Microsoft’s response to the Amazon Echo and Google Home is Home Hub, a software update for Windows 10’s Cortana personal assistant that turns any Windows PC into a smart speaker of sorts. Mashable reports: Microsoft’s smart digital assistant Cortana can already answer your queries, even if the PC’s screen is locked. The Home Hub is tied to Cortana and takes this a few steps further. It would add a special app with features such as calendar appointments, sticky notes and shopping lists. A Home Hub-enabled PC might have a Welcome Screen, a full-screen app that displays all these, like a virtual fridge door. Multiple users (i.e. family members) could use the Home Hub, either by authenticating through Windows Hello or by working in a family-shared account. Cortana would get more powerful on Home Hub; it could, for example, control smart home devices, such as lights and locks. And even though all of this will work on any Windows 10 device — potentially making the PC the center of your smart home experience — third-party manufacturers will be able to build devices that work with Home Hub. You can read Windows Central’s massive report here. Do note that Home Hub is not official and individual features could change over time. The update is slated for 2017.
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