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Microsoft adds info-hunting 'Bot' assistants to Skype for iPhone & iPad

Microsoft on Wednesday launched "Bots" for Skype, allowing people to search for information and content through the app's messaging functions.

At the moment there are only three official Bots connected to Microsoft's Bing search service: Bing Music, Bing News, and Bing Images. Bing Music, for instance, can track down information about a particular song. Future Bots will expand into audio and video calling.

Microsoft also released the Skype Bots Platform to developers, which will allow third parties to devise their own Bots.

To use the Bing Bots, people must first update their Skype client for iPhone, iPad, Windows, or Android. With the iOS apps, users can then search for a term like "Bing" under the Contacts tab, tap to add new contacts, then select the Bots tab to see a list.

The concept of intelligent messaging-based assistants has caught on with major technology firms. Facebook for example is slowly rolling out "M," an assistant that — with the periodic help of human "trainers" — can accomplish a number of tasks, including booking trips and restaurants, or even holding a place in a phone queue.

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10 Comments

radarthekat 13 Years · 3906 comments

Earlier I saw a clip on CNBC of Satya Nadella talking to an audience about the Tay chat bot that went berserk last week.  I know he was talking to developers, but there he was, on the screen talking so much like how MSFT has always spoken about technology.  I can't imagine Apple using the word 'Bots' even once on stage (they give their bot a name; Siri, and even IBM takes the human approach with Watson).  Nadella must have said 'bots' three times in each sentence (I lost count).  I'm not sure MSFT isn't staffed by bots.
"We envision humans talking to humans, humans talking to bots, bots talking to humans, bots talking to bots..."

I kid you not.  These guys are still clueless about how technology should interact with people.  I mean, 'bots', 'humans?'  Really?  Those are the terms to use?  After Apple showed the way over the last 40 years, MSFT still doesn't get it.

5 Likes · 0 Dislikes
dewme 11 Years · 5869 comments

Bots = Spawn of Clippy

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes
[Deleted User] 16 Years · 0 comments

Uh, I think "bots" are, if they perform as advertised, a pretty sweet idea from a company that used to arrive at few. The term "bot" has been used in movies, television, video games...I don't think it's gonna matter what you call them as long as they do something useful. I like this Microsoft and applaud their efforts.

m_p_w_84 9 Years · 4 comments

All these bots do is give you a bing search result from what I can see

but in general I think Microsoft are doing an amazing job at the moment. I love Windows 10. For desktop computers MacOS really doesn't compare, I get so much more done with Windows, plus office 365 and in particular OneDrive are great.

i really only have a mac book because most Windows laptops are crappy design wise in comparison 

sockrolid 15 Years · 2789 comments

Funny watching the Microsoft shills show up at Apple Insider.
One of these guys has just 1 post.

Hey, MS.
Way to astroturf.
Keep it up.