Ordered an Invoke today. Anyone else?

[Paul Gorski]

The way Microsoft abandons their products i.e. Zune, Windows Phone, Streets and Trips, Money, etc., gives me no faith in their commitment to do anything that is not already done better by others. In this case it would be Amazon that is better and trustworthy.

 

[anon(8032092)]

Can it play music from your OneDrive or a NAS? I know multi-room audio and multi-user will come later. All of this is a big factor vs. Echo or Sonos. Sonos can play off a NAS and I was hoping they would add Cortana support since they said they want to work with many digital assistants. SO I'm afraid to pull the trigger.

Currently, no. It's just the 3 streaming providers.

I picked one up yesterday, and I am moderatly pleased with it. I do not own an Alexa or Google Home device to compare it to, but unlike reviewers I don't think the Invoke as just a speaker is anything overly exceptional. I'm sure it's great for it's size and all, but it certainly lacks the bass that I am used to.

I was hoping that Cortana on the invoke could do more than what it can do on my Windows 10 PC, but really the only two extra things that I could find is that she can play music and make skype calls. To me, the process of using 3rd party skills can be a bit clumsy. First, you attempt to use the service on the speaker "Hey Cortana, open xyz". Then Cortana says that she needs your approval via the cortana app on one of your devices. So, she sends you a notification, and you tap approve. Then, you can try using the service again via the speaker.

I was also hoping beyond hopes that more people would be interested in this speaker. Sadly, at my Best Buy the employee had to go to the back of the store to find one for me. Additionally, my store only had two. Just two. To me, this speaks to their sales expectations.

Don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for Microsoft and Harman/Kardon and I'll definitly be keeping the device. Holding or touching the Invoke screams Quality. But, like many of you I've also been rooting for the Band, Windows Phone, and more over the years. I see my purchase as an investment into what could someday be an excellent device on the perfect platform. I just hope that this time it pays off.

 

[realwarder]

Until it supports multiple users, I won't be buying one.

 

[anon(5884236)]

JimStrav

Can it play music from your OneDrive or a NAS

No. Currently it only supports 3 music sources; Spotify, iHeart, TuneIn.

 

[anon(5884236)]

JimStrav

Can it play music from your OneDrive or a NAS

No. Currently it only supports 3 music sources; Spotify, iHeart, TuneIn.

 

[realwarder]

Can it play music from your OneDrive or a NAS? I know multi-room audio and multi-user will come later. All of this is a big factor vs. Echo or Sonos. Sonos can play off a NAS and I was hoping they would add Cortana support since they said they want to work with many digital assistants. SO I'm afraid to pull the trigger.

I don't believe so as they stripped Groove. Groove likely would have enabling playing off OneDrive... they really should add this as an option again, especially given they likely had it running already anyway!

 

[TennisGuy45]

No and I would not buy into anything Microsoft spits out these days (outside of a PC).

Microsoft flakes out on so many of their ideas that I have zero confidence in anything the create being around in a year or two.

 

[Skelnik]

I'll buy one as soon as they're available in Canada. Or, if there's a Cortana-powered version of Jibo by then, even better!

 

[deadonthefloor]

Nah, I'd like to have one place in my life free from NSA/CIA/FBI/FSB surveillance.

 

[cybdiver]

Invoke or choke

I'm will not buy an Invoke for fear of being treated badly like they did with the Phone. I bought several phones for my family spent many hours showing how well it integrates with their desk top. Explained why it's the better choice phone then MS dumps it. So at this point I think MS should just send an Invoke as an apology. I now have to buy everyone a new phone, retrain them and show them how to get all the things they had before. And teach them how not to download junk apps. Did you ever try teaching an 80 year old how to use a smart phone? Besides there are hardly any functions, I haven't seen much for smart homes. Except for the Harmon Kardon speaker which I have 4 of on my stereo then I forgot why am I buying this? I like Cortana too but without a big following I'm not convinced she's going to last. Maybe I'll get an Xbox instead.
:angry:

I ordered the silver model. I know a lot of people (including my wife) will ask why? Well, very simply, I love Cortana and I'm looking forward to comparing her with Alexa. The Skype integration is a big plus however Alexa has this now with her own messaging and calling capabilities. As Dan mentioned in his article, there really is no compelling reason to lay down $200 for this device. I just decided I want to try it out. I will update this thread once I receive the device. ETA 10/25.
Harman Kardon Invoke – Voice Activated Speaker with Cortana

 

[Jcmg62]

Buy it today just to watch them abandon it a year from now. Band...burned, Groove...burned, Mobile...burned several times.

Nah, be smart. Put your consumer money toward a device that's supported by a consumer focussed company. Apple, Google or Amazon.

 

[Will Gilliland]

If this were 2015, I'd have one in each room, plus my daughter's dorm. However, it two years Microsoft has abandoned my Band 1,2, Groove, my Lumia phones and gone with this farce they're going to bolt-on Microsoft products to existing ecosystems.

I LOVED Cortana on my Lumia 950XL, but Cortana on my Galaxy S8+ is ridiculously unintelligent. Since our phones are our lives, if it doesn't work well with it, it's out.

Besides, no multi-user is a deal-breaker.

 

[LIEBER]

I'm not into Cortana/voice recognition systems for voice command -- partially because the support is limited outside of USA/English speaking countries -- even if you use English UI in Windows. So I'm not sure about the Invoke. But it would be interesting if it can work as a good combined meeting room mic/loudspeaker for group Skype meetings.

 

[jasqid]

Hell no. With the way they run their business now it will be cancelled within 12 months.

 

[abilio batista]

Nope, no, no, no.
I'm not gonna be f*cked again by Microsoft

 

[mvierling]

I ordered the silver model. I know a lot of people (including my wife) will ask why? Well, very simply, I love Cortana and I'm looking forward to comparing her with Alexa. The Skype integration is a big plus however Alexa has this now with her own messaging and calling capabilities. As Dan mentioned in his article, there really is no compelling reason to lay down $200 for this device. I just decided I want to try it out. I will update this thread once I receive the device. ETA 10/25.
Harman Kardon Invoke – Voice Activated Speaker with Cortana

Heck no I won't buy one. Too little, too late. Already have multiple Alexa devices. Besides, Microsoft will discontinue it and drop support like they did for the Zune, Windows Phones, Band, etc.

 

[JSW2624]

buy it today just to watch them abandon it a year from now. Band...burned, groove...burned, mobile...burned several times.

this!!!

 

[DesertIslander]

Bought a black one at the Microsoft store yesterday and it's good. I have Insteon and Nest in my house and the Invoke does a good job of both with one exception. Cortana doesn't seem to recognize Insteon Scenes while Alexa deals with them without an issue. I found the sound quality to be outstanding although maybe that has something to do with the quality available from a Spotify premium account. I've been using Alexa for a while now and Cortana has some catching up to do in the skills area. I do enjoy being able to access all my Office 365 calendars from the speaker which I've not discovered how to do with Alexa. The price is high, but the sound quality makes it worth it. So far, I'd recommend it.

 

[bellyer]

One thing that people are forgetting here is that the Cortana service itself is what Microsoft is producing. The hardware is being put out by Harmon Kardon. All of the products being mentioned are, by and large, consumer-focused hardware products. Microsoft seems to be focusing a lot on services and Cortana is one of those services that has a lot of reach for consumer and enterprise purposes. I don't see Cortana being dropped anytime soon and, as long as third parties are producing the hardware, I don't share the same concerns that I might have if this was another Microsoft-built wearable or phone device. I'm loving my Invoke so far and would consider getting an additional one to put on another level of my home.

 

[1DaveN]

I think the thing that makes the Invoke compelling (so far) is that Cortana works on all your devices. The Invoke will let me set a reminder, from bed, that will trigger when I get to the office or at a certain time. That's going to be a big improvement from grabbing a tablet, logging in, and e-mailing myself, setting a reminder from my phone, or in most cases, just forgetting the task or idea.