Invoke (smart speaker)

Invoke (stylized as INVOKE) is a smart speaker developed by Harman Kardon and was powered by Microsoft's intelligent personal assistant, Cortana. Voice interaction with Cortana provides features such as setting alarms, facts, searches, weather, news, traffic, flights, and other real-time information. Additionally, the speaker's Cortana integration with one's Microsoft Account enabled calendars, reminders, commutes, to-do lists, and home automation features, among others. The device supported music streaming from Spotify, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. and was also the first smart speaker to support voice calls using Skype. The inside of the speaker consists of seven far-field microphones, three woofers, three tweeters, two passive radiators, and a 40-watt amplifier. In December 2016, Microsoft announced it was partnering with Harman Kardon to develop a Cortana-powered smart speaker for release in 2017 and teased a preview of the device on YouTube. The device was officially unveiled on October 2, 2017 and became available for purchase on October 22, 2017 at Microsoft Store and select retailers, such as Best Buy, for an introductory price of $199.95. Over the Thanksgiving weekend during Black Friday sales, the speaker was discounted to$99. Microsoft announced in July 2020 that they would end support for Cortana on the Invoke speaker in January 2021. The speaker received an update in 2021 to make it into an ordinary Bluetooth speaker. Microsoft offered a $50 gift card to Invoke owners who had used the Cortana feature after July 31, 2019 and before its end-of-life announcement. By itself, the Harman Kardon Invoke can function as a standalone Bluetooth wireless speaker and also has Spotify Connect integration for audio streaming. Manufactured by a home audio equipment manufacturer, the Invoke contains 3 woofers and 3 tweeters for full range, 360-degree sound as well as 2 passive radiators which aid the bass performance in a small enclosure.