365
Audio manufacturer Harman is integrating Microsoft’s Cortana into their upcoming Harman Kardon Invoke speaker system to compete with Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Assistant.
Harman Kardon is a manufacturer of headphones, wireless audio equipment, and home audio systems; now the company can add voice-activated smart home tech to its repertoire. Cortana by Microsoft will be added as a feature to the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker system, providing Microsoft with its first real competitor for similar voice-activated smart home tech against Alexa by Amazon, Siri by Apple, and Google Assistant.
The speaker itself has a polished metallic design that delivers 360-degree sound projection and is excellent from every direction. The speaker will be available in Pearl Silver and Graphite, and the “touch to surprise” user display interface on top lights up with function, giving the Harman Kardon Invoke a very futuristic look when operating. The Invoke utilizes Harman’s Sonique™ far-field voice recognition technology to provide flawless sound when making Skype calls.
What the Harman Kardon Invoke Can Do
Besides being able to control your music with your voice, Invoke will allow users to perform other tasks, including the following:
- Voice-control integrated smart home functions
- Conduct hands-free phone calls over Skype
- Find information and answers to questions
- Manage calendars and activities
- Create reminders
- Find the latest news
- Check traffic conditions
- And much more!
The voice-activated speaker system market has been dominated over the past few years by the likes of Siri in the mobile market and Alexa in the home market, but the Invoke hopes to give these industry leaders a run for their money. The Harman Kardon Invoke will require the user to have the Cortana application for Windows 10 on either a PC or mobile phone (Android version 4.1.2 or higher OR iPhone 4 with iOS 8.0 or higher). Some of the technical specs for the speaker include the following:
- 3 woofers
- 3 tweeters
- 2 passive radiators
- 7 embedded microphones
The Harman Kardon Invoke™ with Cortana by Microsoft will become available in Fall 2017. If you have any questions regarding Windows 10 or Cortana, contact us today!
Hey Tom,
Good question, the harman kardon invoke speaker actually connects to computers via WiFi and the Cortana app on your windows computer. As long as you have windows 10 and Cortana enabled you should be able to set up the speaker. You may still run into connectivity issues depending on how your office WiFi is set up but the absence of Bluetooth shouldn’t stop the harman kardon invoke speaker from connecting to your pc. As far as connecting to a phone, your computers settings should effect the communication between the speaker and your phone. You should be able to download the app on your phone and connect. Hope that this helps.
Our Honeywell Computers do not allow Bluetooth connections, so we have to use USB connections. Can the HK speaker phone work with these restrictions?