Artificially intelligent programs joining forces and conspiring against the humans have always been the usual stuff for churning out many sci-fi horror series. The same is being played out in the real world though fortunately for us, it is man-made. Microsoft’s Cortana will henceforth collaborate with Amazon’s Alexa as the two companies seek to make the most of the two digital assistants’ capabilities.
This makes for a unique development, the kind of which the tech world has never seen before. While companies of the likes of Apple or Google have been busy wooing us with the unique capabilities of Siri and Google Assistant and what all it can achieve, we have never thought of them collaborating behind the scenes to get our job done.
That said, it still is a matter of speculation as to what extent Cortana and Alexa will be collaborating. We will get to know more of it only after December, which is when the integration is likely to be complete. The only bit known so far is that anyone seeking assistance from Cortana via Alexa will have to use the phrase, ‘Alexa, open Cortana’. Similarly, if you are seeking Alexa through Cortana, you need to use the phrase, ‘Cortana, open Alexa’.
Amazon is again among the pioneers in this field, being the first to launch an Alexa powered smart speaker system and is set to launch its second generation of Echo speakers soon. Microsoft, on the other hand, is just about to launch its first Cortana powered smart speaker, one that has been designed by Harman Kardon.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Such a move though has not been a sudden development. In fact, it started back in May 2016 when Jeff Bezos first mooted the idea to Satya Nadella. Surely it makes for a lot of sense given that consumers will have a bigger AI expertise to tap into than would have been possible with either Cortana or Alexa alone.
Also, both Microsoft and Amazon too have a lot to gain given the two different focus areas they operate in. While Microsoft is mainly attached to the personal computing segment, Amazon has its genes in online retail even though it has off late strived to evolve into a true blue tech firm with their own cloud business and all.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
No wonder, each of the digital assistants – Cortana and Alexa – are designed to attend to their maker’s own user base. For instance, Alexa will be more adept at placing an order on Amazon than say searching for a file, something that Cortana can pull off at ease. That said, both Cortana and Alexa can be equally efficient in pulling off a variety of other tasks as well, like playing a specific song or booking the cab and such.
Now with Cortana and Alexa coming together, the consumers will be the biggest beneficiaries as they instantly have a bigger sphere of AI expertise to tap into. Maybe this is going to be the way the future is going to shape up, with even Google and Apple joining in too even though it seems very much unlikely at the moment.
Quick Recap
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- MEET ECHO SPOT - A sleek smart alarm clock with Alexa and big vibrant sound. Ready to help you wake up, wind down, and so much more.
- CUSTOMIZABLE SMART CLOCK - See time, weather, and song titles at a glance, control smart home devices, and more. Personalize your display with your favorite clock face and fun colors.
- BIG VIBRANT SOUND - Enjoy rich sound with clear vocals and deep bass. Just ask Alexa to play music, podcasts, and audiobooks. See song titles and touch to control your music.
- EASE INTO THE DAY - Set up an Alexa routine that gently wakes you with music and gradual light. Glance at the time, check reminders, or ask Alexa for weather updates.
- KEEP YOUR HOME COMFORTABLE - Control compatible smart home devices. Just ask Alexa to turn on lights or touch the screen to dim. Create routines that use motion detection to turn down the thermostat as you head out or open the blinds when you walk into a room.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
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- Meet Echo Dot Max: Experience rich room-filling sound that automatically adapts to your space and fine-tunes playback. Features a built-in smart home hub and Omnisense technology for highly personalized experiences.
- Music to your ears: With nearly 3x the bass versus Echo Dot (2022 release), it fits beautifully in any space, delivering your personal sound stage with deep bass and enhanced clarity. Listen to streaming services, such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and SiriusXM. Encore!
- Do more with device pairing: Connect compatible Echo smart speakers and smart displays in different rooms, or pair with a second Echo Dot Max to enjoy even richer sound. Pair your Echo Dot Max with compatible Fire TV devices to create a home theater system that brings scenes to life.
- Simple smart home control: Set routines, pair and control lights, locks, and thousands of smart home devices that work with Alexa without needing a separate smart home hub. With Omnisense technology, you can activate routines via temperature or presence detection.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot Max doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
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