Cortana, Windows Phone's Siri, Is Unexpectedly Amazing

When Windows revealed its own voice-activated personal assistant for Windows Phone, Cortana, last month, we couldn't wait to try it for ourselves. The simple interface and Her-like (as in, the movie) behavior had us intrigued. Could Cortana best both Siri and Google Now?

We finally did get to see the not-yet-released Cortana in the flesh, and she's . . . unexpectedly amazing. Cortana has information for you — before you even prompt her with a question. She shows up as an app on the Windows Phone homescreen and provides a summary of things you're interested in, like the stock price of the company you work for, the score of your favorite team, or news updates on topics that matter to you.

And when you do ask her a question, Cortana is smart about her response. If you type a query, she'll type back. If you ask a query, she'll respond back with her voice. The nuances of Cortana are best experienced in person — so scroll down and watch for yourself.

Cortana ships with Windows Phone 8.1, which arrives to regular folks (aka nondevelopers) in early June. Source: Twitter user windowsphone