INSTEON Windows Phone App Employ Cortana to Enhance Life in the Connected Home
IRVINE, Calif. – July 16, 2014 – INSTEON, creators of the world’s best-selling home automation and control technology, today announced that it is partnering with Microsoft to incorporate Cortana into its smart products for home and business. Cortana will enable INSTEON Windows Phone app users to control products and monitor the home using Microsoft’s proactive digital assistant. This news comes just after INSTEON announced availability of its products in Microsoft retail stores across the U.S.
“Cortana was designed with a simple purpose in mind: To make the user’s life easier,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. “Thanks to the unique ways that INSTEON utilizes Cortana’s personal assistant features, users will be able to enjoy even more conveniences by just asking for what they need.”
Cortana is Microsoft’s intelligent assistant that uses natural language understanding and text to respond to users’ inquiries, launch applications and set/send reminders. The all-new digital assistant also offers proactive suggestions, providing useful recommendations as she gets to know each unique user. Integrating Cortana with INSTEON products will enable users to accomplish a variety of tasks by simply speaking to the app.
For example, users can:
- – Ask Cortana to dim the lights for movie time based on specially created scenes
- – Instruct the thermostat to reduce the temperature at 6 p.m. to ensure that the house is cool upon returning home from work; Cortana will begin to learn your habits and automatically ask if you would like to turn the A/C on
- – Monitor the house when on vacation or a business trip by asking Cortana to check that all of the doors and windows are closed and locked
“Using Cortana to control our products is the next logical step as our relationship with Microsoft continues to evolve,” said Joe Dada, CEO, INSTEON. “Our long-term goal is to give users complete autonomy over their homes and smart products. Adding a voice-driven, personal assistant into the mix is just another way that we can make people’s lives easier.”
Cortana will be available in the INSTEON Windows Phone app later this year.
INSTEON’s reliable dual-band technology uses both the existing wires (power line) in the home and radio-frequency (RF) communication instead of relying on spotty Wi-Fi connections and routers, which dictate where smart devices must be placed to work properly. By making every networked device talk to each other via RF and the power line, INSTEON eliminates the need for custom wiring and ensures that every device is always connected. Adding remote control and automation to everything from home monitoring to lighting, INSTEON’s dual-band network and devices allow users to manage the home or office in more variations than any other home automation technology.
For more information about INSTEON®, please visit www.insteon.com.