Microsoft is the next company to rival Amazon and Google in speakers equipped with voice-controlled assistants as it announces a partnership involving such a device with Harman Kardon.
Details on the actual speaker are scant, but one can safely assume Harman Kardon will offer a premium device. A brief teaser video shows a cylindrical speaker reminiscent of, well, the Amazon Echo product line. Like the competition it glows when users call out "hey Cortana," the name of the Microsoft take on the likes of Siri.
The partnership with the audio maker comes as Microsoft starts offering developers and vendors means to access the Cortana assistant-- specifically through what it calls the Cortana Skills Kit and devices SDK. The Skills Kit helps devices to integrate Cortana in apps and services running on a range of operating systems, while the SDK allows OEMs and ODMs to build Cortana-powered devices.
Interestingly, Microsoft has ambitions to putting Cortana in just about any device, pointing out fridges, toasters and thermostats as appliances in need of a voice-based control. We will know if such plans come into fruition next year, following the debut of the aforementioned Harman Kardon speaker.
Watch Harman Kardon + Cortana
