14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has released the very first beta of the Cortana app for Windows 10 in the Microsoft Store, pretty much separating the digital assistant from the operating system.
Windows 10 shipped with Cortana pre-installed, and improvements for the digital assistant were released as part of updates that the company published for the operating system.
By moving it to the Microsoft Store, Microsoft can now release updates for Cortana straight through the Microsoft Store, which basically means that the software giant can accelerate the work on refining the digital assistant and ship updates at a much faster cadence.
Same features as the built-in Cortana
This is an approach that Microsoft at some point wanted to use for the original version of Microsoft Edge too, but this idea was eventually abandoned, and the browser remained a part of Windows 10. Microsoft is now working on porting Microsoft Edge to the Chromium engine, the same one that powers Google Chrome browser.
As for Cortana, Microsoft says this Microsoft Store version comes with the same features as the one that’s bundled in Windows 10.
“As an intelligent assistant, Cortana will find all kinds of info, give you weather and traffic updates, and help you search the web. But Cortana will also get to know you better all the time. Cortana will help track and find the things you’re passionate about, like your favorite artists or sports teams, to give you better recommendations and updates,” the company says on the Cortana product page in the Microsoft Store.
It’ll be interesting to see how often Microsoft wants to update Cortana now that the digital assistant is published in the Microsoft Store, but keep in mind that this first release is still a beta, so there’s a lot of work that needs to be done here before it’s ready for all users.