Leak reveals Cortana, Windows Phone 8.1's mashup of Siri and Google Now

Windows Phone 8.1's incoming digital assistant has long had a name, but now we've caught a glimpse of Cortana's face.
Cortana the digital assistant (see below) isn't a mirror image of Cortana the AI (see above), the faithful partner found in the legendary Halo video game series, but it will call you Master Chief if you'd like. The Verge reports that the digital assistant sports the Siri-like ability to call you by the name of your choice, and the circular blue icon will animate while it speaks to lend it a bit of personality.

Developers leak Windows Phone 8.1 SDK, reveal new features

Here's the list of features noted by the developer with Windows Phone 8.1 SDK access:

NEW Audio/video transcoding, Hardware accelerated
NEW Media editing: audio and video; Audio effects, video effects; Slow motion video
NEW Apps can capture audio/video from themselves
NEW Stereoscopic 3d support
NEW Wi-Fi Direct, a Wi-Fi standard allowing direct peer-to-peer connections over Wi-Fi without an access point
NEW Windows Phone 8.1 apps won't run on 8.0 devices until they upgrade
NEW Documentation confirms ALL current Windows Phone 8 hardware to get 8.1
NEW Dev tools: SemanticZoom, DatePicker, TimePicker
NEW PlayTo support
NEW Single sign-in for apps (like on Windows 8) with Microsoft Account; sign in will persist across devices + apps with permissions prompt
NEW YouTube Player (see lede image) including HTML5 video support (video playback doesn't have to be full screen) And you get custom UI, so YouTube Closed Captions are in
NEW File picker (see above image)
NEW Geofencing API for location-based reminders
NEW Background tasks: Bluetooth signal strength, Chat message notification, Device connection change, Device use trigger, Gatt characteristic notification, Location, Push notification, Rfcomm connection, System event, Timer
NEW Slide down to close apps
NEW Navigation bar color selection
NEW USB choices
NEW Updated camera layout, similar to Windows 8.1 (see photo below)
Back button doesn't terminate the app
No more XAP, instead APPX
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
OneDrive (previously SkyDrive) with integrated file browser (just like Windows 8.1)
Filter through installed apps by usage/install date
Select multiple tiles when customising the Start screen [FALSE]
More efficient multitasking
Ability to install apps on inserted SD Cards
Internet Explorer 11 improved with WebGL and Normal mapping support
Separate volume controls for ringer, media, etc.
Bing smart search (similar search system as Windows 8.1)
Xbox Music and Xbox Video as standalone apps instead of the Music + Video Hub (allowing more updates to be pushed)
Redesigned Xbox Game Hub
Twitter integrated more deeply into the contacts Hub
Facebook account option REMOVED (updated)
Quick settings access (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) by doing a quick swipe from the top of the screen
Action Center accessed by doing a full swipe from up to the bottom (separate from the Notification Center)
Silent notifications which go directly to the Action center
Possibility to mark a Live Tile as read by swiping from the left of said tile
Auto-updates for apps (just like Windows 8.1)
Better backup functionality
Improved keyboard
Bluetooth 4.0 LE (to non-Lumia Windows Phones)
Feature to mirror Windows Phone screens to TVs and/or monitors

Things not included in the SDK:

Cortana
Action Center + Notification Center
new gesture-based keyboard

Windows 8.1 Update 1 build leaked by Microsoft, Windows Phone 8.5 spotted

Microsoft generated much buzz online on Thursday when it mistakenly released a build of the much-awaited Windows 8.1 Update 1, ahead of its scheduled launch in April.
What appears to be the final build of Windows 8.1 Update 1 was leaked out online via Microsoft's Windows Update service, as the Verge reports. Users at this point have to install a series of patches before being able to install the full update, for which they need to make a few registry changes, or download the updates via direct links.
At this point however, we recommend users wait the month or so it will take for Microsoft to release the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 in April, via official channels.
Most of the changes found in the Windows 8.1 Update 1 are said to be focussed on keyboard and mouse users, as we see a desktop taskbar placed above the Metro UI-style apps, and options that enable the user to minimise, close or snap Metro UI-style apps. The Redmond-based firm is also said to add a 'shut down' button on the Start screen for non-touch user machines. A new search button is also seen on the top-right corner.
Microsoft might also make its Windows 8.1 Update 1 thin-client friendly, as the updated OS is said to support configurations as low as 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.
Besides the Windows 8.1 Update 1 leak by Microsoft, other reports indicate some major changes to the Windows Phone 8 platform.
On Thursday, reports of Windows Phone 8.5 already being in the works were circulating the Internet. Mention of the new version of the mobile OS was spotted in a tooltip message (see image below) in the updated Windows Phone 8.1 SDK files. Not many details accompanied the Windows Phone 8.5 tooltip message, apart from hints that secondary live tile might be removed, and that the API might be altered or re-designed for some other new features. The firm is also said to be planning to change the start screen in Windows Phone 8.5.