14 DAY TRIAL // Most PC manufacturers out there are getting ready for the big launch of Windows 10 on July 29, but Toshiba is doing it in style, as the company will debut a new series of laptops specifically optimized for the new operating system that will also come with a unique feature.
All Toshiba's Windows 10 laptops will come with a Cortana button on the keyboard, PC World reports, as the PC maker hopes that the majority of users would find the personal assistant helpful on their devices and would be looking for a quick way to launch it.
Cortana will make its way from Windows Phone to Windows 10 PCs, tablets, and smartphones, when the new operating system arrives, and Microsoft included it right in the taskbar for easy access. At the same time, “Hey Cortana,” a feature that allows users to launch the personal assistant with a voice command, will also be offered, so it shouldn't be too hard to open it when needed.
But Toshiba goes one step further and believes that the Cortana key on its laptops would make it even easier to use, so it's betting big on this new feature in the long term.
Where it'll be placed
Jeff Barney, the general manager and vice president for Toshiba America’s PC business, says that the new Cortana key will be placed in the top left corner of the keyboard, near the function keys, so you should be able to quickly press it with your left hand.
Pressing this key will simply wake the digital assistant, so you'll then have to talk to it in order to perform a specific task. Basically, pressing this button will have the same result as clicking the Cortana icon in the taskbar or saying “Hey Cortana,” but it should be particularly useful when typing using the keyboard or running other apps in full screen and clicking the icon is not possible.
In addition, Toshiba will also introduce high-fidelity microphones to make sure that Cortana gets what you say, so the whole experience should be improved on a Toshiba laptop.
Needless to say, it was just a matter of time until someone came up with such an idea, and it's probably just the beginning of a broader change that could also bring us mice and other devices with dedicated keys to help make the most of the new Windows 10 features.