Does anyone use Cortana or find it useful?

As with anything new, if I haven't had it or needed it in my past, I struggle to find uses for it in the present. I guess that's why I still don't have a smart phone, Googe glasses, an iWatch, or any of that stuff. I only just recently got an HDTV and BluRay player.

So along come Windows 10 (thanks for the free upgrade) and this Cortana thing. I have yet to find a reason to use it, so I was wondering if it's just me, or if other people are finding it useful.

No. In fact, I have as much of it disabled as I can possibly figure out. I don't like how much data it gives to Microsoft....

I love it. She ties together my phone, computer and tablet; keeps track of all my appointments, reminds me when i have to leave to get somewhere, traffic updates, etc. Shows on my computer or tablet when I have missed calls on my phone. I'm always asking for her to remind me of stuff - reminders can be time, location and people triggered. Yes, there are a lot of data being sent to MS to use Cortana, but...it's not kept on MS servers, it's only executed there. That's the biggest difference between Cortana and Google Now (and why I like it) - Google collects and keeps all your data on their servers. Cortana only sends what's needed for what it's doing and then sends results back to your phone/computer etc. I'm sure they keep stats on how you and others are using Cortana, but your personal info doesn't stay there.

How else do some of you use it? With out being at a keyboard or mouse I can ask her to play music, change tracks, call a friend, open a presentation. If all you do is check email and play games at your computer then she probably isn't very useful to you. I think you'll find in the near future that there will be a lot more connected devices around your house that you can control via you voice through Cortana.

As you can tell, I've had a lot of fun using it and I use it in my work and personal life. My experience has been very positive.

I've used it a little bit. The problem is I upgraded my super old laptop so the speaker is terrible so the voice recognition is off. Also my speakers just recently decided to stop working all together... I think the concept is awesome and I've tried on some friends' computers and it works really well... Windows 10 just doesn't play well with my computer. Biding my time for a new laptop.

I have Cortana, too, but I don't use it. I can't comment further, as I am ignoring you in another thread.......



(tongue planted firmly in cheek....)
Phil L.

Use it every day. Been using it on my Windows phone since the preview was released and throughout the win10 preview. I find it helpful. Reminders, finding things, etc, are helpful. On the phone I love the reminders to pick things up when I go to a particular store. When I get near the store a few days later, she pops up and says "Don't forget....." It's still in it's infancy; but I do believe it's going to continue to grow and do better things as a personal assistant on the computer.

blackbrandt said:

No. In fact, I have as much of it disabled as I can possibly figure out. I don't like how much data it gives to Microsoft....

Click to expand...

Exactly... turned that off ASAP. It records everything you say to the cloud.

In the past I have never found much use for these "personal assistants" except for as a shortcut to see the weather, and neither do I see the point in voice actions. I got Windows 10 several months ago and Cortana has not proven to be any different.

First thing she told me to do, was ignore you....

Arh arh!

I don't even have a microphone, so no voice commands for me. Sounds like for someone like me who only has a desktop and no devices and uses it to do Internet and games (and OpenRocket), not very useful. Thanks.

I stumbled across this thread when I was trying to find stats on how many use Cortana (or Siri or ..)

Surprisingly, (or not) not too many use these assistants. Siri is on top, but many don't use the systems, especially voice activated. Most use them on their phones, and use them to get driving directions more than anything. A few use them to set reminders.. but the overall use is only about 30%. Not many seem to need the feature on a PC, or find (Cortana) rather useless as it goes to Bing anyways.. "Why do I need another method to access the internet?"

And, I was looking as I also don't see the need, and really do wonder why M$ is going the route they are. I've been thinking of the various ways to ask this:
"When did Windows stop being an operating system, and become this 'thing' I 'need' to help run and organize my life?!" This is probably my single biggest gripe with Windows 10 (And bad driver issues!!)

For a lot of the smarts M$ apparently possess, and how 'smart' their software is supposed to be, I'm quite surprised the installation process doesn't 1) run a systems check to see what is currently installed; devices, add-ons, etc.. and 2) not ask you to run thru a check-list to know what you really want / need / desire, and then turn on (or off) the features & 'apps' you want / need / require / etc.. and install itself accordingly.. (but I guess doing so would negate a lot of their energies in creating these little 'nifty' featurettes!!)

I use Siri a lot, but that's probably because I have a long daily commute. I agree that it is worthless in my Mac. My 12 year old daughter uses Siri all the time on her iPod. I assume that this is one of those tech things that our kids will master while all of us geezers scoff.

P.S. I agree completely with all of your gripes about Microsoft; that's why I let Apple run my life.

The only two use-cases for Voice for me: ask The Internet a question; and set an alarm.

BDB said:

that's why I let Apple run my life.

Click to expand...

lol out of the frying pan into the oven comes to mind. Okay maybe not quite the case, but both companies don't play nice these days and are becoming more intrusive as they gain share. Don't get me wrong I make a living on MS products and user Apple personally, more a rant than anything.

I have come to the conclusion that as grass roots and anti-establishment as these companies may start off as, their own success defines their ultimate destination. They ultimately turn into every other boardroom shareholder bottom-line driven self-serving company that their founders despised, and was the foundation for their success.

A bit ironic.

^^^ This.

I don't use it, I don't use Google Now either. I have a android device. By the way you can turn off and customize what data Google collects. I don't know if you can do that with Microsoft and I know you can't with Apple. I find Google more useful and if they finally design a PC OS that is competitive, (Not chrome OS ) I will switch to that in a heartbeat.

mpitfield said:

A bit ironic.

Click to expand...

I completely agree. Apple is the new Microsoft: a corporate behemoth that is more interested in protecting their brand and squashing competition than innovation.

Just watch....the stock price of the "biggest company in the world" is going to stagnate just like Microsoft's around 2000. I predict that Google will eclipse them because they are still innovating (e.g. autonomous vehicles), but their stock price will eventually fizzle too.

Deleted

Use it all the time. I like cortana. Maybe the odd ball out, but it's great for what I do.

I prefer Clippy.

I learned not to become too co-dependent on the whole electronics" thing altogether. No smart phone, no apps, don't drag my phone around with me everywhere I go. I just don't 'need' this stuff (including Cortana) in my life and have no regrets. I have the power over this Mechagodzilla technology, not the other way around.

I imagine Google Now (and its various other incarnations, like Google Assistant and so on) dominates the voice search use market by an extremely large margin. This would be due to the >80% market share by units shipped that Android has over iOS. In the US Android market share is lower, about two thirds of units shipped.



I use Google Now all the time. I've set it to listen for OK Google whenever I'm in the car or whenever the phone is plugged in or screen is on. I use it to voice dictate texts in urgent situations if I can't pull over, I ask it questions from the dinner table when the phone across the room, and so on.

I also have a (work) iPhone... to me Siri is useless because her voice recognition works poorly for me (or for my wife who has an iPhone). I've never tried Cortana... if I'm sitting at a computer with Windows on it, I'll just type what I want to find into Google search or DuckDuckGo. Bing? Not likely.

Marc

[h=1]Woman Who Shares Name With ‘Alexa’ And ‘Siri’ Says Life Is ‘Waking Nightmare’[/h]
[url]https://www.fark.com/goto/9516437/www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alexa-seary-siri-waking-nightmare_us_58c80b02e4b081a56def9415%3Futm_sou


[/URL]

I'm going to assume the do you use it question also allows for answering in the negative on usage.
I have no opinion on usefulness, not enough experience.
In October my parents (at 76 years old) bought me a new PC with Windows 10 after my old Vista box died in September. With my health and income I would have no computer without them. I have no mobile devices for those same health and income reasons.
I don't have this thing set up for voice activation and that for both health and security reasons.
Have messed around with Cortana a couple times.
At the moment I'm not certain what it was for but pulling it up just now the documents icon has the feeling that a document search what it was.
Since I have no ill will toward Cortana I guess it worked okay.
Haven't used it since.

And, admittedly, that is a bit of a put off;

XolveJohn said:

[h=1]Woman Who Shares Name With ‘Alexa’ And ‘Siri’ Says Life Is ‘Waking Nightmare’[/h]
[url]https://www.fark.com/goto/9516437/www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alexa-seary-siri-waking-nightmare_us_58c80b02e4b081a56def9415%3Futm_sou[/URL]

Click to expand...

Which brings to mind;

News anchor sets off Alexa devices around San Diego ordering unwanted dollhouses
January 5, 2017 4:54 PM
Carlos Correa

Click to expand...

https://www.cw6sandiego.com/news-an...round-san-diego-ordering-unwanted-dollhouses/

And;

Google's Home TV ad makes Google Home systems go crazy
Chris Woodyard
Monday, 6 Feb 2017 | 2:19 AM ET

Click to expand...

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/06/googles-home-tv-ad-makes-google-home-systems-go-crazy.html