Microsoft updates Cortana with new feature

Cortana gets FIFA World Cup 2014 predictions. Over the weekend Microsoft pushed out new feature for Cortana that will allow WP8.1 users to access predictions by Bing.

Cortana’s group manager Marcus Ash revealed this new feature in his tweets, users can ask Cortana about 2014 World Cup football matches. The feature will use Bing’s search engines prediction which was earlier used in reality TV shows based on messages on Twitter and Facebook. Microsoft stated :

          

For the tournament, our model evaluates the strength of each team through a variety of factors such as previous win/loss/tie record in qualifications matches and other international competition and margin of victory in these contests, adjusted for locations since home field advantage is a known bias. Further adjustments are made related to factors which give one team advantages over another, such as home field(for Brazil) or proximity (South American teams), playing surface(hybrid grass), game-time weather conditions, and other such factors. In addition, data obtained from prediction markets allows us to tune win/lose/tie probabilities due to the 'wisdom of crowds' phenomenon captured by the people wagering on the outcome.

These are some impressive variables to predict match results for games like football. I have myself tried this on my WP8.1 Developer Preview updated Lumia 820 and results have been pretty awesome. Till now Cortana has predicted for Brazil, Columbia, Netherland, Costa Rica, France & Germany to win their Last 16 matches.

Note: Cortana which was released with WP8.1 Developer Preview as beta is still available only in US, if you want to use Cortana outside US phone region is to be set as US.