Who’d have thought Microsoft and Amazon would become two new best friends. But that is just what has happened, as both companies have collaborated to officially bring Skype to Alexa devices.
This integration allows for not just answering calls with a single voice command, but owners of these smart devices can also start calls using the power of their voice. Of course, videos calls are also supported, as are other voice commands.
Additionally, thanks to this new compatibility between the two platforms, SkypeOut calls to phone numbers across the globe are also allowed — though no details have been provided yet regarding this.
Microsoft did announce what it called the next step its collaboration with Amazon to deliver delightful customer experiences through voice, which began with joining Cortana and Alexa a few months back, to the surprise of many.
Of course, Amazon already does have a voice and video calling service built into Alexa, but now users will have the option of using Microsoft services as well.
And while this is a solid win for everyone, it does raise some questions regarding the future of Cortana, as well as how Redmond sees her place in the highly competitive world of smart home automation, which Amazon now leads.
We’ll probably have to wait to see how this one pans out.
But Skype support for Alexa is going live by the end of the is year. Microsoft is also gearing up to hold a Surface event on October 2, and the company may share more details on this then.
