Cortana Not Coming To Asia Till 2015

I hate to be Debbie Downer here, but while it seems that Cortana might just have what it takes to put Siri in the backstage, users who live in Asia will have to wait till next year to enjoy Microsoft’s new personal digital assistant. While the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update will be rolled out to most devices in the following months, Asians will need a little patience.

This news shouldn’t really come as a surprise, as experience has taught us that not all features (and devices, for that matter) are released in all parts of the world simultaneously. Indeed, even Apple’s Siri was rolled out in stages worldwide.

On another note – and this is not to make us Asians pout in disappointment because we won’t have Cortana this year – Microsoft’s personal digital assistant seems to have a personality all of her own; a personality that really just might get the people behind Siri thinking twice.

The story is that Microsoft has consulted with and used screenwriters to come up with Cortana’s responses. Canned they may be, but witty they surely are.

Try asking Cortana who her daddy is, and she’s supposed to say, “Technically speaking, he’s Bill Gates. No big deal.” (Source)

Nice quip, sure; and I have a feeling Bill Gates has a smile on his face.

More than silly quips, though, Cortana actually has a backstory. We already know that she’s derived from Halo, but the team went further to work on this Cortana’s character so they actually found a balance between fun and useful.

Putting together the best of both worlds – Siri and Google Now – surely was not easy for the team, but the results should be very interesting. The potential of Cortana actually makes me want to try out a Windows Phone, and that is saying a lot!

Windows Phone users, how do you feel about Cortana and her potential?

[Image via The Verge]