Post #256

“Cortana, Open Alexa”, Amazon says. And Microsoft agrees. Amazon and Microsoft announced something of a curveball this morning as they released plans to integrate Alexa and Cortana, their respective voice-activated digital assistants. Later this year, consumers will be able to request Cortana support through Alexa-powered devices, such as Amazon’s range of Echo smart speakers, while those using a Cortana-enabled device will be able to beckon Alexa. To activate Alexa through Cortana, you would say: “Hey Cortana, open Alexa,” and vice versa when using an Alexa-powered device, such as an Amazon Echo. Then you could, for example, order groceries through Amazon from your Windows 10 PC, or activate Cortana on your Echo to find out when your next meeting is from your Outlook calendar. By pooling their resources, the duo could go some way toward elevating their collective AI smarts over that of rivals. Your move, Apple and Google. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/technology/amazon-alexa-microsoft-cortana.html