14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is indeed working to bring Cortana on the PC with the release of Windows 9, but in the meantime, the personal assistant gets quite a lot of new features on Windows Phone 8.1.
INSTEON has announced today that their app for Windows Phone 8.1 comes with support for Cortana, which pretty much means that Microsoft’s Siri rival can now be used to control your home lighting, doors, climate systems and much more with voice commands.
There’s no doubt that this is like a dream come true for many of us since each us wanted at some point in our lives to control lights by simply clapping our hands or with a voice command, but there’s one major issue in here: all INSTEON kits are pretty expensive, so unless you have such a system, today’s update makes no sense.
For example, the INSTEON Starter Kit can be yours for $119.99 (€90) and includes the main hub, a LampLinc 2-pin lamp dimmer module, an AC power cord, and an Ethernet cable.
“It’s hot in here”
Cortana for Windows Phone 8.1 can be used to control most features of the INSTEON system, including turning lights on and off or dimming them, locking and unlocking doors, opening and closing a garage door, or adjusting the thermostat.
All you need to say is “INSTEON, it’s hot in here” and Cortana will automatically respond “Nobody likes being hot, want to adjust your thermostat?” The thermostat controls will then appear on your phone, so you can remotely adjust the climate control.
At the same time, the app has been specifically developed to work with Cortana for more advanced operations, such as when leaving the house. If you say “INSTEON, I’m leaving the house,” Cortana automatically takes control of your system and turns off the lights, locks the doors and turns down the thermostat.
More features exclusively available on Windows Phone 8.1
And that’s not all Cortana can do on a Windows Phone. Other features are also being offered, including a visitor mode that restricts some people's access to specific rooms of your house, a dashboard view to have a quick overview of your home, and enhanced camera support to have a look at surveillance cameras if any.
“The combination of Cortana voice interaction with the INSTEON network of products will make consumers’ lives more convenient, safe and fun,” said Joe Dada, CEO, INSTEON.
“Our collaboration with Microsoft demonstrates their keen interest in the home automation space as well as our strategy of working with the most forward-looking brands in the consumer electronics industry.”
Needless to say, the application is available completely free of charge, but Windows Phone 8.1 is needed to make the most of it.
