Windows 9 To Feature Cortana [REPORT]

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Windows 9 will sort of be like Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s apology for the train wreck that was the desktop version of Windows 8. If the company really does include its Cortana digital assistant in the operating system, it could go a long way toward convincing users that Microsoft still has it.

Will Cortana be in Windows 9?

Microsoft has Cortana up and running inside Windows 9, a.k.a. Windows Threshold, Neowin.net reports. The website now says that Microsoft has moved Cortana from the initial testing stage into a later stage in which the company is trying to get it read to ship as part of Windows 9 next year.

Of course it is still possible that Microsoft will cut Cortana from the new version of the operating system, but if the site’s report is true, then it seems more likely than not that Windows 9 will have the digital assistant integrated right into it.

How Cortana might work in Windows 9

Currently Cortana is an app that just opens the personal assistant that allows users to type in a question or otherwise just ask it verbally. Neowin.net says that at this stage, it is not a “full screen experience” the way it is on Windows Phone. It still reportedly looks similar to how it looks on Windows Phone, although it takes up about a quarter of the display. Cortana is circular, located in the center and sporting an animation.

Microsoft is said to be planning to integrate the digital assistant right into the Windows 9 operating system just like it is in the Windows 9 OS. However, the website says integration may still be a bit further off, although there may be a slim chance that it will be integrated right in the desktop OS.

The company has pledged to update Cortana twice a month or more. This means if Windows 9 does have the digital assistant, then it should be significantly more improved than it is in Windows Phone right now.

Windows 9 preview coming soon?

Neowin.net also reports that Microsoft is making a lot of progress in making Windows 9 Threshold more and more stable. Of course the company is not expected to release it this year, but the website suggests that there may be a preview release by the end of this year.

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