Microsoft’s Build Conference hasn’t historically been the most interesting event, particularly compared to Google and Apple’s over-the-top developer conferences. That’s been changing in recent years though, and this year is perhaps the most interesting of all, particularly for fans of future tech. Here’s what Microsoft announced today — including bots, games and Windows updates.
Bots for us all
Cortana is one of Microsoft’s best products – a clever voice assistant, accessible on multiple platforms and genuinely helpful for taking notes, answering questions and generally sorting things out. But she’s only the first of her kind; Microsoft is planning for dozens or hundreds of new intelligent apps, or Bots. From social chatbots like the quickly-corrupted Tay, to service-oriented pizza bots, the company is betting that artificial intelligence will become much more mainstream.
They launched a framework for developers to make their own bots without developing things like computer vision and natural language understanding from scratch. They’ve also made it easier for developers to have their apps integrated with other Microsoft services, like Slack and Skype. If other companies plump for it, then we could end seeing a heck of a lot more AI in the near future.
Upgraded Cortana
Cortana will soon be available on the Xbox One, where she’ll have new abilities suited for the platform… like offering hints to satisfy achievements or advice on a new game to play.
Developers can also unlock new abilities for Cortana, whether on a PC, a phone or an Xbox. For example, a food delivery firm could let you say “Cortana, order my favourite at The Burger Joint”, and have that actually translate into a burger in your hands some thirty minutes later.
Cortana will be able to speak to other Bots on your behalf via Skype too. The idea is that Cortana has a better understanding of context, whereas the Bot just does a simple task (like booking a hotel room). Cortana brokers the conversation, passing along needed information to the Bot, and asking the user for information that she doesn’t know. All of this can happen in real time, inside a video chat, which is pretty crazy.
Windows 10 Anniversary update
One year after Windows 10 was first launched, a major new update (codenamed Redstone) will hit.
Ink, Microsoft’s stylus-focused platform, is a big addition. You’ll be able to do some neat things with a stylus now, like write reminders that Cortana will understand or calculate the distance and directions between two points on a map. You can also bring up virtual rulers and stencils, making it easier to draw as you would on paper.
It’ll also include some insanely great tools for developers, including the ability to run Ubuntu Linux binaries and Bash, the Linux command line (where was this feature when I was doing my Computer Science degree!?).
The update will also add native support for fingerprint readers and other biometric authentication.
Universal Windows Platform Apps
Developing an app for just one platform is so archaic. Microsoft reckons there’s a better way, where you write an app for one platform, and it works (with a few small modifications) on phones, tablets, PCs, Xbox, wearables and basically anything else you can think of.
Microsoft announced a ton of new apps that will work this way, including big names like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Starbucks, Uber and Vine. Games are also invited to the party; some of Microsoft’s biggest Xbox One games like Forza Motorsport 6, Quantum Break and Killer Instinct will be available on Windows 10.
Microsoft have also made a desktop app converter, which allows apps made for plain old Windows to be made into new Universal apps. They demonstrated it on the Steam version of Age of Empires II HD and The Witcher 3, turning the games into ones that integrate Windows 10 features like Live Tiles and notifications.
HoloLens is shipping
Microsoft’s hologram platform, HoloLens, is being released today for developers. It’s not cheap at $3000, but it’s exciting to see another nascent alternate-reality tech progressing. The kit includes the headset and other necessary equipment. It also includes the Galaxy Explorer app with holograms of galaxies and solar systems, complete with source code so developers can see how it all works. Microsoft also showed off holographic apps for seeing Mars and studying anatomy — pretty cool!
Conclusion
So that’s it — some pretty exciting stuff all around, from the relatively mundane (Linux in Windows 10!) to the legitimately exciting (holograms are a thing now! Xbox games on Windows PCs!). Be sure to let us know what you thought of the announcements in the comments below; I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.