Microsoft and Amazon announced a partnership last year that would allow Alexa to summon Cortana, Microsoft’s voice-assistant, and let Cortana summon Alexa. At this year’s Microsoft Build conference, Microsoft showed off what that integration will look like in the video embedded above. Read more ›

Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistants will soon be able to grant access to each other. The two companies announced a partnership today that will allow Alexa users to say “Alexa, open Cortana” to speak to Microsoft’s voice assistant and Cortana users will be able to say “Cortana, open Alexa” to speak to Amazon’s voice assistant. With Alexa being consumer/entertainment focused and Cortana being more business/productivity focused, this partnership should pan out well without stepping on each other’s toes. Through Cortana, Alexa customers will be able to use “unique features like booking a meeting or accessing work calendars, reminding you to pick up flowers on your way home, or reading your work email.” Access will be made available later this year and should work through any Alexa-enabled device, including the Amazon Fire TV.