Holidays Made Brighter with #MoreLumia and Cortana!

This post was written on behalf of Microsoft Devices. All opinions are 100% mine.  

I love the holidays. I love the food, parties and gifts! While I love the holidays, I am always looking for ways to make them less stressful and easier! This year, I have been looking at technology and apps to help me organize and execute my holiday prep and party.

I recently received a Nokia Lumia 830 phone to check out and it has a personal digital assistant named Cortana. Cortana is a godsend. I do not have a personal digital assistant on my current Samsung phone and it is something I really miss.

Cortana is great. I could not believe how easy "she" was to use. Some of my favorite features is the search function. I can ask Cortana about local events or for help with my party planning.

Cortana can help me with my planning with Daily Glance an app that helps me find the travel time between home and shopping. If there is bad traffic, and we get that sometimes, Cortana tells me which roads to avoid! She can also tell me if I am near the store that I need to be at.

I can tell Cortana what I need to buy, what I need to pick up and when and Cortana keeps me on track by reminding me of all the things I need for my holiday party. I love it. I am so forgetful that this is such a plus. I can also find apps that can help me cook and find new recipes for my party!

One of the most interesting things about Cortana is she will chat with you if you need a little companionship. If you don't want interruptions, put Cortana on Quiet Time and she will screen your calls  and texts. This helps me when I am setting up for my party and cannot be interrupted unless it is really important.

When the party gets started, I can also ask Cortana to play music for my guests. I have to admit one of the features I loved is if I played a clip of a song and Cortana can tell me what song it is. Look at this.


How fun is that. This is perfect for when someone asks you "What song is that" and you have no clue! Cortana also helped me find great music apps like Pandora and MixRadio. We have music on our phones to play but not enough for a party so it is nice to be able to find new music. 
If you want information on any subject Cortana can also help you. This is great if you want to impress your friends and family with your knowledge. I asked Cortana who the president of the US was and she knew. Of course, that's easy peasy. But when I asked he who the president of Costa Rica was, she knew that too! Impress with guests with your knowledge with a little help from Cortana! 

I loved this phone and Cortana. I love how it makes my life easier. There are so many pluses to having a "Personal Assistant" to help you get through the holiday season. Whether it be to find deals on gifts, recipes or music the Lumia 830 with Cortana will make your holidays easier and fun!