That fancy Cortana thermostat now supports Alexa and Google Assistant

If you've been eying Johnson Controls' slick, Microsoft-backed GLAS thermostat ever since it was unveiled in 2017, it's finally close at hand -- and you won't have to rely on Cortana for voice control, either. The $319 climate controller will ship on August 24th with support both Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, helping it slip more gracefully into more smart home setups. This probably won't wound Microsoft's pride too much. It's aware that Cortana has just a small slice of the voice assistant market, and it's already getting cozy with Alexa on its own platforms.

Apart from voice control, the star of the show is undoubtedly the thermostat's translucent OLED touchscreen. You can tweak the temperature, check air quality (inside and out) and gauge your energy savings without having to push buttons or twist knobs. You're paying a lot even compared to high-end rivals like Nest, but it's not often that you can get a touch-only thermostat that doubles as a conversation piece.

Source: Johnson Controls



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