Cortana is Microsoft’s digital assistant. Much like Siri, Alexa, and whoever is talking . This week Microsoft announced a new smart speaker to take on the Google Home and the Amazon Echo called Invoke. The speaker, which is manufactured by Harmon will be powered by Cortana and will have some great features that will set it apart from the other devices.
The business professionals digital assistant
Mainly, this device will be unique in its ability to assist business professionals. Tight integration with Skype, LinkedIn and Office is what will distinguish this device from the more home user center devices of Echo and Google Home. The other advantage Microsoft has is the fact that Cortana is already built into over 500 million active Windows 10 devices. That is a broad user base for a new technology to build from.
You will be able to make and receive Skype calls from the speaker. It will also tell you information about your next appointment contact from their LinkedIn profile. Additionally, you can set an out-of-office on your email, which also marks you as out of the office on your calendar. You can even order a pizza from Dominos for the whole office. Just make sure you secure that somehow. You may end up buying pizzas for the office on a daily basis.
Microsoft doesn’t seem to be stopping with a simple speaker. They also announced at the Build Conference this week that HP and Intel have already signed on to create Cortana-based hardware. We could see small touch screens very soon, much like the recently announced Echo Show. Microsoft wants to provide more ways to access Cortana so it becomes an indispensable tool. I can remember the days before DVR, and how I can’t even imagine how we lived without it! I believe the same thing will soon be thought of these digital assistants. You may just have to decide which assistant you want to go all in with.