Gadgetory

we successfully made it through the three-hour microsoft build keynote this will be about a hundred and twentieth of that I'm Nathan cycad and this is 90 seconds on the verge Microsoft kicked off its annual developer conference today with a new way for developers to create a single app that works across windows phones tablets PCs and even the xbox one unification is appeared to be a goal of Microsoft's for some time now whether or not you paid for platform however or pay once for universal access well that's up to the developers Siri and Google now have a new rival say hello to Cortana she'll probably say hi back arriving with Windows Phone 8.1 Microsoft's new voice assistant lets you manage basic phone functions set appointments and reminders search the web and more Microsoft is taking a more human approach to Cortana and even brought in Jen Taylor the voice actress for Cortana and the Halo series to reprise her role here windows phone 8.1 will roll out as a free update to consumers in the next few months while the audience at Build was happy to see Cortana in action it was the return of the start menu that really got the party started it looks like a Windows 7 and 8 hybrid being around the same size as the windows 7 menu but also featuring miniature live tiles along one side microsoft also showed a new mode that allows modern windows 8 apps to run on the desktop inside their own windows the windows 8.1 update is coming april aids with major keyboard and mouse improvements but the new start menu that's not coming until sometime later this year for much much more from the build conference check out the verge coming up Microsoft cancels a secret real-life titanfall beta we talked to the survivors