If you read last weeks' Tech Tuesday, you know that I was highly anticipating the Windows 10 upgrade.  Well...it happened and I am one of the 14 million + people who have upgraded to Windows 10 and now talking to my computer!! You might say I have a personal digital assistant and her name is Cortana. Cortana works much like Siri or Google Now and I find myself regularly shouting out instructions to Cortana.  You can use your voice or the keyboard to ask Cortana questions, set reminders, launch apps, etc. After you make a few tweaks, all you have to do is say, "Hey, Cortana" and she pops up ready to listen. For example, I say, "Hey, Cortana, tell me a joke"...she says, "Two antennas got married.  The ceremony dragged on, but the reception was excellent." Isn't she a witty little thing? HERE  are some commands to try.

In addition, you can control actions in Windows 10 like....launch the music player or search your computer for certain files. It is basically a voice-controlled gateway into everything on your computer.  I'm not gonna lie, talking to my computer feels a little weird! Cortana doesn't like is a lot of background noise so you will have to revert to the keyboard if you are playing music in the background or you are in a busy place.  But imagine..say you were trying to remember how to change your display settings. Instead of searching through the Control Panel, all you have to do is say, "Hey Cortana, change my display settings" and she will take you right there! It could certainly save a lot of time troubleshooting computers. Honestly, why should I have to load up a map, type out a destination, and click through a set of options when I can just ask Cortana?  Cortana is just one of the new features of Windows 10. Remember, you only have 1 year to upgrade. Go ahead, take the plunge and meet Cortana.  You will love her!