Cortana comes to Android
Microsoft isn't content to let Cortana exist solely on Windows devices, it wants to see its personal digital assistant spread its wings to Android and iOS, too. With that in mind, Microsoft today opened up beta access to Cortana for Android to the general public.
There are several changes since the closed beta, one of which is the ability to configure Cortana to load in place of Google Now when long-pressing the home button in Android. However, you still can't wake Cortana up in Android by saying, "Hey Cortana," a feature that's still only available in Windows (for now), nor can it open apps for you. Those things require deeper hooks into Android.
Otherwise, Cortana on Android isn't all that different than on Windows. You can use Cortana to perform web searches, set alarms and reminders, look up local restaurants, and so forth.
If you want to kick Cortana's tires on Android, you first have to sign up for the public beta -- don't worry, it's a painless process that consists of clicking a button (go here). Once you've done that, you can download Cortana for Android from Google Play. It may take a few minutes to show up in Google Play after signing up for the beta, so keep trying if you get an error message.
Note that the beta is only available to users in the U.S. at the moment. If you do decide to give it a try, let us know what you think of it in the comments section.
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