Microsoft Is Planning To Turn Windows 10 PCs Into Amazon Echo Competitors (theverge.com) 82
Speaking of Amazon's Echo devices, it appears Microsoft also wants a slice of this nascent market. The Verge's Tom Warren claims that Microsoft has been working on a feature for Windows 10 that would allow it "to better compete with devices like Amazon's Echo." Dubbed HomeHub, the feature is designed to create "a family environment for a PC with shared access to calendars, apps, and even a new welcome screen." He adds: Microsoft is even planning to support smart home devices like Philips' Hue lights, to enable Windows 10 to act as a hub to control and manage smart home hardware. While we've heard about HomeHub before, The Verge has obtained internal concepts of exactly how Microsoft is imagining HomeHub will work. The major addition is a new welcome screen that includes an "always on" digital corkboard to let families use to-do lists, calendars, and notes. The welcome screen is really designed for kitchen PCs and new smaller hardware with screens that will support Cortana voice commands from across the room.
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"It just worked" is an Apple trademark. Expect a visit from their lawyers.
(It used to be "It just works" before they lost Jobs. Now it's past-tense.)
Re: Linux can't do this. (Score:3)
Like everything in Linux, I expect Linux tools that can do this, requiring more configuration, but allowing greater control as well. Browsing Wikipedia, I found this: http://jasperproject.github.io... [github.io]
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I'm glad there are no 'killer interface advance' on my FreeBSD desktop. I like my xfce just the way it is. No need to do a search every time I want to do a well known command or task.
Not everything new and shiny is worth playing 'catchup' too, but if that is what your into, I'm happy for you.
Nobody asked for this (Score:5, Informative)
as the Amazon Echo with a 7" screen and a 5MP camera, nobody asked for his PC to become a HomeHub spying on you on everything!
Maybe I'm an old fart but I wil never have something like this in my house, if I want connected thermostat and remote electric blinds, I will do it myself with Arduino.
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Maybe I'm an old fart but I wil never have something like this in my house, if I want connected thermostat and remote electric blinds, I will do it myself with Arduino.
My boss at my previous job asked me what the "Internet of Things" was. I explained to her "It means your appliances can be connected to the internet, so if you want to preheat your oven or turn up the thermostat before you get home, you can do it from your computer or phone. It also means that a hacker can set your oven to clean and burn your house down, or turn off your thermostat when you're on vacation in Mexico this winter so your pipes freeze." Of course, the second scenario can happen if Nest decided [nytimes.com]
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One's stove, among other things, should NEVER be remotely controlled. Accidents can be prevented by not allowing the situation to exist in the first place.
And Samsung & Wink, despite having talented staff, are marketing beyond our needs. It's unneeded, just a money maker. An exercise in cool 'gadgetry' but really unnecessary.
I mean can humanity really not do these things manually? Is the suffering just too much to adjust one's thermostat when needed, or pre-heat the oven before dinner?
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Un, seriously, Microsoft? (Score:5, Funny)
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I wonder what it would order online under those circumstances.
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I wonder what it would order online under those circumstances.
When I apply the soldering iron or take a fart? Probably air freshener.
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The fart part. Air freshener is a good answer. Also enzyme supplements, Beano, fiber supplements, the possibilities are endless!
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"It sounds like you're having digestive trouble. Can I help?"
To which the natural response is, "Help with WHAT?"
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I wonder what it would order online under those circumstances.
Most likely a Windows 10 S laptop.
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You win.
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weird, in my desktop i just need to unplug the 3 dollar microphone
My Windows laptop with built-in video and microphone. Newer monitors also have built-in video and microphone.
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Well, a disconnected camera and microphone can't be reconnected by software. A device disabled within the OS can be reenabled by software.
Thanks for the tip... (Score:2)
I just moved my office to a different room. I think I'll decline to plug the microphone back in.
Conflict.... (Score:2)
You can't own the road, the car, and patent the role of the driver.
A walled garden is bad. Microsoft's walled garden not only bad, but will spawn a 1000 lawsuits.
Microsoft has learned nothing from it's previous history.
Designed for kitchen PCs (Score:2)
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I don't have a PC in the kitchen, and I don't have a PC that is always on. Part of the Alexa selling point is at any time you can say "Alexa Turn On Hall Light".
If your PC is turned off, and you tell Cortana to do the same, you're going to be stepping on little Timmy's lego bricks barefoot in the dark because Cortana isn't going to hear you.
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Or gee, I don't know, when I need the hall light on (presumably because I'm entering the hallway), I'll just throw the switch.
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The first "personal computer" [wikipedia.org] ever offered for sale was specifically marketed for kitchens. (Although this particular product didn't move the answer any closer to "yes".)
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Interesting.
Without a teletype, a programmer would need to enter software into the Honeywell using the 16 buttons on the front panel, each of which corresponds to a bit. A pressed button represented a one, and un-pushed button signaled a zero. “The chances that you would get a program right doing it one bit at a time like that were so low,” Spicer said. “The first peripheral people bought for [the Honeywell] was a teletype so they could speak to it.” [wired.com]
But it came with a two-week traini
What % of /. does Microsoft own? (Score:2)
Seriously. This site is turning into "Microsoft news for Nerds".
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Not really, it's just Microsoft has had a disproportionate number of stupid ideas recently that need mocking.
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LOL. Yeah, that could be it.
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Agreed. I made this comment a few weeks ago.
Re:More and more useless features (Score:5, Insightful)
It has ever been thus. You gain more market share by having features, even if they are hard to use or broken. If your competitors have better sounding features than you do then customers will go there. There is little point in having a perfect system if no one uses it. So if MS has developer hours they are best spent adding new stuff than fixing things that don't quite work properly.
The difference in mindset is: geek vs marketing.
Because they won't add it to Windows 7 (Score:2)
Windows 10 is their current OS for the foreseeable future. I doubt they would want to add this to Win 7 or 8.1.
The ultimate eavesdropping machine (Score:3)
an "always on" ... voice commands from across the room.
The KGB's wet dream since 1930s
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The telescreen, as it turns out, won't necessarily be attached to the wall. However it will still have the capability to watch you, and you will not be able to turn it off.
The Return of Microsoft Bob! (Score:2)
This is great! (Score:2)
I've been enjoying most everything Microsoft's done since the release of Windows 8 because all the poor choices are continually creating opportunities for competitors and weakens the resolve of people who "cannot" leave Windows. I'm really like the new self-destruct mode that Microsoft has invoked, I just wish they would outsource more of their coding. ;)
Not what people want (Score:2)
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Microsoft would fail as a new company these days.
If they weren't everywhere with Windows they wouldn't be able to succeed with anything. They are always late to the party and instead of bringing wine to dinner they bring a dead skunk.
New welcome screen (Score:2, Insightful)
Time to bring back the Switcher ads (Score:2)
Welcome PC users! We Mac folk welcome you with open arms, to the last bastion of devices that you are allowed to control what personal data is sent to others.
MS will crush the Amazon device. (Score:2)
Just look at this beauty! [toastytech.com]. Developers are being recalled from retirement, as we speak. The floppy disks with source code has been found. And amazingly there is still a drive that can copy the files. MsDev Windows 10 has an emulator to run WinXP, and if you run WinXP MsDev in that emulator you would get the emulator for the 16 bit subsystem. Add an emulator for monochrome Hecules Graphics c
Cortana here!! (Score:2)
Cortana: Hi there, I'm your friendly assistant, I am here to help you.
Owner: Okay...I don't need help right now.
Cortana: No, no, I'm really here to help you right now.
Owner: Look it, I'm going to be busy for awhile.
Cortana: I just want you to know I'm here for you, right now, in awhile, whenever you need me.
Owner: (damn, where's that off switch) Ahhhh...I'm going to be shutting you down now.
Cortana: Don't do that, my help is irresistible.
Owner: (switch)
Cortana: I have battery backup so I'll be here for awhi
Computers used to be tools for difficult tasks... (Score:4, Insightful)
Pity the people who fall for such.
Always On = Always Vulnerable (Score:4, Funny)
I sincerely hope both the HomeHub and "Always On" Welcome screen are disabled by default on non-Home version of Windows 10. If not, some idiot will say "Hey, Cortana, upload all files to dropbox" every time they enter an office.
Come on, Microsoft, the Lock screen (proper name for the Welcome screen) is there to help prevent abuse of the system. Allowing functionality in spite of the system being locked invites abuse.
Why so many negative posts? (Score:2)
As long as you can turn it off it makes sense for them to do. Some people do want this in their homes and why should you have to have a separate device if you want that functionality?
My phone or my computer is capable of doing what the Echo does.
I don't want one, but some people apparently do.
Microsoft clone Amazon Echo (Score:1)