Microsoft Cortana unofficially ported to Android: Official version expected soon

Microsoft's personal digital assistant (PDA) Cortana is currently making its way to more Windows Phones across the world courtesy Redmond's Lumia Denim software update. As of now, the PDA is applicable only to Windows Phone users across the globe, with a port to other operating platforms a possibility.

However, it now seems that Cortana has been ported to rival OSes (to Microsoft's Windows Phone) earlier than expected albeit unofficially.

In a new development, a group of hackers based in Italy have claimed to have ported Cortana to Android.

According to a VentureBeat report, that quotes these hackers who call themselves OrangeSec, Microsoft's PDA on Android is termed "Portana" and was shown off at the recent Droidcon 2015 conference held in Italy.

However, the VentureBeat report cautions Android users from getting too excited about Portana, as the hackers have apparently managed only a basic, backend port that is operational.

Portana was also found to communicate with Android users only in the Italian language, with no offline support thus limiting its capabilities.

Besides, the ported PDA was not found to interface with all Android functionality.

Nonetheless, you can check out Portana in a demo video (apparently released by OrangeSec hackers) below:

Gauging by the video, it seems quite obvious that Portana is simply an unofficial port of Microsoft's PDA onto a rival OS.

Microsoft, in an official statement to VentureBeat, stated that their PDA will provide a fully optimal functionality set only when used officially on a Windows Phone. The Redmond-based company also stated that the full operational version of the PDA will hit desktops and tablets with Windows 10 later in the year.