Cortana, the digital assistant that works in a similar way to Siri in Apple products, was introduced to desktop users in the Windows 10 launch. The feature was not available to Australian users initially unless they changed their region and language settings to a supported country such as the United Kingdom. The large November update expanded the availability of Cortana to a number of additional countries including Australia.
Cortana introduces the ability to easily interact with a computer running Windows 10, allowing the user to ask questions relating to topics such as the weather and news, perform web searches and add calendar contents. It can also provide verbal commands for Windows-based tasks such as opening an application. While Cortana is still a work-in-progress for Microsoft, the feature can provide additional support to people with a mobility impairment as it allows for an improved interaction of verbal commands to use key functions of the operating system and the web.
Additional information on the accessibity features in Windows 10 can be found in the Digital Technology section of the Media Access Australia website.
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