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Microsoft Is Planning To Turn Windows 10 PCs Into Amazon Echo Competitors (theverge.com)

Speaking of Amazon's Echo devices, it appears Microsoft also wants a slice of this nascent market. The Verge's Tom Warren claims that Microsoft has been working on a feature for Windows 10 that would allow it "to better compete with devices like Amazon's Echo." Dubbed HomeHub, the feature is designed to create "a family environment for a PC with shared access to calendars, apps, and even a new welcome screen." He adds: Microsoft is even planning to support smart home devices like Philips' Hue lights, to enable Windows 10 to act as a hub to control and manage smart home hardware. While we've heard about HomeHub before, The Verge has obtained internal concepts of exactly how Microsoft is imagining HomeHub will work. The major addition is a new welcome screen that includes an "always on" digital corkboard to let families use to-do lists, calendars, and notes. The welcome screen is really designed for kitchen PCs and new smaller hardware with screens that will support Cortana voice commands from across the room.

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  1. Nobody asked for this by Frederic54 · · Score: 5, Informative

    as the Amazon Echo with a 7" screen and a 5MP camera, nobody asked for his PC to become a HomeHub spying on you on everything!

    Maybe I'm an old fart but I wil never have something like this in my house, if I want connected thermostat and remote electric blinds, I will do it myself with Arduino.

    --
    "Science will win because it works." - Stephen Hawking