Italian group of hackers OrangeSec recently claimed that they had "ported" Microsoft's Cortana digital assistant to Android. Its name is "Portaña," which was demoed at Droidcon 2015. Further, Portaña is said to have some functions similar to Cortana. In view of Portaña, a Microsoft spokesperson was asked and reportedly implied that "Portaña is cool and all, but it's no Cortana."
The hackers' Portaña had limitations: it can only speak Italian and it doesn't work offline. The hacked virtual assistant communicates with Microsoft servers, which is why it doesn't work offline. Further, it is reportedly not a strict port, and that OrangeSec has not recreated all the digital assistant's features. Unlike what Cortana does with Windows Phone, Portaña can't interfere and integrate with Android as well as its various features. The hackers only maximized Cortana's backend to create a basic and functional Android assistant.
It was also noted that there are some custom SSL certificates and DNS imitation involved, and a possibility of "some fakery going on, but everything looks legit.... Since the data is all coming from the same cloud platform used on Windows Phone, Portaña could be capable of all the same things eventually," said Geek.
Microsoft's Cortana could do the following voice commands:
1. "What's the weather in...?" This checks the weather somewhere else or in a person's hometown. It will also give the current temperature, conditions, and a five-day forecast.
2. "How's my schedule looking?" Checks what's coming up in a person's calendar, appointments, or birthday's.
3. "Show me messages from..." Lets the user show all messages from someone in a contact list.
4. "Remind me at 2 PM to..." Cortana reminds an owner to do something at a particular time, or in a particular place, or when communicating with a particular person.
5. "Wake me up in half an hour." Serves as an alarm.
6. "Get driving directions to." Get directions to wherever a person is going.
7. "What's the best... near here?" Recommends somewhere to eat, or ask nearby venues.
8. "Show me the headlines." This brings up latest stories according to a user's interests.
9. "What song is this?" Identify a tune.
10. "What is three kilometers in miles?" This will perform unit conversions, basic calculations, and more.
11. "Play music." Shuffles through everything that Cartona is able to find to play music.
12. "Text..." Cortana texts messages on a user's behalf.
13. "Who will win?" Predict the outcome of a game, look up fixtures, and results of a person's favorite team.
14. "Take a note." This will make Cortana take a note.
15. "Turn off Wi-Fi." Enable or disable both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
16. "Show me a picture of..." Search images in the web.
17. "What's the status of...flight?" Checks whether a flight is on time or delayed.
18. "Where am I?" Tells a person's location. This feature is useful when in an unknown place.
When Venture Beat asked Microsoft about Portaña, a company spokerperson said, "Cortana was first available for our Windows Phone customers in Spring of 2014, and we announced on January 21 that Cortana will come to PC and tablets later this year with the release of Windows 10. We believe the best way to enjoy the full Cortana experience is as designed by Microsoft and available through Windows Phone and the Windows 10 technical preview."
"In other words, 'Portaña is cool and all, but it's no Cortana,'" adds Venture Beat.
Join the Conversation