Microsoft has today announced that all Australians will now be able to use Cortana, the digital personal assistant on Windows 10 and competitor to Apple’s Siri. Previously, this feature was only available to those part of the Windows 10 Insider Program or by changing your settings to say you were from the United States.
According to Microsoft, the Australian version of Cortana has been customised to include knowledge about the country, such as landmarks and people. As well, just like the Australian version of Siri, the Australian version of Cortana will feature a local accent.
“Designing an intelligent personal assistant for new markets requires abandoning a ‘one-size fits all’ approach, instead embracing local culture, humour and points of interest,” Marcus Ash, the group program manager for Cortana, said.
“We recognise this in the development of Cortana, so our local teams talk to real users, study the culture and we adjust Cortana’s personality accordingly to ensure she is everything Australian’s want in a personal assistant.”
Cortana will also be coming to Japan, Canada and India (in English). To activate the feature, you will need to install the major update to Windows 10 – which also came out today.