Microsoft wants HomeHub to take on Amazon Echo

According to a report from WindowsCentral, Microsoft is readying a new feature called Home Hub, and that it is being integrated into Windows 10.

Microsoft is one of the many companies without a smart home solution, and that’s odd seeing as the technology is there in the form of Cortana, and it’s being used publicly for several years.

However, it is looking like Vole’s competitor to Amazon’s smart speaker Echo and Google Home is software and will be centred around the home PC.

Just like in real families, Home Hub will put an emphasis on sharing, according to the source of the report, Windows Central.

MICROSOFT HAS revealed that its response to Amazon Echo and Google Home devices is not to have one, but rather leverage existing equipment for the Windows 10 HomeHub.

As Windows Central explains, “Home Hub is a Windows 10 feature created to make your PC the center of your home, by making shared PCs more communal and bringing the connected home to Windows”. Anything you say, however, before commanding Alexa or Google Home is not recorded. No family wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a Windows PC that’s a replacement for $5 of fridge magnets. 2017? 2018? That would place Home Hub even further behind Amazon and Google’s own home appliances.

The beta versions have hinted at some new features coming to the operating system, including a new Windows Update icon, the ability to tweak the default range of Active Hours, and a feature that permanently hides the App list housed in the Start Menu.

Earlier, speculations surfaced that Microsoft HomeHub will triumph over Amazon Echo and Google Home. Home Hub will work on Windows 10 PCs to provide you with all the functions of a digital assistant PLUS a screen.

The virtual assistant ships with Windows 10 and plays an integral part in the company’s minimalist new web browser, Microsoft Edge. The family account will be “always logged in” so you can use the PC immediately.

While a low-priced Surface could support virtual assistant and smart-home management functions, Microsoft will likely launch a partner network allowing third-party original equipment manufacturers to build hardware dedicated devices. The desire is to make the PC more family friendly.

Provided the leak is accurate, it could be a while before you see every element of Home Hub. With these updates, dubbed as Redstone 2, 3 and 4, there is a chance that the company hopes to offer distinctive features in three different phases.