Microsoft pitches smart chats with computers
The giant software company is promoting new uses for Cortana — its voice-activated answer to Apple's Siri digital assistant — including the ability to interact with software "bots" that can have limited conversations with users and help with tasks like booking a hotel room, ordering a meal or arranging a delivery.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, at the opening Wednesday of the company's annual conference for software developers, touted the power of "conversational intelligence" as he outlined a long-term vision in which Cortana, a central feature of Windows 10, becomes a digital concierge for other online interactions.
[...] Microsoft, after seeing its business suffer because fewer people buy new PCs, has also released Cortana as an app for smartphones and tablets that run Apple's iOS or Google's Android operating software.
The company has touted Windows 10 as the operating system for a wide range of devices, from personal computers to hand-held gadgets, Xbox game consoles and even the company's HoloLens augmented-reality headset.
Another new feature will extend Microsoft's biometric software, Windows Hello, so users can log into more apps and online accounts through fingerprint or facial recognition.