Virtual assistants are constantly improving — voice apps such as the Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple’s Siri go toe-to-toe in terms of features. Other assistants, including Microsoft’s Cortana, aren’t quite as popular, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting better over time. Yesterday, Microsoft announced the addition of support for IFTTT and other services to the Cortana app for Windows 10, Android, iOS, and the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker.
For the uninitiated, IFTTT stands for “If This Then That”. It’s a web service that lets you create a simple set of rules (“recipes”) you can use to make a smart home device (or any other device in your household, really) do things for you. You can trigger anything from receiving an email when the Google Assistant gets a new feature, to alerting you when the International Space Station crosses over your house. It has a huge amount of features and over 600 integrations, and starting this week, it’s fully compatible with Cortana. That includes support for IFTTT’s Applets, which let you trigger multiple actions with a single phrase.
Other additions to Cortana include support for Ecobee, Honeywell Lyric, Honeywell Total Connect, LIFX, TP-Link Kasa, and Geeni devices. These are smart home appliance lineups with thermostats and lights, and in the case of the TP-Link Kasa and Geeni, smart power plugs and surge protectors which can be controlled remotely. Geeni offers smart cameras for your home, so you can monitor activity when you’re away.
To try out the new integrations for yourself, install the Cortana app on Android if you live in the US. Then, launch the app, sign in with your Microsoft account, tap Notebook, and select Connected Home. From there, you can connect your smart home accounts and control your devices, or name and organize each appliance into groups.
Microsoft Cortana – Digital assistant (Free, Google Play) →
Source: Microsoft Blog
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