 We successfully made it through the three-hour Microsoft Build keynote. This will be about 120th of that. I'm Nathan Sykert and this is 90 Seconds on the Verge. Microsoft kicked off its annual developer conference today with a new way for developers to create a single app that works across Windows phones, tablets, PCs, and even the Xbox One. Unification has appeared to be a goal of Microsoft's for some time now. Whether or not you pay per platform, however, or pay once for universal access, well, that's up to the developers. Siri and Google Now have a new rival. Say hello to Cortana. She'll probably say hi back. Arriving with Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft's new voice assistant lets you manage basic phone functions, set appointments and reminders, search the web, and more. Microsoft is taking a more human approach to Cortana and even brought in Jen Taylor, the voice actress for Cortana in the Halo series, to reprise her role here. Windows Phone 8.1 will roll out as a free update to consumers in the next few months. While the audience at Build was happy to see Cortana in action, it was the return of the Start menu that really got the party started. It looks like a Windows 7 and 8 hybrid, being around the same size as the Windows 7 menu, but also featuring miniature live tiles along one side. Microsoft also showed a new mode that allows modern Windows 8 apps to run on the desktop inside their own Windows. The Windows 8.1 update is coming April 8th with major keyboard and mouse improvements, but the new Start menu? That's not coming until sometime later this year. For much, much more from the Build conference, check out The Verge. Coming up, Microsoft cancels a secret real-life Titanfall beta. We talked to the survivors.