Bringing Cortana to the Kitchen

echo-hero-cortana

Later this month, Microsoft is hosting an event in NYC where it is widely expected that the company will be announcing a Surface AIO and while I eagerly wait to see what they have behind the curtain for that product to differentiate it from other devices, that’s not what I really want the Surface team to build. There is a new type of computing device that is quickly growing in popularity and it lives in the kitchen, has no screen, and is controlled by your voice.

Amazon cracked open this market with the Echo and ever since I purchased one, I have used it nearly every day. Everything from playing music, setting timers, asking basic questions, grocery lists to setting reminders; I (and my wife too) am surprised at how much we use this thing. And with Google entering this market, it’s about to become a crowded field but the one device I really want is one with Cortana built in.

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Microsoft, at nearly every event it hosts, talks about its machine learning and voice dictation capabilities and I’d love to see them bring more of this technology directly to the consumer. The company has a huge cloud service that can translate Wikipedia in less than a second, a voice assistant on the desktop and phone that can understand natural language and the most useful place to put all this technology is in the kitchen.

Bringing Cortana into the kitchen solves many of the issues I have with the Echo; the device works in a silo from all my other gadgets. Sure, there is an awful Amazon Echo app for my phone but what I really want is reminders to sync across everything that I use. Putting Cortana in the kitchen means any data absorbed there will show up on my PC and my phone; Google doesn’t offer this nor does Amazon.

The kitchen PC doesn’t need a screen, nor do I want it to have one. I often cook with my toddler and when she is holding a bottle of olive oil, no surface is safe from overspray or just the general nature at which a toddler carelessly tosses around liquids. My Echo has been knocked over, covered in flour, hit with crayons and it keeps on pumping out music and instructions without any fault. Adding a screen to this setup would be a huge mistake for me and it defeats the purpose of the device anyway.

I could likely build one of these devices too; a small headless PC with a microphone and Windows 10 could get the job done but that’s a messy setup and not optimized for the loud kitchen environment.

Here’s my honest fear about Microsoft bringing Cortana to the kitchen. Microsoft is generally a smart company but their biggest problem is timing. Far too often they are either way too early (tablet PCs) or late to the market (Windows mobile reboot) and if the company does not get this product out the door quickly, it will find itself far behind Amazon and now Google. There are also rumors out there that Apple is looking to enter this space too which further adds to the urgency to get a product out the door before every other competitor is already selling devices in the market.

In the back of my mind, I secretly hope that at the event in NYC on the 26th Microsoft announces a device like this. Unfortunately, there are no rumors of a product like this at the event but Microsoft occasionally can keep a secret (Hololens).

I will admit that I am often pessimistic about Microsoft building new hardware like a watch or a Surface phone as I don’t see the market need for those devices but the kitchen PC makes a lot of sense for how the company views the future of the PC. If Microsoft is going to build a device like this, they need to do it now and not two years after Google releases the first iteration of its kitchen PC.

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Conversation 68 comments

  • 157

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 9:43 am

    <p>Agreed! Let’s start a list of must-have apps. Starting with kitchen-related use cases:</p>
    <p>Cortana, put eggs on my shopping list. Response: I’ve added eggs to your shopping list.</p>
    <p>Cortana, print my shopping list. Response: Shall I print your shopping list on the HP printer (I see wirelessly connected to the same wifi network)? Note: this use case is important because my wife currently manages her shopping list on paper in a&nbsp;page-a-day organizer.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>

    • 1292

      13 October, 2016 - 11:00 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20484">In reply to ken_loewen:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Time to introduce your wife to a smartphone. </p>

  • 127

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 9:45 am

    <p>Yes, would&nbsp;love such a device. Together with Wunderlist integration etc.</p>

    • 699

      13 October, 2016 - 9:59 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20486">In reply to Bart:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>And OneNote Integration, obviously.</p>

      • 514

        14 October, 2016 - 8:20 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#20496">In reply to bbold:</a> bart;</em></blockquote>
        <blockquote><em>If you had an echo, it can connect with IFTTT which has recipes for both Wunderlist, and OneNote (:grin)</em></blockquote>
        <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 455

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 9:46 am

    <p>Great article, and while I wholeheartedly agree with your premise, for this to be a reality, it will have to be designed for&nbsp;cafeterias, not kitchens.&nbsp; Or maybe desks?&nbsp; Because Microsoft isn’t making consumer hardware anymore, or at least it’s bailing on all the consumer hardware it has made, so this is basically impossible in the current focus for them.&nbsp; If the Band got cancelled, which at least had applications in the Enterprise from a productivity and even security standpoint (if they ended up including RFID and/or integrated it with Windows Hello), this has far less applications to the enterprise.</p>
    <p>Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to see it just like you, but I’m starting to accept the reality of the new MS…when I’m wearing my consumer hat, they’re no where in sight.</p>

    • 1292

      13 October, 2016 - 10:59 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20488">In reply to JHeredia:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Last time I looked MS was still making Xbox, and they have been opening more retail stores, not closing them. Get your head out of the Apple store and look around, they are just down the hall! ;)</p>

      • 455

        Premium Member
        13 October, 2016 - 11:12 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#20513">In reply to FreeJAC:</a></em></blockquote>
        <p>Fair enough, Xbox is consumer, and seems to be chugging right along.&nbsp; The retail stores -&nbsp;I have absoloutely no idea what’s to think about with them…are they really consumer focused?&nbsp; Sure, there’s an Xbox corner, and a VR corner to test out, but if MS keeps bailing on consumer products…can we really call the store a push into the consumer market?</p>
        <p>Oh, and for the record, I have literally NEVER set a foot into an Apple store. :)&nbsp; I’m 100% MS in everything I own and use…though I currently also have a Garmin on my wrist as I try to find a suitible replacement for the Band.</p>

        • 1292

          13 October, 2016 - 12:13 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#20518">In reply to JHeredia:</a></em></blockquote>
          <p>Absolutely they are. There are classes at the back of the store, there are signature PCs a plenty to choose from. Consumers get free anti-virus removal and adhoc training. They host might night launches of big AAA game titles. Ear buds, mice, keyboards. Xbox controller design lab station. Stores are always full. Or at least mine is. During the big W10 upgrade push. IF you brought your PC in to get it upgraded for free and if they couldn’t do it, they would give you a new W10 Dell laptop for free. Those stores are 100% consumer focused.</p>
          <p>I’ve been to an Apple store once. Once to buy an iPod Touch to replace my iPod Mini.</p>

          • 5394

            13 October, 2016 - 12:54 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#20542">In reply to FreeJAC:</a></em></blockquote>
            <p>We were talking about Cortana. None of that helps if the consumer doesn’t use Cortana. Selling equipment by itself doesn’t mean much to consumers who are increasingly using their smartphones to do their computing. PCs are less consumer friendly. They are useful for work and school. I don’t get why someone needs to buy an Xbox to run Cortana, which many can’t since Kinect is no longer included with most bundles. In trying to make the case for the consumer, it isn’t helpful if their products are still PC centric that for the most part lacks a microphone.</p>

  • 486

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 9:47 am

    <p style="text-align: left;">I would appreciate a screen in the kitchen, too–for recipes–but I’d like it to fold out of the way under a cupboard.</p>

    • 5349

      Premium Member
      13 October, 2016 - 10:10 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20489">In reply to Care:</a> integrate with hololens and you can have your recipe float around the stovetop. lol</em></blockquote>
      <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 545

    13 October, 2016 - 10:00 am

    <p>I can’t wait to have another Microsoft consumer technology to get me excited and then be dropped by MS. Hello Zune, Windows Phone, Band 2&nbsp; :-(</p>

    • 412

      Premium Member
      13 October, 2016 - 1:04 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20497">In reply to Sarge:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Feeling your pain as I am embracing a Microsoft/Google/Android/Amazon/Plex life…</p>

  • 5783

    13 October, 2016 - 10:05 am

    <p>Other than windows on my pc’s and tablets (a dying breed) Microsoft is honestly starting to become dead to me as a consumer. Even in the enterprise they’re being supplanted for LOB apps. Yeah, there’s still Exchange, Lync, and Office.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>So much promise and potential. But they’re abandoned the consumer market after attempting to pioneer. I remember taking lunch breaks and touring the Smart Home concept way back in the 90’s back in building #4 – or somewhere around there. Even in the 2000s they were still dreaming.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>If only they could actually turn some of the money they’ve poured into Research into actual and real products.</p>

    • 6614

      13 October, 2016 - 2:51 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20498">In reply to yaddamaster:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Panay would tell you ms is focused on helping users be productive in getting their work done. In otherwords if your a consumer who doesnt want to be reminded of work when you use ms products your not our customer go talk to one of our "partners"</p>

  • 699

    13 October, 2016 - 10:11 am

    <p>According to yourself and Paul, the hardware market for Microsoft&nbsp;may be a dead end. Since they cancelled the Band 3 and delayed any other Surface Pro or Book updates until next year, I feel like they wouldn’t release anything like an Echo at all. Too costly and too competitive in the market. We can file this under "Wishful Thinking Devices." Hey, that sounds like a great podcast show topic, what do you think, Brad? :)</p>

    • 442

      13 October, 2016 - 12:17 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20500">In reply to bbold:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>More like too late to the party again, just like Windows Phone and Zune.&nbsp; A Cortana device will likely fail because of the same issue.&nbsp; Band is leaving because that market is dead anyway.&nbsp; Most fitness trackers have seen a steady decline in sales and interest.</p>

  • 2742

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 10:12 am

    <p>Unfortunately, Brad, you could not build a small headless PC to replicate Echo, you can’t even put a full blown PC/laptop in your kitchen to replicate Echo.&nbsp; Today, Cortana is a generalized assistant vs an optimized home assistant.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Yes, I know a Windows 10 PC, or god forbid phone, can respond to &ldquo;Hey Cortana&rdquo;, and I do use this for specific tasks, but it in no way comes close to the optimization Amazon has done with Alexa for a home/kitchen assistant.&nbsp; Here&rsquo;s a few examples:&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Shopping Lists: Alexa can add things to your Amazon/Echo shopping list (yes, I&rsquo;d prefer this be added to either EverNote or OneNote, whichever I choose) , just try saying &ldquo;Hey Cortana, add peanut butter to shopping list&rdquo;.</p>
    <p>Timers: You can set multiple timers with Alexa, very typical when you&rsquo;re cooking a meal, and when you ask how much time is left she intelligently asks &ldquo;do you mean the 10 minute timer or the 20 minute timer?&rdquo; (ideally, you could name each timer with something&nbsp;like &ldquo;Carrots&rdquo; and &ldquo;Chicken&rdquo; but that will come).&nbsp; With Cortana you can only set one timer.</p>
    <p>Music:&nbsp; With Cortana you can say &ldquo;play Bruce Springsteen&rdquo; and she will play from Groove Music, but if you ask her to &ldquo;play NPR radio&rdquo; or "play WLW radio" she doesn&rsquo;t know what to do.&nbsp; You can ask Alexa and she understands if/where that is available whether, it&rsquo;s on Prime music, TuneIn Radio, iHeart, etc.</p>
    <p>To be fair, Amazon’s achilles heal is that for most people "the rest of their lives" are stored in or managed by services from Apple, Google and Microsoft (mail, contacts, calendars, etc) and we want one assistant to be able to manage all of our needs, so this give Apple/Google/Microsoft the opportunity to surpass Amazon’s early lead here.</p>
    <p>I fear that when Microsoft announces the Surface AIO they will tout it as "the perfect PC for the kitchen/family" and&nbsp;demonstrate a couple of Cortana features, which will falsely lead consumers to believe it can replace/compete with Echo.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>I too hope Microsoft delivers a range of Cortana home appliances, from&nbsp;pucks/hubs to full blown AIO’s,&nbsp;but I *hope* they optimize the experience, otherwise they&rsquo;re just going to annoy consumers, again.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>

    • 760

      13 October, 2016 - 10:59 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20501">In reply to Clarkb:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Agree. It would be nice if Amazon decided it made sense for their products to work well with others’. Before MS adopted the platform independence religion, I would have picked Amazon as the best bet to succeed because they are generally platform agnostic.</p>

    • 5394

      13 October, 2016 - 11:31 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20501">In reply to Clarkb:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>If you own Echo, you’re likely to have a Prime subscription so every thing you need to do is right there. That’s why Echo is so powerful and profitable for Amazon. Their services are designed to be integrated. Microsoft failed with its services. It needs to incorporate everyone else’s services and it is unable to. Microsoft is mostly a platform company. This model is in the past. Amazon uses whatever is available like Android and builds its services on top of it. This works out better for them. Microsoft will always be behind because Cortana lacks a purpose. Echo has a specific purpose to serve up Amazon’s services.</p>
      <p>Microsoft should go back to the drawing board and design Cortana to serve Microsoft’s own products. Xbox games, Office, Groove, Photos, Video, Bing,&nbsp;etc. Anything beyond that is a pipe dream.</p>

    • 399

      Premium Member
      14 October, 2016 - 3:21 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20501">In reply to Clarkb:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>The stupid thing is that if you wanted to create your own echo with a headless pc (or raspberry pi)&nbsp;you can, but with Alexa Voice Services instead of Cortana</p>
      <p>https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/hands-free-alexa-voice-service/</p&gt;
      <p>You would think it would be possible to do the same with Cortana and Window IoT.</p>

  • 5349

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 10:13 am

    <p>I think their cloud/machine learning projects would have made them MORE interested in the consumer space. They should be hungry for data, that means bodies and that means consumers.</p>
    <p>So I agree, they should build one of these.</p>

  • 1775

    13 October, 2016 - 10:15 am

    <p>&gt;…Apple is looking to enter this space&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Given Siri’s poor performance, I don’t see that as a problem.</p>

  • 6208

    13 October, 2016 - 10:15 am

    <p>Last Saturday, I turned off my Lumia Icon when I got an iPhone.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Never again will I spend my money on MS consumer electronics.</p>

    • 5553

      14 October, 2016 - 3:32 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20504">In reply to AndBingoWasHis:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Everytime I think of the failure…I see Ballmer laughing.</p>
      <p>"Who would pay $600 for a phone" ?</p>

    • 5530

      14 October, 2016 - 6:20 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20504">In reply to AndBingoWasHis:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>A month ago I turned off my Lumia when I got my Android phone. Best decision i’ve made all year. The thing is, I still continue to use all the Microsoft stuff on Android. I don’t feel like i’ve given anything up except for Live Tiles, which is a small issue.</p>

  • 1266

    13 October, 2016 - 10:59 am

    <p>Your other fear should be that, if Microsoft actually does announce this device and sells it that it doesn’t quickly abandon it or worse – not advertise it and wonder why it isn’t selling.&nbsp; Which then results in it canceling it to dash all of our hopes and dreams…&nbsp; Zune…Band….etc.</p>

  • 5394

    13 October, 2016 - 11:23 am

    <p>I don’t get why you think this should be an issue. Cortana doesn’t belong in the kitchen because they don’t have a presense there. Cortana actually belongs in the Living Room, Desktop, and Tablets / Laptops. You might say they are already there, but the truth is most people don’t use it. Cortana isn’t featured on Xbox and currently doesn’t sell an Living Room PC despite costs of entry is much lower than ever before. It doesn’t sell a low cost entertainment dongle. It doesn’t sell a webcam / kinect / microphone combination for living rooms, desktops, and laptops. Xbox doesn’t have Kinect as standard equipment.&nbsp; Thus, Cortana won’t make any headway on its existing equipment. Why would people want to buy a Cortana specific hardware?</p>
    <p>Microsoft long ago given up on Media Center, which should be the entry level living room media application. It gave up on Kinect so people can’t use voice commands to control Windows and Xbox.</p>
    <p>Amazon Echo deserves kudos for entering the market especially in the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. This market is done. Microsoft can pick up the pieces in the PC market before customers abandon it further.</p>

  • 6014

    13 October, 2016 - 11:42 am

    <p>I understand that half the technology press is buying this kind of device, but I don’t know very many people who are aware of them, and of those I don’t know a single person who has or wants one.&nbsp; I’ve spoken to people about Echo or Google Home, but none of them can figure out why on earth you would want this when you have your phone with you anyway.&nbsp; It seems a needless purchase that, unless you’ve unwisely sprung for first-gen IoT devices, offers no new functionality at all.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>I would much rather see Microsoft put its effort into something I’ll actually use… like Cortana on Android and PC.</p>

  • 442

    13 October, 2016 - 12:16 pm

    <p>Since Apple was first in the digital assistant arena with Siri, I’m also suprized Apple doesn’t have a similar device.&nbsp; Once I switch to Android, which seems inevitable at some point in the futures, I’m probably going to dump Alexa and go with Google Home instead.&nbsp; I’d wager that Google will get the full interaction between devices and services&nbsp;thing working best before anyone else does.&nbsp; "Hey Google, do this with that" where both "this" and "that" are arbitrary with intent or function and device or software…</p>

  • 1488

    13 October, 2016 - 12:26 pm

    <p>Even if they did release something, the tech media would declare it a failure and no one would buy it. It wouldn’t matter how good it was.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>On a side not, how come some alpha members have a number and others do not?</p>

  • 383

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 12:38 pm

    <p>Love the Corlexa&nbsp;graphic.</p>

  • 830

    13 October, 2016 - 1:03 pm

    <p>Maybe they could name such a device the "Kitchen Surface"?</p>

  • 1286

    13 October, 2016 - 1:08 pm

    <p>Knowing Nadella’s Microsoft, MS will likely just add Cortana hooks/apps to Google Home/Alexa platform or even create a home assistant API that any company can use. This way their "partners" can enter a race that they otherwise couldn’t</p>

  • 217

    13 October, 2016 - 1:10 pm

    <p>If Microsoft wants a consuer facing brand again they need this, but the issue is – what else will it do for consumers who don’t use Microsoft’s products or services otherwise? Gonna be a hard sell if it’s going to try to upsell on other services</p>

  • 2371

    13 October, 2016 - 1:29 pm

    <p>Microsoft is a frustrating company.&nbsp; They got so far behind so quickly (a few years time) with consumer.&nbsp; Now they have to build up the services and apps to compete in the consumer market again.&nbsp; Until they do that, and finally some services like OneDrive and Groove are close, they cannot really attack the consumer market.</p>
    <p>They really do need An Echo like device, just like they need a low end Xbox with entertainment and casual gaming / kids games for the livingroom.&nbsp; Then they can take the next step&nbsp;and add smartphones.</p>
    <p>For me, I would then add Surface phones for Business and highend and low and midrange Xbox phones&nbsp;again for casual / kid games.&nbsp; (Lets face it Halo 5 would eat up a battery fast, so what would the point be.)</p>
    <p>All of this takes time and they are a year or two away from&nbsp; getting serious with smart phones again.</p>

    • 6638

      13 October, 2016 - 4:06 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20574">In reply to RM:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Honestly it was REALLY stupid of them to use the exact same phrase of ‘hey cortana’ for the Xbox and the PC.&nbsp; I have an Xbox One in my office where my PC is and when I say ‘hey cortana’ both pop up.&nbsp; Very frustrating.</p>
      <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 5562

    13 October, 2016 - 1:53 pm

    <p>Completely agree</p>

    • 6614

      13 October, 2016 - 2:13 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20580">In reply to bbennett40:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>It also depens on location i live in a southern city and we tend to be a year or so late on trends. Wouldnt shock me at all if ppl inside the bay area are buying echoes though.</p>

  • 5721

    13 October, 2016 - 2:04 pm

    <p>Brad, Paul and his wife never used theirs, in fact, didn’t he return the Echo because they never used it?&nbsp; Why the huge difference in usage?</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 4416

    13 October, 2016 - 2:05 pm

    <p>I really like my Amazon Echo, but I’d love something more integrated into the MS ecosystem.&nbsp; If they are working on a&nbsp;Cortana appliance, I hope they make it actually LOOK like Cortana.&nbsp; Echo/Siri don’t have a human-looking brand, but Cortana does.&nbsp; Could be a surprisingly effective psychological differentiator.</p>

  • 1139

    13 October, 2016 - 2:47 pm

    <p>Microsoft adding more consumer hardware to its porfolio? That’ll work out. /s</p>

  • 5724

    13 October, 2016 - 2:56 pm

    <p>And this is why the October reveal is going to be SO disappointing. MS should go so far as to reveal what’s its plans are. Are you going to release a Surface phone? If so, when? Are you going to release a Lumia replacement which is adviseable.</p>
    <p>In my opinion, a Surface phone should have about four models. A quality low-end, a quality mid-range and then two high-end phones. This is what Samsung does with their Galaxy line to great success. Are you going to release a Surface band? If so, let us know now. If not, tell us that you’re out of the wearables market for good. Are you going to release an Echo competitor? In other words, MS you really need to clarify what your hardware intentions are. There’s&nbsp;way too much guessing right now, and it’s the 11th hour, 45 minutes in terms of making your splash, assuming you’re planning one.</p>
    <p>But, of course, they’re not going to do what makes sense. I’m sorry, but retreating for two years from the consumer space makes no sense. Instead, we’re going to get an AIO as the PC market is dying and a W10 roadmap. Great! Thanks for nothing, MS!</p>

    • 5763

      14 October, 2016 - 1:36 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20606">In reply to worleyeoe:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Do we really know what they are going to release?&nbsp; We keep saying AIO but with out seeing it we really can’t make an educated guess if this is really something useful or a&nbsp;me too thing.&nbsp; How about we wait and see what is actually revealed before we make up our minds.</p>

  • 1792

    13 October, 2016 - 3:01 pm

    <p>It would be bizarre for a business and enterprise company to re-engage with consumers in the home. The consumer space in mobile, tv and pretty much everything except Xbox has disappeared as a focus for Microsoft under Nadella.</p>
    <p>However Microsoft often surprise. The main issue is that they will just as easily drop it if it fails to to take off.&nbsp;</p>

  • 5716

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 3:17 pm

    <p>You say Kitchen and I say Shop/Garage PC. &nbsp; &nbsp;Simular issues but having a thing that can do searches and is hands free, plus able to deal with noise. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
    <p>The only difference would be it would be nice to have the option to hang a screen on it. &nbsp;That way it could display plans or manuals. &nbsp;But otherwise hands free is a need for sure.</p>
    <p>I just bought an Upboard PC with the idea of using it in the shop stuck to the back of a cheap LCD monitor. &nbsp;Sadly that requires a keyboard/touchpad. &nbsp; &nbsp;I also have an Amazon Dot plugged into the old stereo I have in the shop. &nbsp; That works great as I can stream music or Audible books while I am working and the timer is handy for me to keep track of dinner time (time to take breaks). &nbsp;</p>

  • 289

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 3:47 pm

    <p>I hope they do it, and do it well; but I’m not holding my breath. &nbsp;Google is racing towards complete dominance of general purpose computing, and Microsoft seems to content to squeeze as much revenue as they can from the enterprise. &nbsp;They already missed mobile. &nbsp;If Google or Apple can deliver decent VR/AR on their mobile platforms then Microsoft will again miss out on the general market in order to focus on a relatively small, high-revenue niche (enterprise or other verticals who will pay for specialized high-power capabilities). &nbsp;Similarly, Microsoft seems poised to miss out on connected/screenless/ubiquitous computing. &nbsp;Amazon is already there and Google will be there soon- and they both have huge ecosystems that millions of consumers have invested deeply in. &nbsp;And IOT? &nbsp;Microsoft is nowhere. &nbsp;</p>
    <p>So when Microsoft talks about catching the next wave of computing, what exactly do they have in mind? &nbsp;Sounds more like they’ll just watch wave after wave pass by as they slowly drift out to sea. &nbsp;</p>

    • 5510

      13 October, 2016 - 9:15 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20624">In reply to Chris_Kez:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>You hit the NAIL right on the HEAD.</p>

    • 5763

      14 October, 2016 - 1:39 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20624">In reply to Chris_Kez:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>My bet is the October show is going to be Hololense and iot focused.&nbsp; The reason I think this is the reversed image in the notice.&nbsp; It is like you are looking OUT of a windows machine instead of into.</p>

  • 6638

    13 October, 2016 - 4:03 pm

    <p>I have 2 Amazon Echo’s and 4 Amazon echo dots and my entire family uses them like crazy.&nbsp; The house is fully automated (all lights/door locks/TV/security, etc, etc) and we use the Echo’s to control everything.&nbsp; We use it for timers probably a few times a week, we use it for music out in the garage when I’m working, use Alexa via the Fire TV’s for music in the shower, etc.&nbsp; Long story short, they work REALLY well, but I wish the voice recognition was better. It’s decent, but it’s not where it should be yet, but since it’s cloud based it will keep getting better without requiring a hardware refresh.</p>

  • 214

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2016 - 5:52 pm

    <p>Oh yeah – nice one Paul! Well seen.</p>
    <p>I’m an amateur cook – and would love to have hands free access to my&nbsp;info-streams while mixing up a mess of meatloaf.</p>
    <p>But wouldn’t it be cool if you could tell it (literally)&nbsp;to stream&nbsp;stuff to a screen somewhere -&nbsp;(Dude, SHOW me that recipe again) or&nbsp;to a holo-lens-generated virtual screen…(super light,&nbsp;smudge-free lenses, and an all day battery). Why the ad copy almost writes itself… :-)</p>
    <p>&nbsp;Sci fi baby! That’s where Microsoft should be at…Makin’ the dreams real.</p>

  • 5510

    13 October, 2016 - 9:04 pm

    <p>Microsoft is like Hillary Clinton, all talk and no action. What exactly would Cortana in the kitchen do differently than Google Home or Alexa?&nbsp;Google and Amazon are two of the world’s popular&nbsp;companies known for the powerful online ecosystems. Their home products tie in with flagship products, thus giving value to the user. What about Microsoft? Their flagship is Office and Enterprise. Microsoft does not have a first rate ecosystem of personal services that Google and Amazon have, so I can’t imagine what value Cortana could bring to a home. If Microsoft were to create an Alexa or Google Home clone, it better be in the price of say…..$40. &nbsp;Home can control your TV (through Chomecast) and your lights. Alexa&nbsp;can make sure you never run out toilet paper or Laundry Detergent. What would a Microsoft product do? Read your Outlook email?</p>

    • 5553

      14 October, 2016 - 3:35 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#20665">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote>
      <ul>
      <li>The thought of Bill running around the Whitehouse chasing the maid is disgusting.</li>
      </ul>

  • 1570

    Premium Member
    14 October, 2016 - 12:58 am

    <p>I’m totally with you, and I totally want this device. I’m in the UK, where the Echo has just been released, and I love it but, like you, I keep wishing it was Cortana so it would sync across every other device I use.</p>
    <p>My issue is that if they came out with a Cortana device, I’d be likely to wait a version or two just to see if they’re serious about it or if it’ll be another Band. I’m really starting to feel burnt by Microsoft releasing a product or service and not getting fully behind it with updating it, or advertising it, and then it eventually dies.</p>

  • 399

    Premium Member
    14 October, 2016 - 3:12 am

    <p>They could just try to piggyback off the Echo – "Alexa, ask Cortana to…". They could even have it respond with Cortana’s voice.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 5553

    14 October, 2016 - 3:12 am

    <p>The wine bottle made me think of Corktana ?</p>

  • 5553

    14 October, 2016 - 3:33 am

    <p>We should have a cage match…Cortana vs Alexa.</p>

  • 3216

    14 October, 2016 - 7:05 am

    <p>I can see no advantage in MS building another Echo clone as Google as doing – that just makes them the follower in this just as they have been a follower in so many other things this decade.&nbsp; What they have to do is leapfrog the others and they better do it fast because the competiton is already heading in that direction.</p>
    <p>What I am speaking of is a ruggedized tablet that can be mounted on a wall in the kitchen, shop, whatever that does the same thing the Echo does now but with web pages and videos and note taking.&nbsp; IOW a real StarTrek device.&nbsp; If anyone thinks that Apple and Google and Amazon aren’t already well into development, then they have completely missed the boat.</p>

  • 528

    Premium Member
    14 October, 2016 - 8:11 am

    <p>They should concentrate on bringing Cortana to more than 8 languages and 13 regions.</p>

  • 2015

    14 October, 2016 - 12:42 pm

    <p>Microsoft can’t even muster the competence to launch Cortana on Android anywhere other than the US yet, so I don’t see something like this as likely if they want it to have more than limited US-only appeal.</p>

  • 5763

    14 October, 2016 - 1:32 pm

    <p>I keep seeing people say they cancelled the BAND.&nbsp; They DID NOT cancel the band, they said no band THIS year.&nbsp; They disbanded the team that was trying to put Windows 10 on the band but they did not to my knowledge&nbsp;disband the wearables team or the band specifically.&nbsp; There seems to be alot of people reading between the lines on Microsofts plans by adding things they did not say.&nbsp; Please stick to the facts.</p>

  • 591

    14 October, 2016 - 5:27 pm

    <p style="padding-left: 30px;">I am not so sure a screen is a bad idea. A system like this should integrate with smart thermostats, security like wifi cameras or baby monitors. And being able to see your shopping list and swipe off items or even watch a video while cooking (entertainment or instruction). But there should be screenless option for additional rooms (wireless screen would be nice for mounting options) and integration with xBox One for the living room. Oh, and a digital mirror add-on for the mater bathroom.</p>

  • 514

    14 October, 2016 - 8:13 pm

    <p>Well, I don’t have any kids, and my insider fast ring laptop (Surface Pro 1) is in the kitchen, where I use it while waiting for the microwave to do its thing (:grin). The kitchen also has an Amazon Tap which doesn’t get used much — I take it with me when I travel.</p>
    <p>The bedroom has one of the very first Echos (it’s almost 2 years old). I use it a lot — I just used it to sign up for Amazon’s Music Unlimited service — I’m listening to it as I write this (50’s oldies). I also use skills to connect with IFTTT, and all my Insteon home automation devices.</p>
    <p>Upstairs I have an Amazon DOT paired with a Bose Soundlink Color — it works great.</p>
    <p>IMO the Home Automation train has already left the station as far as MS is concerned (I only use Cortana for file &amp; app searches, and hardly ever via voice).</p>
    <p>I agree with you about MS’s crummy timing — they always seem to miss key selling periods (back to school; end of year holidays). It has always been thus — even back when I worked for them (at the beginning of the millenium).</p>
    <p>BTW what smartphone do you use with the Alexa app? I use alexa.amazon.com just fine from my laptops using MS Edge (W10 release preview ring), but when I attempt to use that url from Edge on my Lumia 950XL (also release preview), I get a message saying that that url is not compatible with the browser!!??.</p>

  • 1561

    Premium Member
    14 October, 2016 - 10:21 pm

    <p>Brad, I’d love to see something like this announced at the fall show in NYC. I’ve been waiting to up my home automation game for some time now, and I’ve sort of been waiting on Microsoft to lay out their strategy in this space before I get too invested. I think there are quite a few ways they could go here…Xbox, PC, phone…obviously all connected to Cortana and the Microsoft Cloud. If they do decide to launch a kitchen device, I hope it looks something like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Satechi%C2%AE-Bluetooth-Compatible-Cortana-Windows/dp/B012OWC5NQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1476504720&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cortana+button&quot; target="_blank">the Cortana button I saw advertised on Amazon a while back</a>. Regardless, they still have yet to answer the fundamental shortcoming of their current strategy…what happens when I have half a dozen different voice-enabled devices listening, and I say "Hey Cortana?"</p>

  • 5394

    16 October, 2016 - 8:46 am

    <p>I suggest Microsoft should offer Windows and Cortana and any other technologies for free to Amazon or any other upstart to build their services. Just be the platform and enterprise company. Unfortunately, it can’t offer anything pared down to work best in low cost devices. It’s just too buggy and complex.&nbsp;</p>

  • 6959

    18 October, 2016 - 11:38 am

    <p>A third way:&nbsp; Traditionally MS could develop a reference design and license the IP to partners or alternately market such a design under its own branding and retail strategy.&nbsp; Both ways create a large destraction (at least for the media) from larger intiatives (e.g. Azure, Graph, .Net Core) and have&nbsp;insignificant financial upsides.&nbsp; I would propose a third way – heathkit.&nbsp; Using the investments already made in IoT create an open source hardware project with a corresponding open source&nbsp;application software.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Think of a raspberryPI with a microphone array add-on board and additionally speaker module.&nbsp; Along with a little industral&nbsp; design for packaging.&nbsp; Market it as a reference design for end users.&nbsp; Don’t like the speaker – no problem – you can use the HDMI output to drive a $10000 audio system or you can build an alternate analog output.&nbsp; Don’t like raspberryPi use a dragonBoard or Minnow -&nbsp;Hell port the app to Linux using .net core.&nbsp; If a zillion little companies take pieces or parts of your design no problem – you’ve got them pointed at the MS cloud and none of those companies would be advancing AWS.</p>

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