When Microsoft announced that it was bringing Cortana to Android and iOS, I really wanted to try it. I use Google Now often, and I wanted to try other personal assistants as well, without the need of buying a new phone.
A few days ago the first beta of Cortana was leaked, and I installed it on my Nexus 5. Here’s my review.
My thoughts.
I’ve found Google Now to be very useful. It gives me information the moment I need it, like when I have to leave for an appointment. I use Google now to remind me to do stuff as well, Cortana is capable of doing the same. The design is a mashup of Material Design and Metro style and I like it. It has a clean interface that is easy to understand.
Because it’s a Microsoft product, Cortana uses Bing search instead of Google search. I think this isn’t that bad, but I prefer Google search.
Cortana is capable of other things like giving you weather information, information about nearby locations, etc. She does most of the stuff Google Now does.
There are some things that Cortana doesn’t do (yet), like Hotword detection. You can’t say Hey Cortana, like you can in Windows 10 or the Ok Google option in Google Now. Also, Cortana is slower than Google Now, she needs several seconds to give an answer, whereas Google Now gives you an answer almost instantly.
Personality.
What Cortana does better than Google Now, though, is personality. Cortana has one. Her voice is more natural, her answers are quite funny sometimes, and you can ask her to tell you a joke or a story. That isn’t very useful, but I like it, it gives more of a Personal Assistant feeling than Google Now.
Better than Google Now?
No. Not yet. This is a beta after all, and for a beta I find it to be very stable, but it isn’t quite there yet. Things can be changed, like hotword detection and speed improvements. When the final version is out, I will review it and compare it with Google Now a little bit more.
I do like the idea of having Cortana on all of my devices, I have a Windows PC that I will update to Windows 10 when it’s released. I think Microsoft is on it’s way back, and this is a perfect way to do it.
Do you use a personal assistant app?
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