14 DAY TRIAL // It’s not a secret that Microsoft has always wanted to become a more significant presence in the automotive industry, and with Windows 10, the company actually gets this opportunity.
At the CES 2016 show in Las Vegas, Harman announced that Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud-based productivity suite, would be integrated into its infotainment systems.
In plain English, you should be able to drive your car featuring a Harman infotainment system and at the same time work on a document in Office. And because working while driving can be really distracting, Harman says that Cortana integration should really come in handy.
Putting Cortana at work
Basically, thanks to Cortana, Harman customers can edit a spreadsheet or create a new PowerPoint presentation by simply telling the personal assistant what to do and what data to input. Of course, voice recognition systems still have their limits, so it still can’t replace the traditional mouse and keyboard combo that comes in so handy in any office environment.
“Working with Microsoft is a natural fit for HARMAN as we continue our track record of making the car more sophisticated, productive and intelligent,” said Phil Eyler, president, HARMAN Connected Car.
“Drivers want an immersive, and personalized experience in the car. Increasingly, that includes strong demands for richer productivity. This collaboration will bring these functionalities to market with, importantly, great reliability, security and minimal driver distraction.”
Clearly, it’s just a matter of time until Cortana becomes a fully featured driving assistant, and having it control some car features such as navigation or air conditioning is just one step away. It only takes a Windows 10 device that needs to serve as the foundation of the infotainment system, and that’s all.
Windows 10 is clearly opening new doors to Microsoft to expand beyond the PC and laptop, so expect more such technologies to debut in the coming months, as the adoption of the new OS grows in the enterprise sector.