Microsoft still loves smart devices, rolling out Azure Percept camera, mic and services

Microsoft may have given up on smart speakers for the consumer, but the company hasn't given up on letting others build intelligent devices based on its own technologies and hardware. On Tuesday Microsoft launched Azure Percept, a platform of hardware and services that's built around Microsoft-designed hardware and Microsoft's Azure AI platform. They're part of what's known as "edge computing," intelligent devices that can process data on their own but are best when combined with the cloud. To get started, Microsoft unveiled Azure Percept Vision, a smart camera; plus Azure Percept Audio, an intelligent audio system at its virtual Microsoft Ignite confernece. They can connect to the Azure IoT Hub.