Microsoft is bringing its Cortana digital assistant to new markets in China, Canada, UK, Australia and India as a part of its first major update to Windows Phone 8.1.
Microsoft, the world leader in software industry, is looking to secure a prominent place in the global mobile business as it moves toward its "mobile first" strategy. The software giant officially unveiled the first major update to Windows Phone 8.1 in the United States earlier this week and is already pushing the beta version to China and the United kingdom, starting next week. The company is offering its Windows Phone users in Canada, Australia and India with an alpha opt-in version. Cortana will be a major part of the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 in these new countries.
Microsoft is banking on its digital voice assistant Cortana to reign over its rivals Apple and Google. The company also took its first hit against the maker of Siri with a traditional comparison ad, like it has done in the past for its Surface tabs. Cortana boasts unique features such as its natural language skills, the feature which was widely compared with Apple's Siri in its latest advert.
According to a report by The Verge, Cortana in China and the United Kingdom will be different from its United States sibling. The US version of Cortana features a Jen Taylor voice whereas the UK and the Chinese edition will skip that for a more localized experience. Microsoft has a special design with cute eyes for Cortana in China along with slightly tweaked animations and sounds, which will be exclusive to China.
Microsoft has also tweaked Cortana's response for users' specialized queries such as air quality information and local TV show results. For users in Britain, Cortana will gather information from English Premier League, London Stock Exchange information and train / transport updates, the report added. Users in Canada, India and Australia will have the option to select the US or UK edition as a fully localized Cortana isn't available just yet.
The update will be available to developers in these countries starting next week while the public release will be dispatched over the next few months.
Besides Cortana, the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 will also be featuring other updates such as Live Folders, improved Xbox Music app, SMS merging, support for smart cases and more.
