A new voice-controlled speaker from Harman Kardon is powered with the Cortana voice recognition system from Microsoft.
And, it is now capable of accessing one of the widely used streaming audio apps — iHeartRadio.
The just-released Invoke speaker boasts Cortana-fueled voice commands, and iHeart notes in a Nov. 3 blog posting, “All you have to do is say, ‘Hey Cortana, play hip hop music on iHeartRadio’ – or ‘Hey Cortana, play Z100 on iHeartRadio’ – and you’ll be jamming in no time.”
The iHeart team considers Invoke to be an AI personal assistant that can not only access iHeartRadio stations and custom artist streams by voice but can help create reminders and lists, manage schedules, answer questions, and make hands-free calls with Skype.
Invoke is similar to the Amazon Echo and Google Home Smart Speaker device.
It features seven far-field microphones, two passive radiators, three direct-radiating tweeters, and three direct-radiating woofers.
Invoke is presently available exclusively in the U.S. and requires a WiFi connection.
Pricing of Invoke has attracted much attention in the tech media, and one can purchase a graphite or pearl silver unit for $199.95.
Microsoft Store retailers are stocked with the product, while Microsoft is also selling the device with free shipping via its website.
