14 DAY TRIAL // Harman Kardon, the company recently acquired by Samsung, has developed its very own Cortana speaker, which is very similar to the Amazon Echo but featuring Microsoft’s famous digital assistant.
And since Cortana is the key feature of this little device, it only makes sense for Harman Kardon to turn to Windows 10 to power the device. And yet, it looks like the so-called Harman Kardon is actually running Linux.
The device received Wi-Fi certification, which provides us with a closer look at its specs, including firmware version, frequency bands, and the operating system. The operating system is undoubtedly the most interesting piece of info, as the device appears to be powered by Linux version 3.8.13.
Why not Windows 10 IoT?
While it might be hard for device manufacturers to install Windows 10 on such devices, Windows 10 IoT seems to be the more obvious choice, especially because its purpose is to power a wide array of devices that can’t normally run the full version of the operating system.
Harman Kardon, however, decided to go for Linux, and using the Cortana Devices SDK, to get the Microsoft digital assistant to run on its hardware with few tweaks.
As Microsoft puts it, the Cortana Devices SDK is an opportunity for developers to create features that work across a big number of devices, including Windows 10, Android, and iOS.
“Your Cortana skills will work out of the box with all kinds of products built on the Cortana Devices SDK - from car to home, big screen to no screen, including a new Harman device in 2017,” Microsoft says.
Harman Kardon hasn’t yet announced the release date of its new Cortana speaker, but it shouldn’t take too long before more information makes the rounds, especially because the company has already confirmed that it’s coming this year. And with the device receiving Wi-Fi certification, it’s probably just a matter of time until it goes live.
