Leaked screenshots and video acquired by blog WinBeta show a sneak peek at Cortana running on the upcoming Windows 10 operating system by Microsoft.
It has been months since the launch of the Windows Technical Preview to the general public, and these screenshots and video are the first time that Cortana can be seen operating on a desktop computer.
The virtual assistant Cortana has long been known to be included in Windows 10. However, the screenshots and video that WinBeta acquired are not of the final version of the product, but rather of only its pre-release form. There are several components of Cortana that can be seen that are not yet finished in the leaked screenshots and video, including the product's user interface. Once Cortana for Windows 10 is unveiled to the public, though, users can be sure that it would be looking much better than what it looks like now.
The Windows 10 version of Cortana is capable of doing whatever the version for the Windows Phone can. Included in its functionality are setting reminders, calling up people using Skype, identifying the user's location, accessing maps, playing back music files, launching installed apps, checking the weather, and many more.
WinBeta believes that Jen Taylor is still the voice actor behind Cortana's responses. However, similarly to the version for the Windows Phone, there are some instances when Cortana will revert to speaking with a robotic voice. Cortana had little trouble in understanding what the testers are saying, which is a huge plus for the program.
However, one thing glaringly absent from the Windows 10 version sneak peek is the personality of Cortana. The program is not able to answer questions such as "Who are you?" However, WinBeta believes that the personality that has made Cortana so endearing to its users will be included once Windows 10 is publicly released.
Another thing that is not available with Cortana is a hands-free method of activating the program. Such a feature would be very useful if the user is doing several things at once. If the feature is not included in the final version of the product, users could send in a request to Microsoft to add the feature through the Windows Feedback app.
Cortana is now also being rolled out in Spain, France, Italy and Germany to users that are under the Windows Phone Develop Preview Program, expanding Microsoft's presence for the product which is being viewed as an integral part of Microsoft's future strategy.
Cortana, which has been tagged as Microsoft's "Siri killer," recently released a commercial that features how superior Cortana is compared with Siri, which only "got bigger" when Apple released its iPhone 6 smartphone. The commercial featured capabilities of Cortana that Siri is not able to perform.
