Microsoft and Amazon’s integration of their digital personal assistants is getting closer, the companies demonstrated at a Microsoft technology conference Monday, though they still don’t have a date for public availability.
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Microsoft Remote Assist will help users to communicate remotely through hands-free video calling, mixed-reality annotations, and image sharing, while users will also be able to design mixed-reality spaces such as room layouts, holograms that can be shared in real-time.
You can now use Amazon ‘s Alexa instead of Google Assistant by default on your Android phone.
Another option is to use an Alexa group, which can be particularly useful if you want to control lights from different vendors.
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On Thursday, the company announced the availability of “in-skill purchasing” (ISP) for Alexa skill developers in the US. The lead Amazon has taken over Google in the smart home is most apparent when you look at the number of supported devices, and now we have a more accurate picture. Tapping “Add Group” will begin the process, presenting you with a list of suggested names based on rooms. In today’s hyper-connected world, the challenge of the Echo Dot Kids Edition is sort of a double-edged sword: On one hand, for families that have these devices in their homes already, chances are their children are using it, too.
Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa has been opened up to all developers to generate cash through add-ons and premium content in the virtual assistant’s “skills”. The weekly shows are now available as podcasts on Alexa and can be enabled by saying “Alexa, enable Love Charlton”.
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She was then able to ask Cortana for information on her calendar, without having to say “Cortana”, or “Alexa” again – just “how’s my day?” The person at her home had an Amazon Echo speaker at her kitchen. You’ll still have to use “Hey Google” or “OK Google” as a wake command, which will still bring up the Google Assistant.
