Amazon surprised all – consumers, tech geeks and tech analysts – when introduced unexpectedly Amazon Echo a few weeks ago. Some analysts even had a hard time defining the type of product it falls in. Now, the gadget is referred to as a smart speaker with extra capabilities. The device is yet to be released, but an interesting question is already being discussed on the web – Will Amazon Echo start a new technology trend on the mass consumer market? That would not be hard to achieve if Amazon’s smart speaker had no competition on the market. However, the truth is that the device already has a rival in the face of Microsoft!
Microsoft Echo
If we consider the range of products, services and projects on Microsoft’s shelves, it will not be hard to see that the company is the most likely competitor on the upcoming smart speaker market.
As a start, Microsoft already has a device that can listen and understand consumer commands. The Kinect controller is far from being a simple gaming accessory for Xbox consoles. Moreover, it even supports gesture commands, which Amazon Echo doesn’t. In addition, Microsoft’s Kinect offers advanced user recognition and, yes, it does make a great gaming accessory!
Secondly, Microsoft has Cortana – a virtual personal assistant, similar to Apple’s Siri. Just like Amazon Echo’s personal assistant feature, it can answer users’ questions by looking up the answers online. Cortana supports music recognition and it can even make predictions on consumers’ personal music taste depending on their online activity. Again, just like Amazon Echo, Cortana can send reminders to users. Moreover, it makes recommendations on local attractions and restaurants thanks to its Foursquare integration.
Amazon Echo functions in the cloud. Microsoft is no stranger to cloud services. After all, its Office 365 service is also based in the cloud. In addition, the company operates two large cloud platforms – Microsoft Azure and OneDrive. Therefore, it will not be particularly challenged to add cloud capabilities to practically any device it decides to produce.
Amazon’s smart speaker is often praised for its access to the retailer’s massive ecosystem of services. However, a Microsoft Echo speaker would not fall short on this either. In fact, its features in this category may expand even further. While Amazon Echo can connect to Kindle Fire tablet seamlessly, just imagine what Microsoft Echo would do. A smart speaker created by Microsoft would probably be able to allow users to access their PC at home or at the office, their tablet or smartphones remotely. The Windows operating system is everywhere and once Microsoft finally completes its plan to unify all of its versions into one, that mission would be even easier.
If Microsoft combines the functionality of these services into one smart device, it would only need the package that would gather them into one.
Microsoft Echo Even Bigger than Amazon Echo
If ,and when, Microsoft releases its Echo device, it has the potential to reach new heights. Even without redesigning and updating basic services like Cortana, Windows OS, Kinect and etc., if they are combined into one, they would offer much more than Amazon Echo.
In addition, Microsoft has already showed that it is trying to make Kinect an augmented reality device that can turn consumers’ living room into almost any environment. Also, for some time, there have been rumours that the tech giant is working on turning Cortana into a hologram image, similar to the Halo game character by which it was inspired.
If we add up all of these facts, we may end up with a potentially revolutionary device that will go beyond the capabilities of Amazon Echo, or possibly even any other smart gadget out there. It is only a matter of time before Microsoft Echo hits the stores.
Yep. Microsoft has cortana, Kinect and the tech to do that. And Xbox one owners like me have been begging to connect them for about… A year now. Ms doesn’t seem to be moving on that though.
Except Amazon has all the music and audio books available and already part of prime, so Microsoft has some catching up to do.