After Microsoft vaguely confirmed last November that its digital assistant Cortana will be headed to other operating systems, the software giant is finally offering up specifics. Microsoft is now aiming to bring Cortana to iOS and Android devices as a standalone app, Reuters reports. What's more, the company is also looking to include technology from one of its artificial intelligence research projects, dubbed Einstein.


"This kind of technology, which can read and understand email, will play a central role in the next roll out of Cortana, which we are working on now for the fall time frame," Eric Horvitz, managing director of Microsoft Research and a member of the Einstein project, told Reuters. We've already seen Cortana offer some basic digital assistant functionality on Windows Phones and Windows 10 -- it can tell you the weather, dictate messages, and remind you of appointments -- but it sounds like it'll soon get some deeper understanding of how we live and work.

Basically, it sounds like Microsoft is turning Cortana into a more humanized version of Google Now, Google's digital assistant which anticipates your needs and surfaces information before you even ask for it, and a more capable Siri. It makes sense that Cortana would make its way to other platforms, since Microsoft is making more of an effort to bring great apps and services to other platforms. Heck, it just bought a popular email app and rebranded it as Outlook.

Microsoft is tapping into its work in machine learning, search, and speech recognition to build its smarter version of Cortana, Reuters notes. Let's just hope it's enough to make people forget about Clippy, the annoying Microsoft Office assistant infamous for its terrible predictive advice.

Speaking to Reuters from the WinHEC conference in China, Microsoft's operating system chief Terry Myerson said, "We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10." This means that everyone running Windows 7 or 8.1, irrespective of whether you pirated the operating system or not, will be allowed to upgrade to a legitimate version of Windows 10.

It isn't clear if Myerson's comments only pertain to China, or to all Windows users worldwide. We have reached out to Microsoft for clarification, but haven't yet heard back. Myerson's wording certainly sounds like this will affect all Windows users worldwide.

As you may have heard before, Microsoft has long had an issue with Windows piracy, especially in developing markets. Back in 2011, then-CEO Steve Ballmer estimated that only 10% of users in China were actually paying for Microsoft software. Rather famously, one of the main reasons that Windows XP had such a massive share of the desktop market for so many years was due to rampant piracy in China. A more recent study by the BSA says that 74% of commercial software in China is unlicensed.

But now, according to Myerson, it's time to "re-engage" with Chinese users of Windows—and that means a free, legitimate upgrade license for Windows 10, even if you're a pirate. We don't yet know how this program will be implemented, but presumably it's an extension of the previously announced program, which will see Microsoft offer free upgrades to Windows 10 during the first year of availability.

The arrival of Windows 10 heralds a different way of doing business for Microsoft. While Windows licenses have historically been a huge source of income for Microsoft, it's now moving towards a more service-based model; instead of a large up-front license cost for Windows, Microsoft will instead leverage services such as Skype, Office 365, and Software Assurance subscriptions. For this new modus operandi to be successful, it's very important that Microsoft gets everyone onto the same common platform—Windows 10—rather than a bunch of fractured, older operating systems. A free upgrade across the board, including an armistice with the pirates, will be very effective at moving everyone to Windows 10.

Speaking at the WinHEC conference yesterday, Myerson said that Windows 10 would be released "this summer" in 190 countries and 111 languages. He also announced that the Chinese companies Tencent and Qihu 360 would be giving away Windows 10 for free to its customers.

Gaming has always been a huge part of the Windows experience, with titles like Solitaire, Minesweeper, and Hearts each being played millions of times over the years. While these are all returning in Windows 10, those aren’t the only games you’ll be playing. In fact, we've got some great news to announce today: King will be bringing Candy Crush Saga to Windows 10.

If you’ve been paying attention to gaming (or pop culture in general) chances are pretty high that you've heard of King's smash mobile hit Candy Crush Saga. With its compelling blend of tricky puzzles coated in gorgeous eye candy, Candy Crush Saga is a global phenomenon for good reason. Windows Phone users have been enjoying Candy Crush Saga since its launch on the platform in December, and later this year, all Windows 10 owners will be able to experience the hit game that's swept the mobile world like wildfire. As an added bonus, Candy Crush Saga will automatically be installed for customers that upgrade to or download Windows 10 for periods of time following the game launch. It will even include cross-play options for your iOS and Android devices.

And that's not all: over time, other King titles will also be coming to Windows 10, which should mean hours (and hours... and hours) of fun for all sorts of gamers. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire for more news on Candy Crush Saga for Windows 10, and other King titles!