We are pretty confident that by now most of you have met Cortana. And if you haven't had the chance to, it is now easier than ever thanks to an early leaked APK of the Android version, Microsoft promised a while back. The upbeat voice assistance can already be found on most current Windows Phone devices, but with the coming of Windows 10, Microsoft has really been working hard to make it smarter and even richer in character.

Cortana does seem to stand out in some ways from competitors like Google Now and Siri, partially because of her "personal approach" to being an assistant, but also due to the dev team's desire to make a true cross-platform app, that is always there to help and seamlessly syncs across your digital world. The idea definitely breaks away from the current platform-exclusivity of most voice assistance but for the grand plan to pan out, the native apps of Android and iOS have to be simple and easy to use, yet powerful hubs for Cortana.

We are yet to see any sign of Cortana on an Apple device, but, as promised, the Android beta is already here and despite a few rough edges it is a spectacularly fluent experience. We had the chance to play around with the app for a while and see how it measure up to the likes of Google Now and Siri and can safely say that Microsoft has done a splendid job. It is a beta build and we can't really say if it was intentionally set loose to the public for some feedback or simply managed to slip through the cracks, but either way, it is pretty functional and already seems almost ready for a public release.

We really encourage you to check out the linked APK for yourself and here is what you can expect. The app's main interface is quite reminiscent of Google Now. It is full of info cards and links to things Cortana has deemed interesting based on your preferences. Naturally, this feed can be modified, as well as most everything else the assistant knows about you. Microsoft takes pride in how straight-forward the process is - there is the Notebook, in which Cortana stores all the info it has on you, as well as the data and accounts it has been granted access to - all editable! The promise is that this personal profile will synch across the whole Cortana ecosystem, so every one of your devices will be just as familiar with you.

As far as actual voice functionality goes, Cortana is already pretty up to par with its rivals. It can set alarms, find quick snippets of information online, check the forecast, message or call your friends and many more. It is not quite as powerful as what has been demoed to us on Windows 10, but still incredibly impressive.

Once again, hit the link and see Cortana in Action for yourself it is a pretty fun experience and a quick glance at what the future of smart personal assistants.

Source (OneDrive download link) | Via