Hey Cortana feature removed from Cortana for Android in US

Microsoft has updated its Cortana for Android app, bumping it to version 1.2.0.726. While the update includes some regular improvements and enhancements, what's surprising is that it also removes the Hey Cortana feature for the US market.
While there's no official word on why the feature - which lets users invoke the Cortana personal assistant through voice activation - has been removed, reports say it interferes with Google Now's Ok Google functionality, leading to malfunctioning of the device's microphone.
It's worth mentioning that the Cortana for Android app was released only a couple of weeks ago.
As already said, Microsoft hasn't yet commented on the reason behind the move, so it's difficult to say if the aforementioned problem is the main reason behind the feature's removal. We'll update you as soon as we hear an official word on this.
Source | Via

Comments

Post a Comment

Kindly Comment Only related to Post

Popular posts from this blog

Samsung Exynos 8870 chip surfaces

Image
Samsung is working on releasing an Exynos 8870 chipset, which is going to be less powerful than its top-of-the-line Exynos 8890. The Exynos 8870 will be made specifically for Samsung's external clients like Meizu. In fact, rumor has it the Meizu Pro 6 might use the chipset when it gets to market some time next year. Expected performance of the new chipset is along the lines of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, so we'd imagine it's not slow by any means. Details on the architecture of the chipset are nonexistent at the moment. We suspect more information will become available as Samsung starts testing the Exynos 8870 and it pops up in some benchmarks' database. Meanwhile MyDrivers.com compiled a nice chart comparing the major flagship chipsets for the start of 2016. The graph shows the performance of the Samsung Exynos 8890, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, Kirin 950, Helio X20 and Apple A9 as benchmarked by GFXBench for GPU performance and Geekbench 3 for C...
Read more

Allwinner announces its first 64-bit chipset

Image
Allwinner announced that it will be launching its first 64-bit chipset by the end of the year. A 64-bit version of Android is ready and will be shown running on the Juno development platform at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair in October. Details on the chipset are unclear at the moment, other than it will be based on ARMv8-A cores, so Cortex-A53, Cortex-A57 or perhaps both. Allwinner already has a big.LITTLE configuration with its octa-core UltraOcta A80 chipset. Anyway, the new chipset will support playback of 4K video encoded with H.265. Allwinner targets tablets and this new chipset will be no exception (they lack modems). Allwinner may not be a well-known brand in the west, but its chipsets powered most Android tablets shipped in 2012 and 2013 as Allwinner was the vendor of choice for white box manufacturers. A strong push in China from both Intel and MediaTek threatened its position in 2014. MediaTek already has a couple of 64-bit chipset – with LTE and in ...
Read more

Skylanders Swap Force Review

Image
Everything AND the kitchen sink.  Skylanders Swap Force delivers almost everything fans could want. There are fantastic new characters, a funny story, and a complete disregard for the boring rules that say robots and wizards shouldn't be part of the same world. It also delivers everything Activision, its publisher, could want. There are loads of new toys that you need to complete the optional challenges, a brand-new portal that you can only purchase in the starter packs, and a fanbase that has already made the previous games runaway bestsellers. The initial appeal of Skylanders has always been in putting that physical toy on the portal and then watching it come to life in the digital world. While I'm still fascinated by the hardware and software that makes that transition possible, Skylanders' real magic is its unrestricted embrace of everything in the toy box. When my k...
Read more

Sharp 304SH comes with 5.2" 1080p screen, ultra slim bezels

Image
Sharp has announced the AQUOS Xx 304SH destined to arrive on carrier SoftBank Mobile in Japan. The phone features a 5.2" 1080p display in a very compact body resulting in a screen-to-body ratio of 79% ( take that, LG ). The AQUOS Xx 304SH sports a metal-frame body with dimensions of 135x72x9mm and weighs just 137 grams. Inside it, there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset (MSM8974AB) with a 2.3GHz quad-core Krait 400 CPU, an Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Internal storage is 32GB, but there's a microSD card slot that can accommodate up to 128GB of additional storage. On top of that, the phone is dust and waterproof (IPX5/IPX7) and sports Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and an infrared connectivity. At the back of the Sharp AQUOS 304SH, there's a 13MP camera with LED flash, while the front-facing one is a 2.1MP. The battery is 2,600mAh, but Sharp doesn't specify how long it can last between charges. The phone will go on sale later in M...
Read more

Microsoft promo shaves $150 off the prices of the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book

Image
This isn't the first limited time price cut that Microsoft applies for the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, and it clearly won't be the last. It is a pretty sweet deal however, so if you've been eyeing either of these devices it would be a pity not to take advantage of it while it lasts. Through Microsoft's online store, you can now buy select Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book models for $150 less than before. This means that, for example, the Surface Pro 4 with 128GB of storage, Core i5 processor, and 4GB of RAM can be yours for just $849 (was previously $999). Get the tablet with the same CPU but 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and you'll shell out $1,149, down from $1,299. Move up from that to a Core i7 and pay $1,449, and not $1,599. Or just splurge for the i7 paired with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage if you can part with $1,649. The situation is similar for the Surface Book. It now starts at $1,349 (not $1,499), with a Core i5, 8GB of RA...
Read more

Samsung Galaxy S8 duo smashes pre-order records in Korea

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smashed pre-order records in its home country - more than 550,000 units were booked in two days. That’s more than 5 times the S7 pre-orders (around 100,000) and nearly triple what the Galaxy Note7 got (200,000, a record in itself). Pre-orders will last until April 17 (by then the number may reach a cool million) and there are a whopping 3,000 stores across the country carrying the S8. Samsung sweetened the pot by offering a free Bluetooth speaker or a KRW 400,000 gift card. An official from a local store reports that 80%-90% of visitors were there to pre-order the new Galaxy flagship. Surprisingly, the ratio of Galaxy S8 and S8+ orders seems even - usually, the smaller unit gets more attention. Still, there’s pent-up demand for a large-screen device since the Note7 went off the market. The 6GB/128GB version is also enjoying high demand, says a Samsung official. # of pre-orders in 2 days Higher is better Sort by L...
Read more