Microsoft has always had high ambitions for itself with users. Never content to simply be a productivity powerhouse, the company experimented with music, reading, and even smartwatches before finding success with the Xbox. The company has never hesitated to put Windows at the center of everything it does. Windows 10, the operating system upgrade that the company began giving away free to Windows 8 and Windows 7 users last year, is its latest attempt to deliver a compatible experience across a wide range of devices. The Cortana personal assistant is part of that push.
Cortana is one of the two main things that connects Windows 10 phones, tablets, desktops, laptops and other devices. Users can ask the personal assistant to add new appointments to their calendar, get the latest weather and search news from any device running Windows 10. He also has a personality of his own, giving arrogant but interesting answers to questions users ask via voice command or text. It’s also able to control certain settings, making it an excellent competitor to Apple’s Siri personal assistant. It’s similar to Google Assistant, with real-time data collection to make life easier. It will remind you to go to your appointments based on real traffic conditions.
No longer good with hoping users get smartphones running Windows, the company has expanded Cortana to iPhone and Android devices as well.
Here are 10 Cortana tips for getting the most out of Microsoft’s personal assistant.
Hey Cortana open Command
The first thing you need to do when installing Cortana is to configure the Hey Cortana command. Typing questions or pressing the microphone button isn’t a chore, it’s just that voice commands from the other end of a room are more convenient.
Click or tap the Cortana search field on the taskbar. Now tap or click the cog in the lower left corner. There should be an option that allows Cortana to listen and respond to voice commands. Only use this feature if you are comfortable with having your device’s microphone always on. This feature may be in Cortana’s Notepad on devices that haven’t yet installed the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
Add Your Name
Make Cortana more personal by adding your name in this section. If you also include your work address, home address and favorite places, it will also give you directions to those places. It’s great to list your favorite places so you can leave yourself a location reminder without having to provide an exact street address.
Track Packages
If you’ve given Cortana permission to track your email account, it automatically adds shipping information for items you order online. For packages that don’t show up there automatically, you can manually enter the tracking information from the Notepad below.
Packet tracking syncs across different versions of Cortana; This means that Cortana is a cross-platform packet tracker as well as being a great personal assistant app.
Add News Topics
Cortana’s foundation provides news and information. It uses your location to bring you the latest news specific to your region. In addition, you can add specific topics for Cortana to watch. You will receive alerts on important topics and news cards featuring local events, national news and other interests you have specified.
Open Notebook and tap or click on it
Get Low Battery Alerts on Android and Windows
Sometimes you’re in another room and don’t realize you’re missing text messages and alerts from your apps. Maybe you don’t even know that your phone is turned off.
Install Cortana app on Android and you can get real-time alerts for all this.
Follow Your Favorite Sports Teams
Missed a game because of work or a previous engagement? Tell Cortana what your favorite teams are up to and have it track scores for you in real time. It will follow you about the score of each game and more. Set your preferences in Notebook below.
Send Email and Text Messages with Cortana
Paired with Cortana on Android or Windows mobile, Cortana can send text messages. Ask them to send a text message to a specific contact in your address book and have the companion app installed on your phone. Cortana can also email users in your address book on her own. Just ask him to send an email and he will guide you through the rest of the process.
Define Music
Ask Cortana, “What song is this?” ask. to enable it to find the track you are currently listening to from another device. You can also tap or click the musical notes in the upper right corner of the window for the same action.
Connect to Office 365
Microsoft’s Office 365 service is growing rapidly. Millions of businesses large and small use the service to give their employees access to Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote and OneDrive for Business. It’s always a good idea to separate your business information and personal information.
The problem is, Cortana can only remind you of appointments and events when you are connected to the account where these events are happening. As such, he has a lot of personal information, but probably no access to what’s going on in your work calendar and email. Microsoft recently fixed this issue by allowing Cortana to access Office 365 accounts directly. This means it can also look at your business calendar for events.
You can add your Office 365 account from the Notepad area under Note that there is also support for Linkedin, Xbox Live, Uber and Microsoft Health.
Get Coupons and Shopping Alerts
Cortana is deeply integrated into parts of Windows 10. If you’re working on a Windows 10 PC, Microsoft Edge will pop up in the web browser and offer you discounts on shopping sites and more. You can right-click any text you see in the browser to get more information from Cortana, too.
Must Be Mobile This Cortana will continue to add to the list of tips as it has been developed and improved by Microsoft.