Ever since the release of Cortana by Microsoft last year, many would’ve assumed that – like Siri for the iOS and Google Now for Android – Cortana would only be accessible by Microsoft users. However, earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it will be bringing Cortana to iOS and Android. Now, the company kept its promise and has made Cortana available on iOS, Android and Cyanogen OS.
A few months ago, Microsoft did show a preview of Cortana running on Android. According to users that has already downloaded the app, it looks essentially the same across all platforms. Interestingly, Microsoft said that Cyanogen OS users will be getting a special version of Cortana soon. One of the special features that is included in Cortana for Cyanogen OS is the full utilisation of “Hey Cortana” voice activation from anywhere within the smartphone.
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It will be interesting to see how Microsoft gains advantage over Siri and Google Now, considering that native voice services on iOS and Android respectively are considerably more capable of executing tasks than Cortana. For example, Cortana would not have the ability to open an app due to API restrictions on iOS and Android devices.
Unfortunately, Cortana for iOS and Android is currently only available for users in the US. However, Microsoft may be making Cortana available to Malaysian users sooner or later.
(Source: Windows Blog via Ars Technica)
