Movistar Go voice search with Windows
March 5, 2015
From David Del Valle in Madrid
Telefonica is to launch its mobile TV platform, Movistar TV Go, on devices with Windows Phone OS following a deal with Microsoft.
The Movistar TV Go service for Windows Phone 8.1 will enable Telefónica users to watch linear and on demand content by simply speaking into the phone through Cortana voice recognition technology, which has been integrated for the first time in Telefónica’s worldwide commercial video service for Windows Phone users.
Telefonica aims to launch the final commercial version of the service on Windows Phone 8.1 in the near future, initially in Spain but with plans to extend it to Latin American countries where Telefonica has a strong presence.
The CEO of Telefonica’s Global Video Unit, Michael Duncan, said that “the availability of our television services on mobile devices increases the attractiveness and potential for enjoyment of the content we offer to our users, and places Telefónica at the forefront of video products with an offer of TV everywhere which is increasingly diverse”.
“We are very pleased to have achieved this milestone with Telefónica,” pointed out Steven Guggenheimer, corporate VP at Microsoft. “Rather than just performing voice-activated commands, Cortana continually learns about each user and becomes increasingly personalised, with the ultimate goal of proactively performing the right tasks at the right time.”