Microsoft's dream of owning the living room hinges on Cortana

When Microsoft unveiled Cortana three years ago, it was positioned as the company's response to Siri and Google Now. But as Windows Phone faltered, Microsoft wisely shifted Cortana over to other mobile platforms and Windows PCs, where it could hook into your calendar and email to offer even more personalized assistance. Now, it appears that Microsoft wants Cortana to take over yet another space -- the living room. At Build, Microsoft's annual developer conference, the company revealed that it was working on several Cortana-powered smart speakers that would take on Amazon's Echo. Aside from the Harmon Kardon Invoke that was leaked earlier this week, both HP and Intel are working on their own Cortana-powered speakers.