In the world of voice assistants in the home, Cortana is a very distant 4th place to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri, but they’ve just announced compatibility with home automation service IFTTT. This is a really big deal and may finally get you talking to your Windows 10 PC.
Now that Cortana can call to the IFTTT API and that opens the door to thousands of possibilities. This means any Windows 10 PC can now be a voice input to control the extensive list of compatible IoT devices in your home. Cortana is also available on mobile devices like iOS and Android.
IFTTT is no stranger to voice assistants, having supported inputs In fact, Applets are one of the most popular and powerful ways for people to personalize and enhance how they use their voice assistants.
IFTTT said over the weekend,
We are thrilled to announce that Microsoft’s Cortana is now on IFTTT and to welcome new communities of voice users to the flexibility of Applets. Available as a mobile app, Windows 10 app, and speaker — Cortana is ready to help wherever you go.
Until now, Cortana in the home has really struggled to get off the ground. The first Cortana-enabled speaker is the Invoke from Harman/Kardon and while not available in Australia, is already discounted by 1/4 of the price, never a good sign for a new product. In fact if you visit their website, you’ll be greeted by their newest product, and far more visually appealing, the Haman Kardon Allure which actually features Alexa, not Cortana.
Despite that, I don’t think I’m alone in being someone who spends many hours a day in the home office, in front of a Windows 10 PC, usually with a headset or microphone not far away, so this integration is something I will actually use. It’ll be one of the most convenient ways to control my smart home devices, so while long overdue, it is great to see Cortana coming to IFTTT.
IFTTT enables you to use your voice to access more than 550 apps and devices. For more information, check out Cortana at IFTTT.com.
