- Aug 16, 2018
The Alexa Cortana Integration is now Available
In an effort to integrate voice assistants Cortana and Alexa, Microsoft has launched a public preview of the integration on August 15. This will allow Alexa device owners to use Cortana and call Alexa using Cortana in Windows 10 devices. Customers can preview this feature but some may not be able to gain access, as the feature will roll out in the coming days.
This integration was announced in May 2018 at a Microsoft event, but both Amazon and Microsoft hadn't announced a date for the same. However, now the companies are ready for consumers to test out this Alexa-Cortana collaboration.
Customers who wish to try this feature will be able to call Cortana using their Amazon Echo devices. They can use Cortana to access some productivity features like managing calendars and emails. Users of Windows 10 devices can ask Alexa to manage their Amazon account as well shop through Amazon. It will also allow users to access Alexa’s third-party skills. More features are expected to be added after the first roll out. Microsoft team expects to gain feedback to improve future versions of this integrated feature.
When this feature was first announced, it wasn't well received and many people were sceptical of how it would all work. However, during its first demo, it was made clear that the integration was very simple and user friendly. One could use an Amazon Echo device and call Cortana and use it to issue further commands without having to say 'Cortana' for each subsequent task.
This is not the only way, the two tech giants have collaborated. Some Microsoft PCs are also being shipped with Alexa voice assistant. However, the popularity of Cortana is less as compared to its competitors like Alexa and Google Assistant. Hopefully, this integration may increase the usage of Cortana.
Read more at techcrunch.com