Utilizing Windows 10 IoT Core, Cortana voice activation, and back-end Azure insight services, GLAS is a state of the art thermostat. The operating system can run on ARM and on x86/x64 devices. In a YouTube video, Microsoft shows the first images of GLAS which will feature a translucent touch screen display and enable users to control room temperatures, check energy usage and air quality, and see calendar information.
Microsoft in the smart home business
GLAS will be the first real Smart Home product using Windows 10 for IoT and Cortana, apart from the Cortana speakers from Harman Kardon. But as the company has already started collaborating with Samsung for smart home devices, Cortana-enabled washing machines and refrigerators should be just around the corner. GLAS by Johnson Controls gives a better idea of what Microsoft’s vision beyond Harman Kardon’s smart home speaker looks like. With the California-based home automation company Nest currently starring in smart home solutions, Microsoft is aiming to change that. Cortana-powered devices with Azure insight services and Windows 10 IoT can provide opportunities to several companies wishing to compete in the smart home industry. In addition, with Windows 10 IoT Microsoft is helping scientists. Recently, the first results from a space experiment utilizing Microsoft’s OS came back from the International Space Station. In collaboration with The Quest Institute, Microsoft is trying to solve one of the engineering’s most pressing issues with space: make a scalable science platform that can withstand the harshness of space.
