Rumours have been running that Microsoft will be be launching a voice search assistant similar to Apple’s Siri, and that it will be based off of Halo’s AI Cortana with the same voice and mannerisms. Now, a recent report by Bloomberg citing an anonymous source says that Microsoft has invested $15 million in FourSquare to develop the app.
Though CEO Dennis Crowley confirmed an investment, it hasn’t been revealed exactly how much and for what purpose it serves. As of now, Cortana is rumoured to be a voice-assistant that will conduct searches similar to Microsoft’s “TellMe” service and will be arriving on Windows Phone 8 smartphones. Not much is known beyond that.
Given the popularity of Cortana, it remains to be seen as to how Microsoft leverages this for success. Though the company has turned to Halo for bumping up sales of smartphones and tablets with Spartan Assault, Windows Phone devices are still in a distant third compared to Android and iOS. Stay tuned for more updates.