14 DAY TRIAL // Cortana will make its public debut on the desktop with Windows 10, so on July 29, the personal assistant will become available in seven different countries, namely the US, UK, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
But today Microsoft has announced that, soon after the launch of Windows 10, Cortana will also be available for users living in Japan and Australia, as well as for English-speaking Windows Insiders in Canada and India. Later this year, support for Brazil and Mexico will be released too, while Canadians will also get support for French.
“Cortana is customized to reflect the local language, idioms and speech patterns of each country. We craft Cortana’s local personality based on insights about each culture while at the same time staying true to the foundational principles that are universal to all markets: Cortana is positive, confident, intelligent and transparent,” Microsoft's Marcus Ash says.
Localized features
Microsoft has also confirmed that the experience Cortana will provide will be customized for each country, so depending on where you live, it'll get more interesting answers, different personality, and identity.
In the United Kingdom, Cortana will be more sarcastic if “she senses you're fooling around,” while in Italy, the personal assistant will be really proud of national identity and can sing the national anthem if you want her to. In Japan, she will bow when saying hello.
“Cortana is also aware of important cultural touchstones in each market. In France, Cortana celebrates the Cannes Film Festival. In Canada, Cortana loves hockey, and in India, Cortana celebrates cricket star and national hero Sachin Tendulkar,” Microsoft explains.
Cortana will be installed by default in Windows 10 when the new OS launches on July 29, and with support for all these countries to be added soon, expect the number of people who actually use it to increase significantly in the coming months.