Bloomberg: FourSquare data is going to Cortana voice assistant

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According to Bloomberg, the data stream Microsoft recently acquired with their $15 million investment in FourSquare will be used in Microsoft’s rumoured new Voice Assistant code named Cortana.

They write:

Location data from Foursquare will appear in a voice-activated assistant, code-named Cortana, that has yet to be released and will go up against Apple’s Siri technology, according to a person with knowledge of the plans.

They suggest the work  will help power the assistant’s context engine, and help offer restaurant and entertainment suggestions to consumers on the move, including, with a user’s permission, to push out tips, suggestions and discounts tied to a person’s location, said Zig Serafin, a vice president in Microsoft’s Bing search unit.

“We’re building some contextually aware experiences to power some upcoming products in Windows Phone,” Serafin said. “This will be for anywhere you get a Bing-powered experience.”

Commenting on the investment by Foursquare Chief Executive Officer Dennis Crowley said:

“This is huge validation for the stuff we’ve been working so hard on,” Crowley said. “It’s one of the leaders in the space we work in looking at us and saying we can really help power the next generation of devices.”

According to Bloomberg Microsoft has been courting startups to add features to its phones and tablets, which seems to be a rather good move if true.

Cortana and Windows Phone 8.1 will be unveiled “within several months”, according to a person familiar with the project and Foursquare agreement, who asked not to be identified because details haven’t been made public.

Current rumours suggest an unveil in April, at BUILD 2014, with the software rolling out to developers immediately and then to consumers as new devices and updates over the following months,

Do our readers feel FourSquare data would add to the Windows Phone experience? Let us know below.

Via The Verge

More about the topics: Cortana, foursquare, header, windows phone 8.1