Shelly Palmer Radio Report – June 17, 2014

Nokia’s newest phone, the Lumia Icon, may be the most personalized phone I’ve ever touched. A lot of that personalized feel comes from Cortana, Microsoft’s new personal assistant. Cortana is brand new to Windows Phone 8.1 and, just like Siri, can answer questions like “What’s the temperature outside?” But Cortana learns from you in a way that Siri doesn’t. Microsoft says Cortana is “socially intelligent,” which means you can tell it to remind you to tell your wife her new haircut looks good when you call her later. Then, when you go to press to call your wife, Cortana will remind you to do just that. It’s a really strange way to think about a phone, but Cortana keeps track of everything and really understands what you like. Cortana is different from the personal digital assistants we’ve seen so far, but is it better than the competition? Microsoft says it’s the best thing ever, combining Google Now’s analysis with Siri’s interactivity. You’ll have to decide for yourself when Windows Phone 8.1 launches later this month.