Even though Microsoft's voice assistant is still in the beta phase, Cortana already has many features that cannot be found with the older sibling Siri of Apple.

The feature that I want to start with this article today is the emotions. Siri could be described as a violet microphone. They may actually answer the questions with emotional content (ask Siri if they should marry you); however, there is no optical or acoustic change. The microphone stays purple and Siri is still speaking as monotonously as before.

It's different with Cortana. Rumors speak of 6 different pitches for your voice: considerate, sensitive, fulfilled (excited), ashamed (embarrassed), thoughtful, and apologetic. When it comes to visual feedback, there are already 18: calm, opimistic 1 & 2, remember, "tile flip", sensitive V1 & V2, ashamed, alarm, jumping, more demanding, reserved, fulfilled, thoughtful, music recognizing, listening, speaking and thinking. Compare the animated gif above to see the different states.

What do you think of these emotions? Are they only a little gimmick or will assistants such Cortana help to break through? Write your opinion in the comments!