Cortana to have its own smart speaker

Washington

MICROSOFT said Monday that it has partnered with audio equipment maker Harman Kardon to put the tech giant's voice-activated assistant, Cortana, into a smart speaker of its very own.

The Invoke, as the speaker is called, will allow its owners to use the speaker like a phone, by using Microsoft's Skype. It will also have features similar to its competitors, such as the ability to control smart appliances and tell users what the traffic conditions are like on their commutes, what the latest news is and what their schedules look like that day.