Harman Kardon Cortana Speaker Release Date, Specs News: Voice-Activated Speaker Gets Wi-Fi Certification, Could Arrive Soon

By Georgia Gana, Christian Post Contributor Friday, February 24, 2017

A new Harman Kardon speaker featuring Microsoft's intelligent personal assistant Cortana could be arriving soon, according to the latest reports. Upon its release, it is expected to compete with other smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Echo.

The audio equipment company first teased the existence of the voice-activated speaker in a promotional video that was released back in December 2016. The teaser revealed that the device was "coming in 2017," so many had expected it to make its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last January.

However, the Harman Kardon Cortana speaker failed to make an appearance. While the device's absence was somewhat disappointing, it was soon forgotten due to the onslaught of new smart home devices that were introduced during the trade show.

Now, it seems as the Harman Kardon Cortana speaker's launch is imminent as it was recently spotted getting its certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance. Interestingly, the listing revealed that the Cortana-enabled speaker will actually use the Linux version 3.8.13 operating system (OS). Unfortunately, no other technical specifications were revealed.

According to MSPoweruser, the Linux OS likely means that the smart speaker will be using Cortana Devices SDK, which allows Microsoft's digital assistant to be integrated into different types of hardware.

In terms of design, the smart speaker has a circular form factor and appears to have a modern and stylish design. The top part of the device also seems to light up whenever Cortana is activated. Furthermore, aside from playing songs, Cortana can also be used to accomplish other tasks like setting up reminders.

Harman Kardon has not responded to the latest reports about the upcoming voice-activated speaker. However, if the Cortana-enabled speaker's arrival is indeed imminent, then it is possible that it could be released during Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017.

The upcoming trade show will be held in Barcelona, Spain from Feb. 27 to March 2.