Microsoft Takes on Amazon Echo With Cortana-Powered Speaker

If 2016 was the year of VR, then 2017 looks all set to be the year of smart home automation. Amazon's Alexa Echo skills have taken home voice controls mainstream in the last few months and Google's Home speaker – which went on sale recently – signals the search giant's intent in the area. And it looks as if Microsoft doesn't want to miss out. The tech giant's digital assistant Cortana, which has impressed over the last few years across Windows Phones, Xboxes and Windows PCs, is about to spread its virtual wings into new hardware – most notably a speaker from Harman Kardon. A teaser video for the "new voice activated speaker by Harman Kardon, with Cortana" has just gone live promising the device will be where "Premium Audio Meets Personal Assistant".