by | | 0 comment(s)

Microsoft is working on turning Cortana into "the little voice in your ear".


According to tech news site Wareable, Microsoft is rumored to be working on a new kind of wearable device, solely based on Cortana, and designed to push audio notifications directly from your iPhone, Android or Windows 10 phone to your ear.

Microsoft Clip, a wearable earpiece powered by Cortana

While information is still scarce, Clip seems to be the likely name for this new device, which could be officially unveiled this year.

Clip, as the name suggests, is an accessory that clips to the user’s ear, possibly in a similar way as any other bluetooth earpiece, however it’s not clear on whether the device will be built to act upon voice commands, or will be simply a notification accessory.

What we can assume is that this device isn’t likely meant to carry out phone calls, as the continuous push of notifications from a paired device over Bluetooth, could make the daily battery life of this accessory extremely short.

As previously mentioned, the device will work with any phone, or pairable device over Bluetooth. By such token, it will likely be compatible with other virtual assistants aside from Cortana, including Siri and Google voice search.

Microsoft is making a considerable effort in creating wearable devices. By that token, after the recent refresh of the Microsoft Band 2, Clip is a further indicator that Microsoft is clearly expanding as a hardware manufacturer in its own right.

So far, existing Microsoft wearables, like the Band 2 are designed to push notifications, such as workout reminders, and guided training, however, Clip could expand its use cases to a wider array of applications.

For instance, when driving, text messages and calls are no longer the only distractions that may hinder the ability to pay attention to the road. Many accidents occur while trying to read through the many notifications cluttering a very small device, even when docked stationary on a dashboard.

With that said, the ability to hear notifications, without having to take the eyes off the road, or the hands off the steering wheel, could make Clip a very useful device for safer driving, among some of the most important applications.



You must be logged in to post comments.