Microsoft Cortana and Amazon Alexa Integration Officially Previewed

• Microsoft and Amazon are set to integrate their digital assistants from this week with functionality from Cortana and Alexa coming together.
• The collaboration between the two tech giants was announced last year and is finally being previewed for Alexa-enabled devices and select Windows 10 PCs.
• The integration is fairly basic currently and requires manual setup to enable both assistants on one platform.

A preview of the long-awaited Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana integration is finally available in the US. The integration was first seen in action at the Microsoft Build developer conference, and it is currently in a preview stage to collect user feedback before release. The integration does not include too many features currently, but we do have information on what features we can expect once the smart assistants are updated.

Amazon Alexa will be receiving Windows/Office specific features from Cortana, and you will be able to use them on any Amazon Echo device or other Alexa-enabled speakers. Alexa’s features will be integrated into Windows 10 PCs for various Alexa Skills and smart-home integration for controlling smart devices that are compatible with Amazon’s smart assistant.

Jennifer Langston from Microsoft revealed “The goal is to have two integrated digital assistants who can carry out tasks across different dimensions of daily life. Engineers will use feedback from the public preview to deepen the collaboration between Cortana and Alexa.”

A number of Windows 10 Pcs from HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer will be receiving Alexa as part of the preview phase. Once Microsoft and Amazon are happy with the performance of the app, it will receive a global rollout.

To enable Cortana as a skill on Echo devices, say “Alexa, open Cortana” and follow the steps to sign into or set up your Microsoft account. To enable Alexa as a skill on a PC, say “Hey Cortana, open Alexa” or click the microphone button and say “open Alexa.” Follow the steps to sign into or set up your Amazon account.

Google Assistant and Alexa have both gone far ahead of Cortana when it comes to features, compatibility and user base numbers. The new integration along with Microsoft's AI-features may help Cortana gain back some traction in the smart assistant market.

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