A series of leaked screenshots shows the Cortana digital assistant in action on Windows 9. This is good news for the new operating system, and one more reason to look forward to it in action.
The German site WinFuture, which has released a series of leaked Windows 9 screenshots and videos, published the latest screenshots. It shows what seems to be a basic version of Cortana running on the Windows 9 Technical Preview.
The Cortana interface in the Technical Preview is barebones, but the screens show a variety of Cortana reminders, including for time, people, and location. The Verge reports that the Cortana implementation in the Windows 9 Technical Preview will be incomplete. It also says that several other Windows Phone features will be ported to Windows 9, including two features called Storage Sense and WiFi Sense. Storage Sense watches what files you store on your drive, and helps you better manage your storage before it gets full. WiFi Sense makes it easier to automatically connect to WiFi networks.
Cortana would be an excellent edition to Windows, and give that operating system something that other operating systems for traditional computers don't have. Based on my initial testing, Cortana is much better than Siri at most tasks, including finding information, and issuing reminders, including the ability to pop up reminders not just based on time, but also based on physical location and on the person whom you're emailing, texting or calling.
Putting Cortana inside Windows 9 would be more than window dressing (excuse the pun). Its features would work well with laptops and desktops, not just mobile phones. It's one more reason to look forward to the release of the Windows 9 Technical Preview.