Microsoft wants to change the world, and one of the ways to do so is to make our vehicles smarter than they are now. The company is not building its own intelligent and connected vehicle, but it is planning to make sure its platform is the most used.
It is clear that cars will be connected to the Internet in the coming years, and they will also be connected to our mobile phones, computers, and whatever else we’re using. With that in mind, the software giant wants to have its own platform as the primary backbone of this new world.
“The car becomes a companion and an assistant to your digital life. And so our strategy is to be the ultimate platform for all intelligent cars,” according to Microsoft’s Peggy Johnson.
We understand that Microsoft has partnered with Harman to bring its smart tools to the company’s infotainment systems. This system will be incorporated in future smart cars, and Microsoft’s productivity suites will be right there to keep drivers from staying out of the loop.
The idea is to have relevant Office 365 apps available in the car. The plan is to have drivers’ complete tasks without having to comprise safety. It means that drivers will be able to communicate with Cortana by voice to do certain essential functions. For example, if the user wants to set a meeting with his boss, he’ll just speak the command to Cortana and the voice assistant will get it done.
Another cool thing Microsoft has done is to team up with a company known as IAV. The tech being worked on here is quite interesting, and it has a lot to do with driverless cars. Here’s the thing, if a pedestrian is wearing a Microsoft Band, the car would be able to pick up on that and automatically chooses to stop.
IAV plans to use Windows 10 and Microsoft Azure’s cloud platform to get everything into full gear.
From what we are seeing, Microsoft is doing well for itself at CES 2016 so far.
