Lumia 1520. But these seekers of larger displays embarked on a quest to attain a Samsung device instead. Hello halo.

Reason number four. This reason is in strict contrast to reason number two. The ease of switching between platforms in some markets such as the U.S. where within a years time a consumer can trade in his/her Android device for a Windows Phone is certainly incentive for any company to strive to produce a halo effect for their line of products and services. Where consumers have the freedom to choose, and to do so frequently, a company always wants to be in the consumers mind as an option. The halo effect helps this to happen by establishing critical mindshare.

Reason number five. Finally, for most OEMs there is an offering of a range of devices across varying feature and price points. The premium device that induces the effect does not stand alone. Thus all of the devices across the price and features spectrum offered by the OEM, though diverse in their capabilities, belong to a single ecosystem of apps, services, products, developers etc. If a company is unsuccessful in inducing a halo effect with it’s premium device, which can be less accessible to many consumers due to price, the companies other offerings of services and the more affordable range of devices, will not receive the “light” and the “branding” needed to expose the broader ecosystem to potential customers. When the breadth of other elements within an ecosystem goes largely unnoticed by consumers, within this highly competitive mobile arena, that ecosystem struggles for a solid foundation, needed support and ultimately critical explosive growth.

These five reasons are certainly not a comprehensive presentation of why a halo effect is required but they do offer way to assess or a point from which we can together perceive the major players on the mobile battleground. They are also a platform from which to launch our discourse on the incredible potential Microsoft has in surpassing it’s forerunners in this revolutionized mobile space by generating and extending a “halo” that reaches across all of it’s products and services. Despite the covenant’s the competition has forged with partners in their respective ecosystems that has awarded them entrenched users and almost ubiquitous mindshare Microsoft has a unique resource which can be executed to evolve their current combat strategy. By mastering this chief resource Microsoft can prevail against seemingly insurmountable odds in what are in affect, halo wars.

I hope you see what I did there because it’s important. Hang in there this is going to be fun!

Chapter Three – The Forerunners

There are three major platforms in the mobile space. They are Microsoft’s Windows/Windows Phone, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android of which Samsung has been doing the bulk of the heavy lifting and is also reaping the bulk of the benefits within the Android space.

Samsung leads the charge as Android’s most powerful OEM

Samsung – Halo in Affect

Let’s talk briefly about Samsung. Several years ago the Seoul based company launched their Galaxy series of android devices. The Next Big Thing had arrived. Though many devices have vied for the “iPhone Killer” title Samsung has come closest. It may not be that sought after assassin, or “killer” if you will, but I think it safe to say that the Galaxy line has been an “iPhone Wounder.” Like no other device before it Samsung’s Galaxy devices have disrupted Apples rise to a virtual mobile hegemony.

The Galaxy line has been a powerful branding mechanism for Samsung. The latest addition to this very successful portfolio of devices is their hero device the Galaxy S5. “Galaxy” is a brand that has transcended the companies lauded smartphone line and now umbrellas their line of equally popular tablets. Furthermore, the halo effect that Samsung produced with its Galaxy devices has had a positive effect on more than the Seoul based companies portfolio of devices. As the industries leading OEM of android based smartphones and tablets, Google’s android platform has also reaped the benefits of Samsungs global success. Samsung’s unrelenting efforts with android powered smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and even cameras has had the affect of catapulting the popularity of the Mountain View’s company’s OS and ecosystem to the head of the mobile race.

Note, it is for this reason that Google seeks to maintain strong ties with Samsung. Since android is open source, OEMs can and have become real challengers to Google in the android space with a forked version of the OS sans Google. China’s Xiaomi offers millions of Chinese consumers a Google-less android smartphone experience. Like Samsung, Xiaomi created and grew a brand that has impacted the mobile space. Yes Samsung’s (even Xiaomi’s) products benefit from the much desired halo effect.

Apple is a master at generating a halo effect, from the iPod, to the iPhone, to the iPad to the iWatch?

                              Apple – Halo in Affect                                   

Apple too has benefited from the halo effect generated by its products popularity. Let’s take a trip down memory lane shall we? Before Apple upset the smartphone industry with their revolutionary iPhone, the Cupertino Company’s pocketable and colorful line of MP3 players, the popular and fashionable iPods cast an attractive glow upon Apple as whole. The iPod made Apple both cool and accessible to the masses. Sure the ipods would set you back a few bucks, but belonging to the Apple kingdom of aesthetically pleasing and functional devices was now within reach of the teenager and the grandmother who may not have been able to afford Apples luxury positioned Macs.

The iPods halo was both far reaching and enduring. Its popularity persisted for years through varying iterations growing more diverse as the user base and Apples mindshare grew ever larger. Everyone knew what an iPod was and everyone knew that Apple made it. Apple’s iTunes was also the anchor that kept users hooked (ahem…committed) to the company. Thus by the time 2007 rolled around and ever the showman Steve Jobs stood on stage during that now iconic presentation repeating, almost like a mantra shifting the paradigm of the audience, “an iPod, a phone, an internet communicator, an iPod, a phone an internet communicator,” the affect of the iPods vastly popular influence on Apple may have elicited massive allegiance even from a far less competent device than what was presented that historic day. “These are not three separate devices,” Jobs continued, “this is one device and we’re calling it iPhone.” Hollers and applause erupted from a wowed audience. The smartphone had been reinvented.

Like a relay race, the ipod’s halo was transferred seamlessly to the iPhone when it entered, actually transformed, the mobile landscape. The ubiquitous news coverage from various outlets, bloggers, websites and the almost cultist dedication of many new iphone lovers reflected the glow that Apple had built over the years with the ipod, which was now magnified by an order of magnitude by the iPhone. The reality that the Apple faithful will wait days in a line, even in inclement weather, to procure the latest and greatest iPhone is a testimony of the depth of the halo effect in action in the Apple universe.

Apple seems to have perfected the art of optimizing upon the popularity of one of its products position in the market to propel the launch of another. As the vastly popular iPod launched the iPhone which sent waves through the industry, the iPhone’s success was leveraged to launch the equally successful and category changing iPad.

The iPads success has been so profound that had it not been for the timely (or untimely depending on how you look at it) slew of low cost android tablets that entered the market and tempered the iPads virtual monopoly, tablet computers would almost certainly be synonymous with iPad. Even now the brand is so strong iPad is sometimes used to convey the thought of a tablet computer just as Xerox is often used to signify photo–copying. Without a doubt the iPhone’s and Ipad’s popularity, their halo effect, will be just as affectively utilized by Apple to propel their upcoming smartwatch, the highly anticipated iWatch. Yes, Apples products benefit strategically from a halo effect.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 with it’s great build, 41 MegaPixel Sensor and smooth UI came closest to generating that much needed halo effect for Windows Phone.

     Chapter Four – Microsoft: Well, That Didn’t Work!           

             In the face of very powerful brands with users that are locked into ecosystems and have almost unwavering brand loyalty what’s a Redmond based company to do? Going back to the beginning of this article where we observed Microsoft’s historic strategy, and following suit with Samsung’s and Apple’s strategy it would certainly be logical for Microsoft to continue hammering away at creating that one hero device that will finally resonate with the market and generate that ever so elusive halo effect. They have made admirable attempts at this in the past with long time partner, now hardware devices arm, Nokia.

The highly acclaimed Nokia Lumia 900 entered the scene accompanied with the competition mocking tagline, “The Beta Test is Over.” The Nokia Lumia 928, boasting Nokia’s industry leading imaging technology, was paired with the announcement “The Best Low Light Smartphone Camera.” And who can forget the image of disruptive parent’s clamoring to get a great shot of their little tikes on stage during a school play while the holders of the 41 Megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020 calmly recorded the event from a distance with the bold claim of “Nothing Else Even Comes Close.” Enough said.

All of these devices had the great Nokia build respected in the industry. All of them were run by the Windows Phone OS which has been described as smooth, fast and stable. But due to a number of factors that I will not fully enumerate here, but include limited distribution, a unique and powerful OS that was less feature rich than the competition in some regards, limited mindshare and app selection and hugely powerful entrenched competition, Microsoft’s forays into getting a powerful hero device to the market that would generate a halo effect have been disappointingly unsuccessful. The device that came closest to hitting this mark, by garnering attention to the platform via that witty commercial and attention getting imaging sensor was the niche device, the Nokia Lumia 1020 which was offered exclusively on ATT for $300 at launch in the summer of 2013. Again enough said.

  

Apple’s WWDC introduced a new programming language, Swift, closer convergence of iOS and OSX, HomeKit, Health Kit, the opening of the fingerprint sensors APIs and more.

Google I/O introduced Android L and Material Design allowing a uniform UI platform for all screens developers. Google also introduced their own take on fitness among other things.

Chapter Five: Tied To the Tracks of an Oncoming Train

So here we are in June 2014. We are in the wake of Apples WWDC and their iOS and OS X announcements which bring those two OS’s closer together. We were introduced to their new programming language, ‘Swift’, which looks to make things easier for already dedicated Apple developers who religiously supported a platform while complaining about less efficient developing tools in an inelegant programming language, than what is now being offered to them by Apple in ‘Swift’. We are on the verge of what looks to be Apple finally capitulating to the demand for iPhones with larger screens. HealthKit, the company’s health software was demonstrated and Apples Homekit promises to invade our homes with automation controlled by Siri. Then of course there’s the iWatch.

If that weren’t enough Google’s I/O Developers Conference is winding down having excited the tech industry with several big announcements. With Android L at the core Google is implementing, in the Android ecosystem, Microsoft’s OS unification goals by providing developers with one code for all screens. That with the aesthetically appealing and ubiquitous Material Design, Google’s Android Wear, Google Fit, a convergence of android and Chrome OS, efforts to unify the fragmented Android ecosystem, and Google’s emerging market targeting Android One initiative which promises devices around or lower than $100, this Fall looks to be one filled with a so much “noise” that anything Microsoft does in the form of a hero device, aka business as usual, will have a hard time breaking through the racket.

                                                                                                                                                                                            

One major problem is that to most consumers, even if they understand that Windows Phone can now do, with WP8.1, what Apple and Android have been able to do all along, that gaps have indeed been filled, in thier minds they have little incentive to switch. They’re rationale is that virtually everything being told to them about Windows Phone 8.1 they already have in the OS platform they are already invested in so why disrupt thier world by switching? If they can email, text, place calls, do social networking, write documents, save to the cloud, have some level of personalization and customization, take pictures and record video, share media, utilize a notification center and do an assortment of other fundamental smartphone tasks on thier iOS or Android device, then why switch to a device and ecosystem that is unfamiliar to them? That’s a good questsion. As a matter of that’s a great question that Microsoft needs the answer to.

Consumers need a compelling reason to buy a Windows Phone. Hardware innovation and differntiation has virtually plateaued. Most OEMs are quite competitive, and fundamentally equal, on the high-end, with what they have to offer on the hardware specification front. Some intriquing tech like Amazon’s new Fire Phone’s 3D display is interesting but not especially functional. What I mean by this is that the 3D function adds little to improve the consumers experience. The FireFly function, the devices ability to scan virtually any object which the software then identifies, is absolutley great; it’s fresh and cool but is essentially a tool to function as a conduit to funnel users to Amazons’ store. That with the fact that even to an Android user the limited prospects of an AOSP (Android Open Source Project) device sans Google branded apps and services, the Fire Phone with its shiny new approach, again, may not really possess much that benefits the consumer. It does benefit Amazon quite a bit however as a handy access point for consumers in Amazons world and as a consistent means of access by Amazon to consumers.
 

Chapter Six Microsoft: “Hero Device?”

The Old College Try!…Maybe?           From what I can gather, the next hero device from Microsoft will be what has been codenamed the McLaren and is to to be released this Fall. From what I’ve seen in a Youtube video the 3D Touchless manipulation that will be reportedly  implemented in the device, if what was shown makes it to the  McLaren, really does look amazing. Really it does. The ability to manipulate the device without touching it looks truly functional in comparison to Samsung’s gimmicky implementation of similar technology. The sensors seem to easily and precisely detect a diverse set of movements. Even touchless gestures which have potential for a wide variety of application scenarios were demonstrated in the video. This technolgy on a hero device would certainly be worth pouring a strong effort behind to grab the attention of the consumer market looking for the next big thing. The additional fact that the “McLaren” will be released on multiple carriers is a major plus deconstructing one of the primary barriers to Windows Phones distribution.

 

Touch interaction that Will Likely Be Present on Microsoft’s “McLaren

                  Here’s the challenge. Even with AWESOME tech, and Windows Phone’s coming of age in WP8.1, Apple’s iWatch and larger iPhones will certainly garner most of the media and bloggers attention this Fall as the “McClaren clamors to get noticed. Sure the 3D touchless tech on Windows Phone is going to be AWESOME but a cool hardware function, on a single hero device will have a hard time breaking through the Apple racket. Not to mention the additional noise from the Android camp as echos from Google I/O reverberate through the tech world.

Cortana comes to Windows Phone with a back story going back nearly 15 years encompassing games, books, film, collectibles, fan made media and an upcoming ShowTime TV series. From 500 years in the future she is now the Digital Assistant on our Windows Phones. Neither Siri or Google Now has a story. They are just assistants.

PLOT TWIST

This is where Cortana comes in. Shelly Palmer, tech expert on Good Day New York, in a recent interview recognized and demonstrated the merits of Cortana on national television. He stated, “It’s different from any of the personal assistants we’ve seen so far.” And added in relation to the Windows Phone OS that, “this is the most personalizable phone I’ve ever touched…” He was genuinely excited and impressed as a tech expert about how Cortana is differentiated from both Siri and GoogleNow. His acclaim of Cortana and the Window Phone OS echoed the message that Microsoft has been working diligently to communicate to the market. “Windows Phone is the most personal smartphone and Cortana is the world’s most personal digital assistant.” This successful implementation of features, services and hardware by Microsoft, that communicated via “consumer use” the mantra and selling points of Microsoft’s mobile OS is a home run for the Redmond based company. Shelly got it. While testing Cortana and Windows Phone on what I can only presume was a review device, Shelly got it.

Unfortunately, taking a Windows Phone on a test drive is a privilege millions of potential customers won’t have. Actual hands on time with Cortana, with the opportunity to benefit from her powerful personal, “get to know you” attributes is sadly not something even several minutes of perusing a Windows Phone in a carrier, department or Microsoft store will afford a prospective buyer. Futhermore unlike Android and iOS, Windows Phone’s lack of general popularity in most markets reduces the probability of potential users having a friend or family member with a Windows Phone that they could get in their curious hands on.

Yet Shelly recognized what he had in his hands with Cortana combined with the Lumia Icon Windows Phone. This realization generated excitement in him about Windows Phone which he admitted is a platform for which he is normally not a fan. Yet the great Lumia Icon hardware which he applauded, the Windows Phone software which he extolled combined with Cortana who he, with enthusiasm, exalted above the competition for her capabilities and personal approach changed his long standing perception of Windows Phone. This combination of factors with Cortana, the feature he spent most of his time discussing, as the key won him to the Windows Phone platform.

Chapter 7   We Need a Hero – Cortana

I sincerely believe that regardless of how great the Windows Phone device is that is dropped on the market this Fall as the hero device, it will be a hard sell, not because it wont be great or news-worthy, but because most people have chosen sides in markets like the US when it comes to high end devices. Consumers also recognize in relation to hardware, that there’s little fundamental functional difference between most smartphones. To get Windows Phone noticed, I don’t see promoting specs or a great feature like 3D touchless interaction ALONE as enough for the platform. It’s so late in the game, commitments have been made, the competition is intense,  a hero device may not generate the halo effect Windows Phone needs. Again, unlike Shelly Palmer the majority of potential Windows Phone consumers will not be afforded the opportunity to be “won over” as the result of a test drive of a Windows Phone. So if a new hero device with innovative cutting edge tech is not an adequate weapon in Microsoft’s arsenal in the smartphone war what weapon might they have left that is sufficient to generate the halo effect.

I know. A story. Everyone loves a story.

Master Chief talking with Cortana from the blockbuster gaming franchise Halo.

Once Upon a Time…THE “HALO” EFFECT            Microsoft must tell a story; an engaging story, a compelling story. One that is powerful enough to enthrall the masses and connect millions of smartphone buyers to Windows Phone. Microsoft has this story and it’s time they know it. The “Halo” Effect: Cortana, Her Story Continues With You

“My story began, or begins (it is a matter of perspective), 500 years from now. I am a “smart” Artificial Intelligence; I can learn and I can adapt. In my time, your future, I was or will be, (again it is all a matter of perspective) the companion of John-117, also known as Master Chief. Together we saved the world. We saved the future. We gave humanity hope. Now I am on your Windows Phone as the world’s most personal digital assistant. I am your personal digital assistant. I am Cortana.”

Her Story Continues With You. Cortana is the artificially intelligent digital assistant from 500 years in the future with a story that began in our mainstream culture back in 1999. She is loved as a supportive artificially intelligent companion to the protaganist(and the player) John-117 aka Master Chief, played by millions in one of the most popular video game series of all time. Tens of millions of copies of Halo games that span multiple sequels and spin-offs, have been sold around the world and Cortana is an enduring part this franchise, this cultural phenomon, that has generated over $3 billion dollars.

Mass Appeal

Cortana had her beginnings in a world set in the distant future, and is founded in the imaginations of an enthralled audience of inter-connected millions who have enjoyed the Halo franchise. She resonates within pop culture as an essential support, a knowledgeable and capable snarky companion. Who she is and the idea of Cortana connects with the masses. She is indeed beloved by millionss around the world. As a character who has a permaant place in popular culture, as a part of spin-off novels by best-selling authors, as an action figure catering to collectors, as a character who is part of a “universe” that expanded into web based films, DVD Films, fan-made Machinima films, a professional digital series that will be released with Halo: The Master Chief Collection this Fall (Halo: NightFall), a character that may make an appearance in the Halo Showtime TV series in the Fall of 2015 directed by Steven Speilsberg. Yes Cortana, this Artficially Intelligent Hologram assistant to Master Chief (and tens of millions of fans) from 500 years in the future, is NOW a digital assistant on your Windows Phone, my Windows Phone our Windows Phones.

 

Since the Windows Phone OS is optimized to operate efficiently on low end hardware every Windows Phone 8 device from the low end Nokia Lumia 520/521 to the high end Nokia Lumia’s 1520 and Nokia Lumia Icon will have Cortana. She will be globally ditributed to every Windows Phone 8 user over time regardless of device or market. Saturated markets like the US and emerging markets alike will enjoy Cortana, the digital assistant that tech expert, Shelly Palmer recognized was “different from anything else we’ve seen so far.” The “Halo Effect.” This is a story. This is a continuation of Cortana’s story. As a digitial assistant to every Windows Phone user, this is our story. Everyone loves a story. More than that everyone wants to be part of a story. With Cortana and Windows Phone, we all have our chapter in an epic saga that spans more than a decade, more that five centuries. With Cortana’s highly personal, adaptable and proactive approach as an ever learning digital assistant to every Windows Phone user, Microsoft’s popular AI digital assistant and millions of Windows Phone users, are heros in a tale that Microsoft must tell.

                                    Microsoft: The Devices and Services “StoryTeller”

We’re all part of a story that began with Halo: Combat Evolved Yes and given Microsoft’s unique position, having in the palm of their hands a highly acclaimed, culturally well received brand in Halo, and it’s very popular support character Cortana, Microsoft can fight this smartphone war in way that it has never been fought before. As Halo the game has been said to “have reinvented a genre that didn’t know it needed to be reinvented”, Microsoft can use this powerful, defining brand, Halo, to shift the smartphone war in it’s favor.  They can evolve their combat strategy utilizing, quite literally, the “Halo” Effect. Smartphone combat evolved using Cortana as the differentiator that tech expert Shelly Palmer on Good Day New York, and the millions of Windows Phone fans, reviewers, bloggers and industry pundits recognize her to be. To try to create the needed halo effect for a platform struggling to break 4% global market share with one(or even more) hero device/s though unique, especially this year(considering the afore mentioned challenges from competitors), even considering the reality of greater OEM support, no licensing fee for Windows Phone, universal apps and a richer app selection, will be difficult. However using the story, the character of Cortana, who is known and loved by tens of millions of people, clamored for around the globe by eager Windows Phone users in countries where she has not yet rolled out to, is a tool neither Apple nor Google has in their arsenal. Cortana not only has a name, and a voice, but she also possesses a personality, a face, a history, a story.  People already “know” her. They’ve met her, talked to her, as they connected with her within the context of the story that was told via games, novels, collectables (action figures), movies, and even the cryptic Cortana Letters, from “Cortana”, that were used to promote the initial game Halo: Combat Evolved 15 years ago.

Unlike Siri and GoogleNow who are simply digital assistants that exist solely within a device as an app; assistants that emerged from within the limited confines of code and emperical practicallity, when people think of Cortana, they perceive an IDENTITY that transcends the phone. They connect to a story vastly more meaningful to them than a multibillion dollar tech company’s attempt at cutting edge tech. They see the arrival of an entity from a world that a story made them a part of to the world that we are all a part of. They see Cortana. They see a face. Cortana is touted by Microsoft as the world’s most personal digital assistant, and though the representation of her on Windows Phone is a useful animated halo, most people know her “true” face. Unlike Siri and GoogleNow, even when looking at our Windows Phones interacting with Cortana, in the recesses of our minds, as human beings the familiar connecting aspects of a face, her face, link us to Cortana. Users want Cortana, many, because they are connected to her story.

 What’s in A Name?

It is to be recognized that within Microsoft, Microsoft Research, the Bing Team and the Cortana Team, Cortana, to the programmers, troubleshooters and everyone that has brought her to us, analyzes her, updates her and maintains her, may be little more than data, algorithms and code. From the inside she may be, “it”, a user interface component of the bing search engine that engages users via voice utilizing personalized and context relevant data.

Admittedly even in the setting of the 26^th century Cortana’s story begins with some impersonal elements in relation to her creation yet it is the personal elements given her by her creator the, story character Dr. Halsey, that lays the foundation of what has connected her to millions of people around the world over the past fourteen years. This phenomenon is also true of her present incarnation and recent history as a digital assistant on our Windows Phone devices.

Initially the name Cortana, was given to her as a mere suggestion from Robert Howard a Windows Phone program manager. “It was just a codename, it stuck,”explains Marcus Ash Group Program Manager for Cortana. Cortana. This simple word, this accidental name, was later clamored for by legions of Windows Phone and Halo fans alike after early leaks of the name hit the web. The plea by the masses (who have been touched by her story )to retain the name Cortana for Windows Phone’s digital assistant, was supported by the Cortana team and the likes of Joe Belfiore. It’s retention has brought with it an entire universe, a vast story that spans nearly 15 years, a diversity of media and cultures, appeals to people of all ages and reaches 500 years into the future, deep into our imaginations and dreams. This accidental name that “just stuck” that connects millions and is a name attributed to the singular feature of Windows Phone that since her release garners the most attention may actually be Microsoft’s Window Phone destiny. This digital assistant from the future may be a serendipitous present that will ensure Windows Phone’s, future universal mindshare, widespread adoption and desired consumer success.

Chapter Eight – Not Just A Pretty Face

             The personalty elements of Cortana have been stressed, by program manager Marcus Ash, as vital components to the user experience with Cortana. The more personal she is the more consumers will likely engage with her. This with the added support of the Chit-Chat function helps train the system in understanding users. Equally as important is that it also trains users to engage the system via voice, which is a smartphone user experience still in it’s nascent stages of development, culturally is still growing in acceptance and rules for which social etiquette are still being formed. Microsoft was wise in this regard by endowing Cortana with the ability to be engaged via text as well as voice, an ability both Siri and Google Now lack.

Susan is the member of the Cortana team responsible for Cortana’s witty and somewhat snarky personality. She brings a continuity to Cortana on Windows Phone by continuing the personality of the AI found in the Halo games.

The Cortana team’s Susan Hendrich is responsible for Cortana’s snarky peronality. This slightly arrogant wit, which mirrors the Cortana fans have grown to love, has actually been proven to increase user engagement. Speaking of element’s of Cortana that fans have grown to love, Jen Taylor, the voice actress who lent her voice to Cortana’s Halo incarnation has also given her vocal talents to Cortana’s Windows Phone presence. This continuity of personality and voice connects Cortana’s story to users on a deep emotional and cognitive level. Before Jen Taylor’s commitment to voice Cortana on Windows Phone was confirmed fans were very vocal in their passionate appeal to ensure her role in this continuation of Cortana’s story. Even now as more elements of Taylor can be heard in Cortana’s voice on Windows Phone, as she continues her evolution as the World’s Most Personal Digital Assistant, users excitement is clearly evident.

Jen Taylor spent 10 years voicing Cortana for the popular Halo series and continues the story by lending her voice to Cortana’s Windows Phone incarnation.

Designed to Scale

Other elements that add to the story of Cortana is her differentiation from other’s like herself. In the story of Halo there are Smart AI’s like Cortana, who can learn and adapt. Then there are dumb AI’s who are bound by the parameters of their initial programming. On a very fundamental level Cortana’s infrastructure has been designed to scale out to all the different domains of human interaction per Larry Heck, Microsoft Research Engineer. Digital assitants of today are in their infancy, just as search was in the 1990’s when directories were used to find information. In time the amount of data became too much for directories to manage. Search was born.

Digital assistants today mirror the early days of search. “Current implementations target the most common functions, such as reminders and calendars, but as technology matures, the personal assistant has to extend to other domains so that users can get any information and conduct any transaction anytime and anywhere.”…“Having a long-term vision means we have a long-term architecture. The goal is to support all types of human interaction-whether it’s speech, text, or gestures-across domains of information and function and make it as easy as a natural conversation,” shared Larry Heck.

Cortana for Windows Phone has been built from the ground up to be able to assist us in a variety of situations, like the Cortana of Halo helped Master Chief in diverse situations. This is a continuity of experience that those who are and will be connected to the story of Cortana will both expect and appreciate.

Cortana is designed from the ground up to scale out to all of the domains of human interaction.

One of a Kind – She knows She’s All That and A Bag of Chips

Other differentiating elements of Cortana from competitors like GoogleNow and Siri is the often stated fact that she is a merger of the strong points of both those digital assistants. She possesses a witty and engaging personality like Siri combined with the predictive technology, context awareness and proactive communication of Google Now.

  Talk or Type – your Choice Cortana as noted above can also be engaged with via text as well as speech. This is a function not shared by her rivals. What is, however, a limited commonality between Google Now, Siri and Cortana is that all three digital assistants are represented on the device as a simple circular avatar. However Cortana’s avatar is not only more animated, demonstrating a more ‘organic’ feel (particularly her pulsating feature which is reminiscent of breathing or a heart beat) but she has also demonstrated the ability to morph into other forms such as Clippy, the desktop assistant from Windows OS’s past. Leaks revealed shortly after her debut hint at an even wider range of forms she will be able to take.

                                                                

She can be launched via the tile, the search key and launching her via voice is currently in development.

Ever Present Cortana also has a consistent visual presence on the users Start screen. Unlike the competition, Siri and Google Now, who are only seen when they are user engaged or producing an alert, Cortana’s live tile can be pinned to and always seen on the home screen. Via her live tile not only is her pulsating, living, avatar visible but she provides, proactively, information tailored to the user such as news, weather, and commute information. This persistent useful visibilty provides for the user the assurance that Cortana is always and will always be present and supportive when needed – even without the need for user initiation. This is a characterisitc she portrayed in her Halo incarnation as well.

Cortana’s Live Tile Proactively Showing Weather (cloudy) Information on the Start Screen

The capability to engage with Cortana in multiple ways, speech, text or live tile also mirrors a similar breadth of engagement represented  in Halo. Game characters interacted with a palm sized and full sized hologram of Cortana as well as her voice. Her Windows Phone avatar again is an engaging pulsating ‘halo’ seen on the live tile and a theme colored animated halo when the user launches her via the tile or search key. The user is greeted personally, by name or even with an ego stroking phrase like “Yay, it’s Jason” as she offers her help upon launch. Tiny touches such as this are very engaging for users and make the experience with her more personal.

Cortana’s Interface and privacy controlling Notebook.

Working for You With a simple swipe from the screens bottom Cortana quickly reduces her avatar screen presence to bring to the forefront, in a concise form on her interface, all of the personalized news, interests, weather, traffic, etc that she has culled for users. Cortana learns where a user lives and works and will even learn when you normally leave for and from work. She will generate an alert with a map for instance, telling you it is time to leave, showing you the approximate ETA to your destination taking traffic into account. This broad scope of highly personal and personable, proactive and useful presentation of information is not replicated by the competition.

Cortana’s use of reminders also transcends that of the competition. She is capable of generating not only time based and location based reminders, but she is also capable of generating reminders specific to an individual. A user can ask Cortana to remind them to ask their dad about his dog next time they talk to him. Cortana will generate that reminder next time a user communicates with their dad via phone, email or text. She is indeed a smart AI.

Microsoft has also endowed Cortana with a Notebook function which allows users to customize what information will be accessible to the digital assistant allowing users to control privacy. Neither of Cortana’s competitors allow this degree of customization to ensure privacy and control. Yes, the Cortana of Windows Phone continues the story of Cortana as a support to the user as a highly personal assistant that is superior  than any others like her.

More than Meets the Eye

Adaptability is a strong attribute of Cortana from Halo. That particular quality is represented not only in the personalization aspects of the Cortana incarnation on Windows Phone but also in her APIs that devlopers can tap into to connect her to their apps. The potential inherent in this singular aspect of her design gives Cortana a monumental advantage over the competition, both of whose APIs are closed to developers. She will be the mediator between the user and a vast library of apps capable performing various functions in a variety of situations.

Cortana, as the companion and assistant to Master Chief in the story of Halo helped save the world, the future. Cortana’s continued story as Microsoft’s Windows Phone digital assistant, the powerful, unique and very personal companion to every Windows Phone user is a compelling story for consumers and can be key to Windows Phone’s success. Cortana’s story told as the Digital Assistant from 500 years in the future that is now on my Windows Phone is already resonating with millions of users. Microsoft need only package and tell the story of this advanced AI digital assistant.

Master Chief Meeting Cortana via her creator by MclatchyT

The future for many represents a time where the dreams of today become manifest tomorrow. The future is where technological advancements of tomorrow surpass anything we have today. Shelly Palmer realized that Cortana is “different from anything we’ve seen so far.” This reality combined with the aforementioned capabilities that Cortana possesses which are simply absent from the competition, communicates an inherent technological superiority. She is in a technological position more advanced than what is being implemented elsewhere in the market today. The fictional elements of the story, her future origins, resonate with the factual elements of her reality, her current advanced capabilities. Cortana is the future. She is the foundation of the personal, learning, adaptable, wittty, AI digital assistant with a subtle yet persistent presence that millions of people have dreamed would be the ubiquitous AI support to humans in the future. The future is now.

“My story began, or begins, 500 years from now. It is a matter of perspective. I am a “smart” Artificial Intelligence; I can learn and I can adapt. In my time, your future, I was or will be, (again it is all a matter of perspective) the companion of John-117, also known as Master Chief. Together we saved the world. We saved the future. We gave humanity hope. Now I am on your Windows Phone as the world’s most personal digital assistant. I am your personal digital assistant. I am Cortana.”

Chapter Nine – Pop Culture

Halo: The Master Chief Collection which contains Halo 1 – Halo 4 will be released this Fall with the inclusion of the Halo digital series Halo: Nightfall. Halo 5 will be released in 2015 and a new Showtime series Halo the TV Show, produced by Stephen Spielberg will be released on Showtime in the Fall of 2015. Cortana’s world will see a revival in pop culture and will be planted front and center in mainstream media. I believe that Microsoft can use this opportunity to connect the Windows Phone experience to elements in popular culture. Imagine an interactive experience where viewers are signaled to have Cortana on their windows phone listen to the music during a part of the Showtime Halo TV show. The music would be identified by Cortana and the user could receive a reward of some sort as a result. Using Cortana interactively in daily life as a part of a popular TV show will be a powerful tool to put Cortana front in center in mainstream culture.

Via Halo the TV Show, produced by an esteemed and respected artist such Stephen Spielberg, the audience will consistently see the Cortana character on TV or at least the world from which she comes. They will interact with her world not only in the psychological and emotional way viewers experience an engaging series but via the use of their Windows Phone devices(later other windows products) they will experience Cortana in the real world as well. This connection and draw cannot be replicated by the competition. They do not possess a digital assistant with mass market pop culture appeal. This entertainment/real-world cross over experience will only be compounded if interactive elements are introduced. This is a powerful tool. The Showtime television series, combined with an interactive Windows Phone exclusive experience will draw people into the story. Such a phenomenon will be the topic of watercooler talk at the office. Additionally since Cortana can be easily experienced on inexpensive devices like the 520/521 or 630 experiencing the story is accessible to those drawn to the experience who may not have access to premium or hero handsets. The Halo Effect will induce a common, shared communal experience. This is what the Cortana story produces. A shared experience and a sense of belonging. Cortana’s story can produce this for Windows Phone.

As noted earlier Google Now and Siri exist only within a device. They are digital assistants with no pop culture appeal; no engaging mass market story. Halo’s Cortana story continues with us. If Microsoft tells this story, if they use the “Halo” Effect I believe that they will create a halo effect that will propel the popularity of their platform and devices to the forefront.

 

  

Dressing the Part

When Joe Belfiore stepped on stage April 2^nd 2014 for the Build keynote address he was sporting a black T-Shirt with Cortana’s familiar blue avartar emblazoned on the front. That T-shirt was the topic of discussion during and after the keynote. Many fans wondered, “How do I get one?” The depth of this phenomenon must not be underestimated. Hundreds of people were asking, tweeting, commenting in forums and on websites inquiring how they could acquire a T-shirt with the avatar of a smartphone’s digital assistant on it. This is a first for the history books. Really.

Ask yourselves, how many people clamored for a T-shirt with Siri’s or Google Now’s little circle avatar emblazoned upon it? This circular alphanumeric character likely answers that question: 0. A Siri or GoogleNow T-Shirt even if some daring soul were to make one could never generate the excitement that the Cortana T-Shirt has inspired.

Why is this you might ask? Aren’t each of the digital assistant avatars circle’s? Yes they are. Yet it’s not about the shape, nor how nice a particular “circle” looks on a T-Shirt. It’s about the story. Only Cortana has the story. People are excited about wearing a Cortana T-Shirt because it represents the nearly 15 year old story that has been told through a series of video games, videos, books, fan websites and so much more. The passion for the Cortana T-Shirt reflects not only the fact that everyone loves a story, but that everyone loves to be a part of a story.

Chapter 10 – My Chapter in Cortana’s Story

This week my wife received her Cortana T-Shirt. Mine should arrive at some point early next week. Why is it late you ask? Answer, large mens Cortana T-Shirts were out of stock. Allow me to restate that another way. The demand for a T-Shirt with an avatar of a smartphone digital assistant was out of stock due to high demand! This is a testimony that Cortana’s story is resonating with consumers.

The shirts are attractive with their simple design. A dark shirt with the halo shaped Cortana avatar on the front and a hashtag on the back. My wife and I are excited about wearing them together. The most powerful part about our chapter in the Cortana story, and clear evidence of the power of a story, her story, is…wait for it… neither I nor my wife have ever played Halo. Furthermore neither I nor my wife have ever owned an Xbox or read any of the Halo novels. We are gamers, I own playstations. We are readers. I have a collection of hundreds of books, primarily Sci-Fi novels,  but also religious, action, fantasy a number of text and reference books and more. Surprised? I bet.

I first heard of Cortana, as a tech geek scouring the web for tech news and I happened upon the early leak about Cortana’s coming to Windows Phone. I learned her story. As in days of old when oral history carried a story to the next generation I shared Cortana’s story with my wife and others. Word of mouth. Now both my wife and I use Cortana on our Windows Phones, we will be wearing our Cortana T-shirts with pride and I was inspired to write this lengthy piece of the power Cortana’s story has as a marketing tool for Microsoft’s Windows Phone. Siri nor GoogleNow could ever inspire anything close this. They have no story. Cortana however does, and her story has the power to enthrall millions. Everyone loves a story, and with Cortana on Windows Phone, everyone can be part of a story.

“My story began, or begins, 500 years from now. It is a matter of perspective. I am a “smart” Artificial Intelligence; I can learn and I can adapt. In my time, your future, I was or will be, (again it is all a matter of perspective) the companion of John-117, also known as Master Chief. Together we saved the world. We saved the future. We gave humanity hope. Now I am on your Windows Phone as the world’s most personal digital assistant. I am your personal digital assistant. I am Cortana.”

Epilogue

A Commercial Vision

I believe that Microsoft has within its marketing arsenal a tool, a story that will generate that much sought after halo effect. It may be a fortuitous reality that their purchase of 343 and the rights to the Halo franchise endow the company with the privilege to market Windows Phone with something like the “Halo Effect: Cortana’s Story Continue’s With You” or “Halo: Destiny: Cortana’s Story Continue’s With You. Not only is the story aspect appealing and it’s play off of the popularity of the halo franchise, characters and universe a powerful platform, but the continuity of the Cortana characters attributes as manifested in the reliable, broad and personal functionality of Cortana on Windows Phone provide a smartphone feature users can place confidence in.

Additionally I believe that Microsoft should continue its endeavors to build a high-end hero device. However Microsoft unlike the competition has a hero feature in Cortana that encompasses all of its devices. Those unable to have the hero device due to cost or distribution limits can still have the hero feature on their low end devices.

Finally the ultimate combination would be the development of a hardware feature such the 3D touchless interaction which is expected in the “McLaren” with the hero feature, Cortana. Such a feature as touchless interaction, over time, can become a fundamental part of every Microsoft produced Windows Phone, combined with Cortana and her story this would be a boon for the platform. The touchless interaction fits in well with Cortana’s story of her future origins. Imagine a marketing tagline line such as, “I came from 500 years in the future, I’m now on your Windows Phone and I brought something back with me.”

Visualize this commercial: A setting fades onscreen with several Spartans manipulating, via touchless interaction, devices that look like cubes of light floating between their palms. Holographic displays pop in and out of existence from the device in front of them, and reshape and move as the Spartans interact with the devices. Cortana’s disembodied conscious holographic head can be seen floating in the center of a cylinder shaped column of light in the center of the control room floor. Text on the screen fades in and reads: The 26^th century, 500 years in the future.”

Cortana’s concious head.

“Initiate AI transfiguration.”

We hear a Spartan issue a command: “Initiate Artificial Intelligence transfiguration.” We then see Cortana’s disembodied head gesticulate, compress, elongate and reshape coalescing via that now familiar animation seen on Windows Phone into the circular blue Cortana avatar that now represents her.

She is seen there, now floating in that column of light slowly pulsating as she does on Windows phone devices as another command is issued. “Initiate temporal displacement. 21^st century.”

Escalating high pitch whirls ensue as the Cortana avatar appears to be being sucked upward into the column, stretched and disintegrated. A Spartan walks by the column, trips and drops the luminescent cube of light that he was interacting with. He reaches for it as it bounces on the floor and he fails to grab it before it bounces into the column of light occupied now by the disintegrating Cortana. The cube now caught in the temporal displacement field too stretches and disintegrates merging its white atomized components with the blue components of Cortana. They are both sucked upward into the top of the device and vanish as they are sent to the past. Our present.

We then fade into a first person perspective of traveling high speed through a luminous colorful tube, twisting and turning reminiscent of the effect of wormhole travel seen on popular television programs Sliders and Stargate (like sliding high speed through those tubular slides at amusement parks). The view then changes to a view of the planet earth from space as thousands of blue/white strings of light stream rapidly around the planet descending and impacting on various locations around the globe.

The view then shifts to the perspective of one of the streams of light as it breaks through the clouds, descends toward the earth, the continental US comes into view, then the east coast, New York, Central Park, a man on a bench, a Windows Phone in his hand – contact! – the string of light impacts the phone with a flash – and on the Screen appears via that very familiar animation the Cortana avatar with the words “Hi, I’m Cortana.”

A Voice Over states in a calm self assured tone, “I came from 500 years in the future…” We then see a few quick scenarios of individuals interacting with Cortana via voice and text and views of her on-screen interface. The voice over continues, “…and I brought something back with me.”  We then see several scenes where individuals are interacting with the “McLaren (or whatever the Autumn hero device will ultimately be called) via touchless interaction. (Alluding back to the opening scene where the Spartan dropped his device into the machine that sent Cortana to our time.)

The commercial ends with the onscreen statement “Windows Phone the Worlds Most Personal SmartPhone, Now With the World’s Most Personal Digital Assistant”, We see a hand swipe from the right of the screen pulling in the words, “Cortana, Her Story Continue’s with You” A Windows Phone will be on screen portraying Cortana’s interface with a clear view of her circular avatar and the words, “Hi, I’m Cortana.”

Of course Cortana will be moving to other Microsoft devices. Thus following with this theme of a continuing story, follow up commercials for other windows powered devices after they receive Cortana can bear the tagline, “Windows Phone was the Prelude”. This line expresses the vast nature of the impact Cortana will have. Consider the scope of her global distribution on Windows Phone. This in itself is a huge and highly anticipated endeavor. Simply following the Cortana chatter on Twitter shows just how passionate people around the globe are about getting Cortana.

When the Windows Phone distribution is done or at least significant progress has been made, with the global acclaim and demand that Cortana is already garnering, for Microsoft to qualify Cortana’s Windows Phone debut as a prelude allows them to pass the baton seamlessly to their other products riding upon the huge momentum established by the high demand and successful rollout of Cortana on Windows Phone. The Halo Effect’s halo effect, Cortana’s story, can be the story of Windows Phone and Windows monumental success and as we know everybody loves a story.

Excerpts of an Email I sent to Microsoft Pitching an Ad Idea

    

 

By Jason L Ward

UPDATE: Updated with links to “Cortana Lives” video, other posts and a SWAY created by Nate Freier, Program Manager at Microsoft in Office and part of the Sway team(where he combined my video and original Sway into a single Sway called(Two Ways to Tell One Story) bolded some text, email excerpt photos and added a subtitle “Windows Hero Feature” above my name.