14 DAY TRIAL // If you've ever predicted that Cortana might be able to control your entire home, and you'll simply have everything around you work with voice commands, you sir might be a fortune teller.
Because that's what Microsoft is very close to doing with Windows 10, Cortana, and its IoT push, as the company has recently joined forces with Samsung for what could be revolutionary home technology.
At CES 2015, Samsung and Microsoft demonstrated how the two companies are supporting the IoT efforts with their own projects and presented a washing machine that was powered by Cortana. This is just one of the appliances that could get Windows 10 integration, as refrigerators, cooking ovens, and TVs could also be controlled with Cortana.
During the demo, which you can find at the end of the article, the companies' executives asked Cortana to display the last activities of the washing machine in order to find out the members of the family who used it.
Cortana at the core of everything
And Microsoft says this is just the beginning of a longer collaboration in this field, explaining that Windows 10 is just the right platform that could be used for this purpose.
“We’re excited about today’s devices and we’re also inspired about the potential of tomorrow. Along with Samsung, we share a common vision for millions and millions of devices and Things all communicating together using open protocols and standards within inclusive ecosystems, inspiring the creativity of software developers, device manufacturers, and rising star Makers around the world,” Terry Myerson, head of the OS group at Microsoft, said.
Certainly, having a fully connected home is quite a thing, but it also raises some privacy and security concerns for those who want to control everything around them with the power of their voice. But these are challenges that all involved companies are trying to address right now, so it's pretty clear that the revolution has started. And Microsoft just seems to be in the first line this time.
