Cortana finally arrives on the PC in a testing build

Jan 21, 2015 17:37 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has confirmed that Cortana, the personal assistant previously available on Windows Phone exclusively, will arrive on the PC as well with the release of Windows 10.

Joe Belfiore has demoed at the Windows 10 event today an early build of the upcoming OS that comes with Cortana fully built-in, boasting the same feature lineup as on Windows Phone.

“Hey Cortana” voice activation command is also available, Belfiore has confirmed, so you can launch the personal assistant without touching the mouse or keyboard.

Cortana was already spotted in Windows 10 build 9901, which got leaked in December, but in Microsoft's build the feature seems to be working a bit more smoothly and faster than before.

Cortana can still be launched from the search box integrated into the taskbar and comes with options to manage interests, offer personalized results, and keep an eye on things that you care about the most, including stocks and flights info.

PC-exclusive features for Cortana

At the same time, Cortana has already received some PC-only features, so it can open files on your computer, handle documents, display photos, and can even provide suggestions based on the words you type in the search box.

One neat feature that Belfiore has demoed allows Cortana to play locally stored music with voice commands, so again, you won't have to touch the mouse or keyboard. Everything is performed with voice commands and Cortana can take care of everything. Microsoft has promised to add more such features in the coming months, before the final version of Windows 10 comes out.

Cortana can also send emails, a feature that was until now missing from the version available on Windows Phone.

Belfiore has said that this build is not yet finished, so there still are a lot of things to be improved in this OS and everyone should get them in the next three, four, or five months, as part of the Windows Insider Program.

Cortana on the desktop (4 Images)

Cortana on Windows 10
Cortana on Windows 10Cortana on Windows 10
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