Microsoft Cortana now in Indian Accent

Cortana is a voice-controlled virtual assistant for Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1. Comparable to Siri, the intelligent assistant enabled on Apple devices, Microsoft’s Cortana will use the Bing search engine and data stored on the user’s Smartphone by to make personalized recommendations. Users will be able to launch Cortana from the start screen, where the female virtual assistant will offer suggestion for tasks the owner might want to carry out based on location and past behavior. Users can instruct Cortana to find information, schedule appointments, set notifications or remainders and use features of applications installed on the device.

Recently, Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 10 that was released three months ago. As a part of the update, Microsoft has officially released Cortana for users in India. While there have been reports pointing at Cortana delayed for India market, it was made available as Insider preview program.

For now, Cortana will work only in English and Microsoft has made spruced it up to understand Indian accent. Besides, the company has also introduced an Indian voice. It also understands Indian terms such as festivals, India-specific food and popular game of cricket.

The new update also adds the ability to take/write notes in Cortana Notebook and it will also recognize phone number and email address. It will also let you book as well as track Uber. While Cortana, a digital assistant and Siri rival, was announced only for Windows devices, the company earlier these years revealed its plans to bring it to Android as well as the iOS platform. Besides, the new update also introduces bug fixes that enable faster boot time, improved app performance and sync option to Microsoft Edge.

In a post on the official Windows blog early September, Microsoft said “As we shared in July, we have been working very hard to make Cortana available in more markets and languages. Today, we will begin rolling out Cortana to Insiders on Windows 10 Insider Preview builds 10532+ as an optional download to Insiders in Japan and in English for Insiders in Australia and Canada.”

 The post added, “We also have an early version in English for Insiders in India, which will be updated with an improved voice later this month. With these rollouts, we hope to learn a lot from your feedback as we continue to improve the experience and refine it for each market.”