Microsoft's much-touted Cortana virtual assistant is apparently ready to make its debut in the UK and China very soon, in just a few weeks.
Apple has Siri for its iOS devices, Google has its Google Now service for Android devices, and not so long ago Microsoft finally launched its own digital assistant for Windows Phone. Called Cortana, this digital assistant is the company's answer to Siri and Google Now.
For now, however, Cortana is only available to Windows Phone users in the U.S., but that is about to change soon. According to a Microsoft staffer responsible for managing Cortana, the Windows Phone digital assistant is just weeks away from reaching users in the UK and China as well.
More specifically, the folks over at WinBeta News stumbled upon an exciting tweet from Marcus Ash, group program manager for Cortana on Windows Phone. The tweet reveals that at least two new launches are imminent.
"Making #Cortana available in the UK and China will happen very soon. Weeks not months," Ash said in a tweet on Sunday, June 15.
This is surely good news for Windows Phone users worldwide, not just the UK and China, as it signals that Microsoft is finally ready for its Cortana to make a wider debut. If it's about to hit these two countries within the next few weeks, it shouldn't be too long before it makes a debut in more regions across the world.
Meanwhile, some recent rumors have suggested that Cortana may also be making its way to Android and iOS, but that doesn't seem to be the case. In a series of other tweets leading up to this announcement for the UK and China, Ash also explained that Microsoft is dedicated to developing and improving the service for Windows Phone devices for now, before it even considers creating versions for rival platforms such as iOS and Android.
"We are in Beta and we are in the US and we know before we do anything else we need to scale and get Cortana out to more customers," Ash told Microsoft-centric blog WPCentral in a separate comment.
It remains unclear for now just when Cortana will make a wider debut in more regions across the world, but for now Windows Phone users in the UK and China can expect a nice treat coming their way soon. Ash offered no exact timeframe for when Cortana will roll out, but we'll keep you up to date as soon as more information becomes available.
