Microsoft Siri rival Cortana details "leaked"

Digital brain

A video purporting to show details of Microsoft's rumoured Siri rival Cortana has leaked onto the internet, just one day after photos and screenshots showing its user interface emerged.

The video, from Yash Maheshwari, editor of UnleashThePhones, appears to show the initial setup process for Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1.

Cortana, which is apparently named after the artificial intelligence featured in the Microsoft Halo series of games, first introduces herself, claiming she "can help make life a bit easier for you".

The user is then asked to sign in with a Microsoft Account, with Cortana explaining she cannot do anything for them until they do.

They are then asked to enter a name for themselves, and then choose their interests and opinions from a set of multiple choice menus. Once this process is finished, she will make suggestions based on those answers in addition to location data.

What is distinctly missing from the video, which does include sound, is Cortana's voice.

While there is yet to be any leak of this, it is widely speculated Jen Taylor, the voice actor for Cortana in the Halo series, will reprise the role.

Images of the Windows 8.1 interface first emerged in June 2013, when a Reddit user got their hands on a phone lost by a Microsoft employee. While an app called zCortana was listed, it was not until September that any details of the service really started to emerge.

It is expected the technology will be officially revealed at Microsoft's Build conference, which will take place from 2-4 April 2014 in San Francisco.

Jane McCallion
Deputy Editor

Jane McCallion is ITPro's deputy editor, specializing in cloud computing, cyber security, data centers and enterprise IT infrastructure. Before becoming Deputy Editor, she held the role of Features Editor, managing a pool of freelance and internal writers, while continuing to specialise in enterprise IT infrastructure, and business strategy.

Prior to joining ITPro, Jane was a freelance business journalist writing as both Jane McCallion and Jane Bordenave for titles such as European CEO, World Finance, and Business Excellence Magazine.