HP's Cortana speaker has to connect to a Windows 10 PC

Microsoft revealed earlier this month that HP is planning to build a Cortana-powered speaker. At Computex today, the software giant demonstrated what it described as HP’s “digital assistant.” It’s a small puck-like speaker that attaches to a Windows 10 PC and runs Cortana. HP hasn’t provided actual hardware at Computex, but Microsoft demonstrated what is a “visual representation” of the device.

Those hoping for a standalone Cortana speaker, like Harman Kardon’s Invoke, will be disappointed to learn you’ll need to attach this device to a Windows 10 PC. It appears that HP is creating this hardware as a companion to its range of Windows 10 PCs, rather than a full Cortana speaker. Microsoft only briefly showed the device on stage, but there’s no release date or pricing for HP’s digital assistant hardware.