Microsoft developing Siri-like personal assistant for Windows Phone, dubs it ‘Cortana’

Microsoft is testing and preparing a Windows Phone 8.1 update that will supposedly have a personal assistant with Siri-like features. It has been codenamed “Cortana” after the Halo character and will help Windows Phone users interact with their smartphones using voice commands. There is already a basic voice command feature for Windows Phone but Cortana is expected to have a system that will learn user’s preferences and adapt accordingly.

Based on additional screenshots obtained by The Verge, Microsoft is testing the feature’s ability to pull in weather info, notifications, and events into a central interface. Other features seen on the interface include location information and access to Bluetooth controls. It is expected that Microsoft will roll out the new operating system update in early 2014.

Sony heads for the heart of the home with Xperia Tablet Z: Kitchen Edition

Looks like Sony’s coming after a specific niche with its new Xperia Tablet Z: Kitchen Edition. This US$649 cooking mate is a water-resistant 10.1-inch tablet with a wireless cooking thermometer, tablet stand, and a slew of exclusive content.

The Xperia Tablet Z is made with durable glass and carbon fiber-reinforced back panel making it easy to clean if you get spaghetti sauce on it or something. It can be submerged under fresh water with covers and ports closed for up to 3 feet in under 30 minutes. It uses Mobile Bravia Engine 2 for its display and runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The 32GB tablet (expansion options via microSD slot) also comes with accessories like iGrill, an app-enabled Bluetooth meat thermometer that can monitor food up to 200 feet away; lightweight, foldable stand; and pre-loaded food and cooking apps, such as Evernote Food, BigOVen, Food Planner Pro, etc.

Google+ for Chrome gets Snapseed photo-editing tools

Google integrated Snapseed into Google+’s mobile apps for a while already. Now, Google’s bringing Snapseed’s features into the desktop Chrome browser with new tools like Auto Enhance, selective adjust editing, filters and frames. Google has slowly started rolling out the new options that can be accessed by clicking the “edit” link of a selected photo.

If you aren’t using Chrome, you’re going to have to make do with basic crop and rotate editing tools. 

Intel helping to usher in the Internet of Things with new chip

Intel aims to be at the forefront of the next computing wave with its newly announced Quark chip. It’s a sub-Atom System on a Chip (SoC) that the company is positioning as useful for wearable computers, robotics, and the growing industrial Internet of Things or internet-connected products such as cars, appliances, and even buildings.

According to Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, it is a 32-bit, single-core, single-thread chip that is one-fifth the size of the Atom processor and uses one-tenth of that power. The first product set for production later this year is the Quark X1000 SoC (previously codenamed as Clanton).

Sources: PC Mag & Tech News World