14 DAY TRIAL // Cortana finally arrived on the desktop with Windows 10 build 9926, but together with this feature, Microsoft also introduced a new option that's also eagerly awaited by those with a Windows Phone device.
Starting with this build, users can launch the personal assistant by simply saying “Hey Cortana” and then speak the command they wish her to perform on the computer, such as searching the web, showing the weather forecast, sending an email, or posting a tweet.
This option can be easily turned on from Cortana's settings screen, but at this point it still seems to be in its early days of life, so performance might be more or less below expectations.
The best way to use it is to say “Hey Cortana” and the voice command right after that, without waiting for Cortana to launch, as it turns out that there are some delays right now that affect the voice recognition system performance.
On the other hand, Cortana clearly comes in handy when trying to perform certain tasks without touching your mouse or keyboard, so it's definitely a good addition to an operating system that's already impressive thanks to the amount of changes it comes with.
Keep in mind that Cortana is still in development right now on the PC, so don't be too harsh with her if she doesn't do exactly what you expect.
“Hey Cortana” is also available on Windows Phone devices and is part of the Lumia Denim update that's currently shipping to smartphones worldwide.
