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We've been expecting Cortana to get smart home integrations on the PC for awhile now, so this isn't the most surprising news. Still, Microsoft hasn't officially announced this update, and we've reached out for more information on when it will roll out to everyone and what services will be compatible. We know that HP is building its own Cortana-powered smart speaker but that's still shrouded in mystery. Other partners including Intel, Qualcomm, Allwinner, Synaptics and Tonly are helping to build reference designs for Cortana in the home too. More, Cortana is now working with IFTTT, a free platform now helps 600 services and apps connect together. The integration even enables users to customize their own phrases to use with services on IFTTT.
Philips Hue is an incredible smart lighting system that basically works with everything. Cortana can directly interact with it, but there are official apps and third-party apps alike available across iOS, Android and Windows. The only smart speaker you can buy right now with Cortana integration, but also only costs $99. The speaker part is superb, harman/kardon's hardware both looks and sounds excellent. Even though we may finally be close to seeing the Cortana-enabled Harman Kardon Invoke speaker arrive in stores, Microsoft is still lagging behind its rivals in the smart home race.
Cortana old skills
What is official is Cortana integration, so you can use voice actions on your Invoke, phone or PC to interact with your thermostat. We are also excited to share that starting today, Cortana works with IFTTT! IFTTT is a free platform that helps you connect your apps and services together.
Since you have more time now, there is also a little food court one level above the check-in counters in T2. Cortana uses natural language processing so, like the other AI assistants, you should be able to have a conversation with it rather than barking specific commands. For instance, it knows that "I need a taxi" and "call me a cab" mean the same thing. Microsoft reckons 145 million people already use Cortana, and it does have some advantages over the rest; for instance, it integrates with Microsoft software, which could be really useful for work planning. The announcement comes just as Insteon is starting to sell its home-automation products and starter kits in Microsoft Stores across the US. Insteon products are also available online in places like Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Cortana now works with hundreds of services on IFTTT
Geeni’s smart bulbs and power products work with Cortana, and its smart surge protector even lets you name and control each outlet separately or in groups with Cortana. Before the update, Cortana could control smart home devices, such as Nest, Wink, Insteon, SmartThings, Philips Hue, TP-Link Smart Plugs, and Honeywell Thermostats. This virtual assistant used to work with smart devices, but that's not the case anymore. The metallic-looking Invoke comes in two colours – Pearl Silver and Graphite Black – and features a blue, glowing light on the top.
Unless they turn off the Windows automatic update to keep using the old Windows version. Now, Cortana's mission is to help people with their daily needs. These five services aren’t a bad start, but hopefully we’ll see even more be added to Cortana in the near future.
Insteon
For instance, “Hey Cortana, let there be light” can be the trigger command for turning all lights off in the house. Insteon isn't saying exactly when the Cortana rollout will occur, except to promise it sometime within the next few months. This could set up for a bit of a showdown with Siri, as Apple is promising voice-control support for smart-home devices through HomeKit, set to be released this fall as part of iOS 8. A promised update to Insteon's Windows Phone app will introduce voice controls for smart-home devices. The Kasa ecosystem includes light switches, bulbs, smart plugs and cameras. Besides being able to activate all of the with Cortana and your voice, the companion app can be used to set smart programs for things to turn on and off without you needing to talk or lift a finger.
Once all of that is done, Cortana can use what it knows about your preferences and schedule to tweak recommendations and experiences. This space is already pretty crowded with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri jostling for our attention, and playing nice with pretty much every gadget and appliance we might allow into our apartments or houses. So Microsoft has plenty of catching up to do and it's not level yet.
LIFX has a variety of different bulbs starting with the $25 dimmable white bulb, but also has color changing options as well as LED strips to get the lighting setup of your dreams just right. Insteon has been Windows-friendly for a few years now so it's great to see the company's products supporting Cortana integration. There's a hub at the center of everything to which you can pair bulbs, sensors, alarms and more.
Their Wi-Fi-connected surge-protected smart power strip, for example, allows you to name and control outlets individually or as a single combined outlet. Once you've connected your Nest account with Cortana on your PC or smartphone, you can use voice control to interact with your thermostat. Cortana helps make your life easier by making it easy to control your smart home devices from afar. No problem, just pull out your phone, open the Cortana app and say, “Hey Cortana, turn off the lights,” and she’ll take care of it for you. According to Windows Central, the Connected Home feature is also available on Windows 10 Mobile, so you may be able to try it if you're one of the few people using a Windows phone.
There's no hub required, just a connection to your home network. And the products are affordable, too, with the power strip costing just $40. Nest is probably the one smart thermostat product most people recognize, and thankfully Cortana has support for the Works with Nest program built in. Using IFTTT, you will be able to customize your experience by creating your own phrases to use with services on IFTTT.
The Invoke has full access to the Cortana smart home skills which means any device you can hook Cortana up to you can control in your home with your voice. Ask Cortana to turn on the lights or turn the thermostat up and it will oblige. Just tap Cortana on your PC and say “Hey Cortana, set the living room thermostat to 72 degrees” to control your ecobee, Honeywell Lyric, or Honeywell Total Connect Comfort thermostat. With vivid colors from your LIFX Wi-Fi connected light bulbs, you can set the mood just right for movie night.
Cortana was the voice control that powered the Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker. Yet, Microsoft recently pulled support for Cortana on iOS and Android devices outside of the U.S. last year, including the U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany and four more countries. Addressing Cortana as "Insteon," users will be able to tell the virtual assistant to do things like turn connected appliances on and off, blast the air conditioning, or run pre-programmed lighting scenes. Windows users are already able to monitor and control their Insteon devices directly from customizable Live Tiles on their phones, tablets, and PCs. Cortana could control many third-party smart home devices, from Honeywell thermostats to TP-Link smart plugs, but that integration also appears now to be ending. Even more, Microsoft will end all support for Cortana in older versions of Window, so not updating to the latest software to keep Cortana working is not going to be possible.
The longest wait will usually be at the baggage claim, that used to take up to 50 minutes sometimes (pre-covid). As a result now I have no idea what time I can advise my friend to pick me up outside the airport. Competing brands have also made great strides in these segments, confirming the trend that these are the true technologies of the future. We can now register reminders and configure several categories in the “Notebook” section, so as to make our preferences and settings known to Cortana, thus having a more efficient and personal mode of operation. A nice and convenient feature is Skills Chaining, which allows Cortana to link together common actions.
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