14 DAY TRIAL // One of the main features that Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.1 operating system was announced with is Cortana, a digital personal assistant that allows users to easily interact with their devices by means of voice alone.
It was made official in early April, when Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 8.1, and it is already officially available for users in the United States, and unofficially for those in other markets too, as long as they change their location settings.
For the time being, Cortana is only in a beta flavor, but it is receiving fine touches every day and is expected to be announced as a final product sooner rather than later.
In fact, Microsoft appears set to provide Windows Phone 8.1 users with constant updates for Cortana, and a recent article on Engadget claims that these will arrive twice a month.
Should other updates be needed, Microsoft is determined to deliver them outside this schedule, so as to resolve burning issues as fast as possible, it seems.
The best part of the deal is that the update will take place server-side, and that users will need to do nothing in order to receive the refreshed Cortana experience.
Although available only in the US for the time being, Cortana will arrive on other markets as well in the not-too-distant future, it seems.
At the moment, Microsoft is working on making it available in the UK and China, but it might soon consider expanding its availability to more markets around the world.
However, it seems that the company is facing some issues with accurately translating Cortana from English to Chinese (the same will certainly apply to other languages as well).
The main problem here is the fact that it is not looking to only translate it word for word, but also to port its personality to the specific market, so as to ensure a great experience to all users. In fact, Microsoft also confirmed that Cortana would arrive overseas with a different voice.
Overall, Cortana has already managed to prove a worthy competitor for Apple’s Siri, and Microsoft appears determined to ensure that it will climb up to the top and that it will remain there.
For that, of course, a lot of work will be needed, so it’s no surprise that Microsoft is planning twice-a-month updates for the service. Stay tuned to learn more on Cortana’s availability overseas, as well as on any new features that it might receive.