Will Microsoft bring Cortana to iOS and Android?

Microsoft contemplates whether to bring its Cortana personal digital-assistant technology to non-Windows platforms. Are the tradeoffs worth it?

Microsoft management is considering the wisdom and feasibility of making the company's Cortana personal digital-assistant technology available on Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile operating systems.
During a keynote at the SMX Advanced search-marketing conference in Seattle this week, officials acknowledged that the company is weighing the potential trade-offs between pervasiveness and prioritizing. Both GeekWire and Search Engine Land reported on the Microsoft keynote where officials discussed

Traveling abroad this summer? Assessing your best smartphone options

In this edition of Ask Maggie, CNET's Marguerite Reardon breaks down best ways to use your smartphone while overseas without breaking the bank.


It's that time of year again when adventurous souls dust off their passports and venture abroad for a summer vacation. But what should you do if you don't want to leave your smartphone or tablet behind?

This is a question that I am asked throughout the year, but it comes up most often as summer approaches when many people prepare for summer vacations overseas.
The bottom line is that travelers no longer have to leave their devices at home or keep them turned off for the duration of their trip for fear of coming home to phone bills larger than the cost of their plane tickets. While we still aren't at the point where globetrotters can be completely carefree about their phone usage while exploring foreign lands, it is getting easier and less expensive to use a smartphone or tablet while on the go in another country.
Most of the advice I've given in previous years still holds true today. But in this Ask Maggie, I've included some updated information, as well as a general overview of which methods are best for different types of travelers.