Cortana, Microsoft's personal digital-assistant, is now available to all Android users. Microsoft just released a beta version of the app on Google Play Monday. This means you no longer need to use windows to take advantage of this digital personal assistant, which has been one of the key selling features of the Windows Platform. According to an article on Forbes, Cortana is a powerful brand for Microsoft and the move to push it into the Android platform may allow Microsoft to challenge Google. Cortana provides easy access to Bing's search engine for web searches, easy access to cloud based tasks, personal information or setting alarms and reminders.
The Cortana app can do most things Cortana does on a PC such as tracking important information and completing tasks aside those mentioned above. The user can also change Cortana's personalized suggestions for nearby restaurants, news, weather updates, sports updates and other information based on the user's interest.
Being on its Beta stage, there are likely a few bugs that Microsoft might still have to address before the app's official release. Aside from that, there are also a few limitations to this app. It has been said the user can't use Cortana to adjust the phone's settings, or launch other apps. Furthermore, the user can't use the "Hey Cortana" command to initiate a query for now but the app can be set up to launch by the home key.
Cortana was initially released to a small number of users in July, now it is available to all Android users who opt in to Microsoft's Beta Program. The beta version is currently available only to those who are in the US but Microsoft is said to have been planning to make it available in more countries in the future. Lastly, it was also reported that a stand alone iOS app is also in the works but Microsoft has not made any update regarding its release.
