New reports indicate that Microsoft is actively planning to offer software requirements to house Cortana on third party IoT devices.
While Apple has revitalized its push into the Internet of Things (IoT) with Siri and iOS 10, Microsoft is similarly preparing to introduce Cortana to a wider world beyond the confines of Windows 10 devices.
As we reported earlier this year, the Windows 10 Creator’s Update will add ‘Home Hub’ – a center for families to use Cortana to network and organize more effectively in their homes. Home Hub will replace the standard Windows 10 lock screen and will provide a canvas for calendars, reminders, and more.
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Now, a new report reveals that Microsoft has met with its manufacturing partners in China, and has outlined software requirements necessary to house the company’s digital assistant on a range of different IoT devices.
That means in future that we might be able to interact with Cortana throughout our homes as we might do with Google Home or Amazon Echo.
Microsoft’s demonstration revealed that it hopes to coerce device manufacturers to incorporate a screen into their devices so that consumers have a point of reference to interact with – a notable change in strategy from the audio-first premise both Google and Amazon have been working with.
Far-field speech communications will arrive in the Windows 10 Creator’s Update, giving certain Windows 10 devices the ability to wake up on voice command and handle queries from across a room.
Should the reports prove true, it’s clear that Microsoft envisions a decentralized home assistant which will leverage multiple devices to handle a user’s queries, rather than resorting to a single device or point of reference.
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What are your thoughts? What home assistant would you prefer to use in your day-to-day? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
