Microsoft"s digital assistant, Cortana, put in a great performance this past summer, with a near-perfect record in predicting the winners of matches in the FIFA World Cup. The company will no doubt be aiming for a flawless record this time around, with new updates to Cortana - and to the Bing prediction engine that powers her.
With the new football season starting tomorrow in the US, Microsoft announced today that Cortana is now predicting the outcomes of NFL match-ups.
Simply ask Cortana a question like "Who will win: the Seahawks or the Packers?" and after a moment of consulting her crystal ball, you"ll get her prediction (go Seahawks!). Since Cortana is exclusive to Windows Phone 8.1, only those users whose handsets have received that update will be able to witness her oracle-like predictions - but if you"re still waiting to get 8.1, you can also check out who is expected to win on the web via Bing.com.
Cortana will be taking the leap from handsets to other devices with the launch of the next major version of Windows, codenamed Threshold. However, it is not yet clear if she will be included in the Enterprise Technical Preview that is expected to launch later this month.
Source: Microsoft