As one of the most important new features of Windows 10, it’s not all that surprising that some laptop manufacturers are adding a Cortana button to Windows 10 laptops. Toshiba is currently the only company that’s confirmed to be doing so, but you can expect more to follow suit in the coming months. The key will be in the upper left part of the keyboard and, as I’m sure you guessed, will launch Cortana when pressed.
Cortana will be one of the major features to come to Windows 10, and at least one PC vendor plans to treat her especially well. Toshiba’s Windows 10 laptops will feature a dedicated Cortana button, for launching Microsoft’s digital assistant from your keyboard. The Cortana key will be on all of Toshiba’s Windows 10 PCs—“across the board, top to bottom,” according to Jeff Barney, the general manager and vice president in charge of Toshiba America’s PC business. The key will sit in the upper left area, near the function keys, he said. Triggering it will launch Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant. Cortana was first introduced as part of the Windows Phone platform as a way for users to interact with the operating system without using a keyboard. Tapping and holding the phone’s search key triggers the service, which can respond to oral questions, set reminders, navigate to nearby locations, and perform a number of other tasks when verbally requested. With Windows 10, Cortana will live inside desktop PCs as well as phones and tablets.
