The new Alexa PC app - A hostile takeover or a merger?
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In what some might say is a bit of a strange move, Microsoft’s Windows 10 now has Alexa. Although Alexa has been available on selected PCs, this is the first time that Alexa PC app can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Store.
Amazon’s Alexa PC App Now Available for Windows 10
People have bought over 20 million devices Alexa devices and 92% of all computers run on Windows. So, this is probably a very welcome decision for many for Echo users, especially as the app will run most of Alexa’s features and skills.
You can check to see if the Alexa app can do what you want it to do by opening up the menu on the app and selecting ‘Things to Try’.
You can also go to Amazon’s Help page for Alexa to see if there is anything interesting there. Note that it won’t have full functionality on all PCs, so some of you may need to click on the app to speak to Alexa.
No Specific Features to Work with Windows
As this seems to be a major benefit for Amazon and of no significant benefit for Windows, it is surprising that the Alexa PC app does not come with any specific features to manage Windows itself. I would have thought that Microsoft would have insisted on something being added.
Of course, you could argue that Microsoft doesn’t care because it’s got Cortana. But let’s be honest here. If that’s your argument, you have obviously not tried Cortana because it’s really bad.
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Is the End Nigh for Cortana?
So is the Alexa PC app the end of Cortana? Well, the two are quite compatible as they have been allowed to work well together. That might suggest that the end is nigh for Cortana.
However, since more than 100 million people access it daily, it doesn’t seem that likely that Microsoft will put Cortana out to pasture just yet.
But that is all just speculation. What isn’t speculation is that the Alexa PC app is available in the Microsoft Store, so go download it today.
Have you got any Echo devices and have you downloaded the Alexa PC app yet? If you have, what were your results? Is the PC app everything you hoped it would be, or another disappointing effort? Let us know in the comments below.
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