Amazon has shown what its digital personal assistant Alexa is capable of doing by baking it into its Amazon Echo devices. This compelled Google to show off a similar technology in the form of Google Home. Microsoft is said to be taking a slightly different approach. A new report claims that Microsoft is developing a new feature called HomeHub that will be introduced with major Windows 10 updates due next year.
It’s said that HomeHub is going to “crush” Google Home and Amazon Echo. HomeHub is said to run on any Windows 10 PC and will enable Cortana to respond from the lockscreen to provide information and handle tasks.
So HomeHub will basically enable users to transform their Windows 10 PCs into devices not unlike the Amazon Echo and Google Home, the obvious advantage here is that they will not have to spend extra money to buy additional hardware, they will be able to use the PC that they already have.
Microsoft is also said to be experimenting with the idea of a Welcome Screen for HomeHub which will basically transform the PC’s display into a virtual fridge door as the new feature will create a family environment for PCs.
Cortana is going to be at the center of it all since it’s Microsoft’s virtual personal assistant and the integration will enable it to provide some HomeHub features on iOS and Android as well.
Microsoft is expected to introduce this new feature with major Windows 10 updates next year but it’s said that HomeHub shouldn’t be expected with the Windows 10 Creators Update due early 2017.
Filed in . Read more about Amazon Echo, Microsoft and Windows 10.