Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system will become available at the end of July. Among the most anticipated features of Windows 10 is the global availability of Microsoft’s own voice assistant, Cortana. Not only will Windows users all around the world be getting Cortana but it will also be launching on various other platforms. It is coming to Android and iOS as well as being available on Xbox One.
On the Android front, we’ve been able to play around with the beta version of the application. Though what we interacted with is not the final version, it functions as expected. Loading it up, it quickly presented me with weather information that was pretty much in line with my beloved Weather Timeline’s forecasts and does the basics really well, just like on Windows Phone. Creating notes, setting up the alarm clock and of course the best part is asking Cortana random things. Like these two hilarious responses:
Since Cortana will be doing just about everything (it’s a digital assistant after all), the permissions are crazy.
One is prompted to log in to their Microsoft account during the setup process. I am yet to encounter any bugs so the app is pretty much stable and this means that it may not be long before we see it show up on the Google Play Store.
Here are a few more screenshots right from the installation through to my first interaction with Cortana on Android:
I tested Cortana on my Galaxy Note 3 running Android 4.4.2 KitKat so it should at least work on KitKat and up. Not all devices are likely to be compatible though.
Want to give Cortana a spin on your Android device? Get it HERE or HERE
Note: Microsoft is yet to release this beta application to the public. Our exclusive look is courtesy of a tip from one of our sources.
