Samsung subsidiary Harman Kardon quietly announced its Amazon Echo competitor, called Invoke Monday. The speaker, powered by Microsoft's voice assistant Cortana, is expected to have features such as integration with Microsoft productivity tools, such as MS-Word and artificial intelligence (AI) more focused on human-machine interactions. "We are excited to partner with Harman Kardon to create a speaker that combines premium audio and stylish design with the intelligence of Cortana. This is our next step in bringing Cortana to even more devices to help users be more productive wherever they are," Jordi Ribas, corporate vice president, AI Products at Microsoft, said in the press release. The Invoke speaker looks similar to Amazon Echo and Google Home -- it has a cylindrical design and a top with LED lighting, which glows when the speaker is listening to the user's voice commands.

You can credit IBM's Watson for creating a platform for artificial intelligence integration into a multitude of business and customer-facing applications. You can thank Facebook for all the buzz about chatbots and the gold rush of developers and venture capital creating an onslaught of bot companies. However, the truth is we are only just starting to realise the potential of artificial intelligence and one of the most promising applications for AI to make a more than welcome impact is in customer experience. It can be debated that for all of the good technology has offered businesses over the last several decades, it has also comprised key elements of the customer experience. Call centres, websites, email, apps, et al, have allowed companies to scale and automate customer engagement while also introducing process efficiencies and cost management systems.

The Google Home smart speaker has finally made it to the UK, bringing the company's always-listening voice assistant into direct competition with the incumbent Amazon Echo and its own assistant, Alexa. But is Google's best worth buying? Artificially intelligent voice assistants are the new battleground between the big US tech companies and while Google is no stranger with voice search and Google Now being available on Android smartphones for years, it was beaten into US and then UK households by Amazon and its hit Echo speaker. Google Home is a wifi-connected, voice-controlled smart speaker capable of playing music, answering questions and controlling other devices about the home. Inside awaits Assistant – Google's virtual assistant – the same Google Assistant present in many Android smartphones, including the Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy S8 and others.

Every single time I go back to my parents' home I try to get them to cancel their home phone line. And every time I fail. I don't know how much they pay for their phone bill off the top of my head, but whatever it is, it's too much -- especially since they rarely use it, and they have smartphones which I generously pay for. SEE ALSO: Why the Echo Show could be Amazon's most disruptive product According to a recently published U.S. Health Department finding, 50.8 percent of American homes don't have a landline and have a cellphone instead. Naturally, as cellphones have become ubiquitous, the number of landlines in homes have declined and will continue to fall.

Remember when word got out for Microsoft's Home Hub, a Windows 10 update that would effectively turn your PC into a souped-up Amazon Echo with shared info, across-the-room voice control and home automation? You now have an idea as to what it'll look like in practice. The Verge has obtained leaked conceptual images showing just what Home Hub will do. Sure enough, the welcome screen now has an always-available view of the family's calendar, notes and other collective knowledge. If your child has ballet practice, everyone will know.

Microsoft and Harman Kardon, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, are set to release a smart speaker this fall that plays music, manages calendars, checks traffic and more – and it is powered by Cortana. Called Invoke, the device uses Cortana's natural language recognition and deep integration, combined with Microsoft's suite of knowledge and productivity tools in a bid to take on Amazon's Alexa. '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.' Users will have a choice between Pearl Silver and Graphite, however the device will only be available in the US sometime this fall.

Apple confirmed its keynote address for its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) by sending press invitations for the June event Tuesday, MacRumors reported. Apple will hold the keynote event on June 5 at 10 a.m. The WWDC 2017 will consist of get-togethers, sessions and labs for developers, plus a keynote address. Last year, Apple unveiled iOS 10, which revamped iMessage and the Photos and Maps apps, along with other features. This year could include big announcements on the Apple TV, iOS 11 and the rumored Siri speaker.

Harman Kardon has released additional details about its Invoke smart speaker with Cortana inside, marking Microsoft's first venture into smart speakers to compete with the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home. First teased last December, the smart speaker will be able to do things like manage a calendar, control smart home devices, play music, and deliver the news. Unlike competitors, Invoke will be able to make calls with Skype. The device will initially be available in Microsoft stores in fall 2017, but only in the United States. "We are excited to partner with Harman Kardon to create a speaker that combines premium audio and stylish design with the intelligence of Cortana," Microsoft AI products VP Jordi Ribas said in a release today.

Yes, the future of hands-free calling is here after Amazon announced the new Echo Show on Tuesday, a version of its popular smart speaker with a touchscreen that looks like a '90s television. With the Show, the company announced video calling for the device as well as free voice calling and messaging on the Alexa platform to all Echo devices, as well as the Alexa app, which can be used on iOS and Android. SEE ALSO: Why the Echo Show could be Amazon's most disruptive product To call, just ask Alexa--no hands needed. There's also a messaging feature, which allows you to share voicemail style audio messages, and receive them via the device and the Alexa app. Alexa uses a VoIP service to make the calls.

Apple has sent out invites to key press for the keynote of its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose on June 5th. The firm is rumoured to be unveiling a smart speaker using its Siri assistant at the event to take on Amazon's Echo range and Google Home. The firm is also expected to unveil the next version of its iOS software, with some analysts claiming it may even give a sneak peek of the next iPhone. The keynote address will take place on June 5th in San Jose, and Apple is rumoured to be unveiling a smart speaker using its Siri assistant at the event to take on Amazon's Echo range and Google Home. A JP Morgan analyst has suggested there is a'high likelihood' that the tech giant will preview the iPhone 8 at the World Developers Conference in June – a move that breaks five years of tradition.