Microsoft‘s take on the virtual assistant, Cortana, has spent some time since July in beta on mobile devices, but it appears Microsoft is ready to officially announce its launch. Cortana for Android is officially available from the Play Store today and is compatible with all Android devices with Android 4.1.2 and higher – the only catch is that Microsoft is restricting access to the US and China for now; hopefully a global rollout is on the cards soon.
If you’re wondering why we’re bothering to talk about another virtual assistant at all, Cortana is slightly different in that it’s designed to link your mobile device to your Windows 10 PC – with the help of the Phone Companion app on your PC, you’ll be able to make the most of your phone-PC link like seeing missed calls on your PC. Like Google Now, Cortana also allows for personal tracking of flights and reminders and all that good stuff.
Microsoft also made another interesting announcement which is that in the latest version of Cyanogen OS, users will be able to say “Hey Cortana” and trigger Cortana’s search function, much like saying “OK Google” on an Android device. Apparently this feature is going to be introduced first on the Cyanogen OS-powered OnePlus One sometime in December with the 12.1.1 update.
What do you think about the launch of Cortana for Android? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Windows Blog via engadget
