Harman Unveils 'Harman Kardon Invoke' Voice-Activated Speaker With Cortana

Harman, a subsidiary of Samsung, has announced the Harman Kardon Invoke, a voice-activated speaker featuring Microsoft's Cortana personal assistant.

Invoke, with Cortana, is a voice-activated speaker that can play your favorite music, manage calendars and activities, set reminders, check traffic, deliver the latest news and much more. With Skype integration, you can make calls to cellphones, landlines and other Skype-enabled devices. You can also control your smart home devices using voice to do things like turn out the lights or control the temperature.

“We’re excited to work with Microsoft to develop a premium speaker that will deliver an exceptional experience to every customer using 360-degree Harman Kardon sound and the intelligence of Cortana,” said Michael Mauser, President, Lifestyle Audio Division at HARMAN. “Voice-enabled technology is the future; by teaming up with Microsoft, we’re delivering on our promise of elevating a connected life through smart technology, superior sound and the stunning design that is Harman Kardon’s hallmark.”

“We are excited to partner with Harman Kardon to create a speaker that combines premium audio and stylish design with the intelligence of Cortana.” said Jordi Ribas, CVP, AI Products at Microsoft. “This is our next step in bringing Cortana to even more devices to help users be more productive wherever they are.”

The device is available in Pearl Silver (White) and Graphite (Black) and features a metallic speaker cabinet that projects sound a full 360-degrees. Invoke has a ‘touch to surprise’ user interface panel at the top of the speaker, interactive Cortana lighting, and Skype integration allowing users to make and receive crystal-clear, hands-free calls.

Invoke has Harman's SONIQUE far-field voice recognition technology that uses proprietary 360-degree adaptive technology (featuring 7 microphones) to recognize details of voice commands even in environments with high ambient noise.

Availability:
Harman Kardon Invoke with Cortana will be available in the USA only at select retailers and Microsoft Stores in fall 2017.

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