Mercedes steps up its electric car production plans

When Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler unveiled plans to have at least six electric cars on the market within a decade, it was clearly being conservative. The automaker has announced that it’s accelerating those plans, with over 10 EVs on the road by 2022 — 3 years ahead of the target it set half a year ago. Daimler will pour €10 billion (about $10.8 billion) into the initiative to make it a reality. The company wants to shape the car industry “from the forefront,” according to the firm’s Manfred Bischoff, and that means an aggressive strategy.

Why such a quick change of heart, though? The car giant isn’t specific, but there are a few likely motivations. Competition is certainly the elephant in the room. Mercedes hasn’t been shy about gunning after Tesla’s upscale EV line, and it doesn’t want to risk handing the market to its American rival by being overly cautious. It has to worry about its German counterparts, too. And even if there weren’t any market factors at work, Mercedes still has to worry about growing widening diesel emissions scandals and increasing government pressure to reduce pollution. Simply put, the advantages of quickly embracing EVs are easily outweighing the drawbacks.

Via: Bloomberg, TechCrunch

Source: Daimler

Marshall MID Bluetooth on-ear headphones review

Since the mid-1960’s Marshall has been producing top notch sound producing devices in the way of guitar amplifiers. The brand has been known over the years for the specific sounds that its amplifiers produce. In more recent years, the English company has started producing additional sound accessories, like headphones. Let’s see how it stands up to the reputation it has made for its speakers.

Marshall was gracious enough to provide us with a set of the Marshall MID Bluetooth Headphones to review. Ringing in at $199, the MID is tied for the most expensive headphones that it offers. Left to my own devices, there isn’t much of a chance that I would be spending that much on headphones, but if you have read some of my previous reviews, my mind has been changed before.

Initial Thoughts

Every time I get a new package, whether it is something from Amazon, work, or a review item I just can’t wait to tear it open and see what is inside. Receiving the MID headphones was no different. Straight out of the cardboard box it was shipped in, the packaging is something I would expect to receive a $200 set of headphones in.

Fold them up for easy transport

Upon opening, I was presented with the prized item front and center. They come packaged in their folded state and presented nicely so that you can admire your purchase. Digging a little deeper, we can find a microUSB charging cable as well as a coiled 3.5mm audio cable with built-in microphone. Finally, we see a large owners manual that lists the instructions in multiple languages.

Upon first examination of the headset, my attention is drawn initially to the leather headband. Soft and smooth are two descriptors I would use here. Next, upon unfolding the headphones it is hard to miss the clean, vinyl lettering clearly spelling out the brand name in that signature Marshall font.

Design

After I got over the initial giddy feeling of getting a new present, the first thing I did was thrown them on and start to listen, but we will get to how they work a little bit later. When I finally sat down and took a look at quality, I could see that we were dealing with a product that, from design and exterior quality alone, was worth the price tag.

Embossed logo

Brass Rivet noting Left side

Starting from the top, we see the leather headband that I spoke about earlier. The textured top of the band runs all the way down into the cleverly stamped vinyl speaker housings which, of course, have that beautiful stark white Marshall lettering. Moving to the inside of the band, we find the embossed company logo on the under side. Moving down each side, we see brass rivets marking R and L (yes, that is for Right and Left). Protruding out of the bottom of the leather band, coiled cables connect the two speaker housings. The steel hinges hide behind the coiled cable sporting more brass to continue the style.

On the bottom of the speaker housings, we find all of the important stuff. The right one has the input for your 3.5mm and microUSB as well as the notification light that is directly adjacent to the charging port. We also find the microphone hole if we rotate the right speaker slightly to the front.

Right

Left

The left speaker houses my favorite physical feature of the headphones, the brass control knob. This small, button-like feature sits to the back of the headphones making it easy and convenient to access the controls. We will get into what you can do with it more later but it is very nice to have a single point of control.

Performance

Before I get into my experience with these headphones, I would like to say a couple things. First, I am not the world’s biggest audiophile. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some music but, for the most part, I listen to music to either pass time or occupy my idle brain while I concentrate on work. Second, I have never been a large fan of on-ear headphones. All of the ones I have used in the past either hurt my ears or did not have great sound.

Getting these set up was a dream. Holding the button for 4 seconds turns the headphones on, signified by the white light flashing next to the charging port. Pushing the button twice turns on Bluetooth discovery, signified by the notification light flashing blue. The rest of the setup is straight forward.

Tuning Specs

When I eagerly slid the headphones over my ears I was greeted with a quality of sound I can easily say I have never experienced before. The sound was clear and robust. By far, my favorite part of music has always been the bassline and these headphones do not disappoint. The bass is clear and prominent within the music that I was playing. My typical choices of music consist of Rap and 90’s alternative (I know, I’m weird) and those come across better than I have ever heard them before. The more I use them, the more I become used to the quality of sound they produce and refuse to use any of the other headphones I have. My wife even went as far as to lay claim to them; I had to wrestle them away from her so I could finish the review.

Now that we have determined that these are quality headphones there is usually one question that follows, “How long do they last?” The box claims 30 hours. I cannot claim that I have used them for 30 hours straight. In fact, I did the math and since charging them the day I got them, I have used them for roughly 24 hours and they are still going strong. I think its claim is pretty close if not spot on.

Other Features

These headphones can do some pretty neat things other than simply play music. First, and the most common of the features, is the ability to be used for making and receiving calls. I have made a number of calls with these headphones and only had one complaint. The noise canceling seems to cut off all sound when in a high noise area. I was making a lot of noise while feeding the horses and my wife told me that the sound went dead and she could not hear anything.

The second feature, which is pretty freaking cool, is the ability to share music through the 3.5mm audio jack. Simply plug your second device into the audio jack and begin listening. A very neat feature for road trips or long lines.

Control nob options

Finally, we get to the control knob. It is so nice to have a single point of control. No multiple buttons to search for, no getting frustrated trying to remember which button does what. There are a number of optional controls that range from simple to, “How do I do that again?” It does all this while fitting in perfectly with the rest of the design and the Marshall brand in general.

Conclusion

My experience with the Marshall MID Bluetooth headphones can only be described as wonderful. The sound was amazing and the design is classy and sleek. I will confess, I have been made a believer in purchasing quality devices to obtain quality sound. Since I started using the MID’s, I have not used any other headphones for music listening. In fact, I have been using these every day and don’t see that changing in the near future.

On a more personal note, my appreciation for what musicians and sound booth technicians do has grown. I was blown away by how much quality audio equipment can change what you hear in songs that you have listened to hundreds of time before.

I have to run, my wife has more chores for me to do, and that means I get to listen to more music.

One of Jupiter’s asteroid ‘moons’ is orbiting backwards

As a rule, you can safely assume that moons and asteroids will all orbit a planet in the same direction. If they didn’t, interactions with their host would likely send them flying off course. However, it’s now clear that there are exceptions to this rule: researchers have discovered that an asteroid is circling Jupiter in the opposite direction of all planets in the Solar System. These backwards-orbiting rocks are rare anywhere in the system (they represent just 0.01 percent of known asteroids), but this is the very first time one has been caught spinning around a planet. How is it sticking around, then?

In a sense, it’s a matter of luck. The asteroid travels on alternating sides of Jupiter, with one pass reeling it in while another pushes it outward — it’s in just the right trajectory to maintain a yin-yang balance. This is a stable orbit, too, as scientists estimate that the asteroid has been locked to Jupiter’s orbit for about 1 million years.

The finding isn’t completely shocking given the scale of the cosmos (something like this was bound to crop up), but it’s still important. It could help shed new light on how orbits work, and it’s a friendly reminder that space doesn’t always conform to expectations.

Via: ScienceNews

Source: Nature

‘World of Warcraft’ players targeted by email phishing scam

Why it matters to you

World of Warcraft players who are targeted by this scam could lose access to their Blizzard account, or worse.

World of Warcraft may not be able to boast the player count that it amassed during the peak of its popularity, but it’s still one of the most well-populated MMOs around. Now, there’s evidence that phishers are specifically attacking fans of the game with a new email scam.

This phishing attack centers around emails that are purportedly sent by World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment — although of course this is not actually the case. The correspondence claims that the recipient has been gifted an in-game pet by another player, and offers them a link that they can follow to claim the gift.

The link leads to a login screen where users are encouraged to enter their Blizzard account credentials, according to a report from Graham Cluley. However, a close check of the URL would reveal that it’s a veiled attempt to capture personal information, rather than an official site.

More: This is what the Warcraft sequel will be about … if they decide to make it

There are currently two distinct versions of this phishing scam doing the rounds. One offers players the chance to grab an in-game pet known as Brightpaw, while the other yields a flying mount called Mystic Runesaber. Both of these creatures are real in-game items that can be purchased through legitimate means.

World of Warcraft players should remain vigilant about any emails they receive that claim to be from Blizzard. The examples that have been spotted in the wild contain telltale clues, like random question marks placed into text, and the fact that the URL recipients are sent to isn’t on the company’s official website.

Phishing attacks ultimately rely on the user’s poor judgement, so it’s crucial to know who’s receiving your credentials when you enter them into a web form. These scams don’t work if the target doesn’t take the bait, so it’s best to maintain a healthy sense of skepticism when it comes to unexpected gifts landing in your inbox.

Show your Galaxy S8 you care with one of these great cases

In a galaxy of metal and glass smartphone beauties, Samsung’s S8 still stands out as a real head-turner. That gorgeous screen has curves in the all the right places, and the skimpiest of bezels. It is truly a great-looking phone, but it was not built to withstand the rough and tumble of the real world.

Drop your S8 and you risk scuffs and dings in the metal frame, or worse, scratches or cracks in the screen that are eye-wateringly expensive to repair. You should really invest in some protection. Check out the best Galaxy S8 cases and covers to see if you can find something that suits you.

More: Samsung Galaxy S8 rumors and news leaks

Incipio Reprieve Sport Case ($40)

We know you don’t want to cover that beautiful Galaxy S8, but you need proper drop protection, too. Incipio’s Reprieve case could be the perfect compromise. The back is crystal clear with a large opening for the camera and fingerprint sensor. Shock absorbing reinforcement is built into the enlarged corners which cushion your S8 from every angle in the event of a fall. The button covers are easy to use and the partially clear, and the malleable bumper section comes in a choice of different colors for a fun, sporty feel.

Buy one now from:

Incipio

Carved Turtle Inlay Seaside Shell Case ($55)

We’re big fans of Carved’s eye-catching Galaxy S8 cases. They feature real wood and all kinds of different artistic designs to give you a genuinely unique case that also offers lightweight protection. The case itself is a simple, plastic shell with accurate cut-outs, thin button covers, and added grip on the sides. The back panels are hand-crafted in the U.S. This one combines purpleheart wood with real seashell and mother of pearl inlays to make the turtle. There are loads of other designs to choose from, ranging from plain wood at $24 to mixed materials that go up to $59.

Buy one now from:

Carved

UAG Pathfinder Case ($40)

Anyone concerned about dropping the S8 should have a look at UAG’s wares. These cases are really tough and practical, with reinforced corners, big rubber skid pads to prevent slips, and chunky button covers that are easy to feel and press. The openings offer easy access to all phone features and the case extends top and bottom to safeguard the screen. This opaque case comes in black, rust (orange), or white, but UAG also offers the translucent Plasma case in a few different shades.

Buy one now from:

UAG

Moshi Overture Wallet Case ($45)

This wallet case combines style and functionality in a package that offers decent drop protection. It’s a folio-style case, in black, vegan (fake) leather, which opens to reveal a polycarbonate shell for holding your S8 securely in place. The cover offers four handy slots for cards and a full-length pocket at the back. You’ll find accurate cut-outs for the buttons, camera and fingerprint sensor on the back, as well as the ports. The design also allows you to prop your S8 in landscape easily, which is great for watching movies.

Buy one now from:

Moshi

VRS Simpli Mod Series Case ($25)

If you like the leather look, but you want a durable, shell-style case, then this option from VRS Design should make your shopping list. It’s a polycarbonate shell with generous openings for your S8 camera, fingerprint sensor, all buttons, and ports. The back has a textured, polyurethane leather finish with neat, contrasting stitching. It’s slim and light, so it won’t provide rugged drop protection, but it should be enough to cope with minor bumps. It comes in black, or a brown and gold combination.

Buy one now from:

VRS Design

X-Doria Defense Lux Case ($35)

Here’s a tough case that combines multiple layers of protection to ensure that your S8 can survive drops from up to 10 feet. There’s a malleable, inner rubber, tough, poly-carbonate back, and an aluminum frame. The button covers are well-defined, and there are accurate cut-outs for the ports, camera, and fingerprint sensor. It’s a pretty chunky case, but X-Doria has added a touch of style with a panel on the back that comes in a choice of finishes, including rosewood, black carbon fiber, or black leather.

Buy one now from:

X-Doria

Griffin Survivor Strong Case ($30)

You can still get dual-layer protection in a slim package with this case from Griffin. It protects against drops from up to 7 feet, but it’s very lightweight. There’s a layer of polycarbonate with flexible TPU around the outside which makes it easy to grip and comfortable to hold. You’ll find openings for the camera, fingerprint sensor, and ports are exactly where they should be, and there are individual button covers on the side for the volume and power buttons. This case comes in a range of color combinations with contrasting highlights and the Survivor logo on the back.

Buy one now from:

Griffin

Olixar Flexishield Gel Case ($8)

Cases don’t come much cheaper than this basic gel case from Olixar. It’s a flexible, single layer that’s easy to fit. There are large cut-outs and thin button covers for easy access to everything. It won’t offer much in the way of drop protection, but it does enhance grip — and there’s a lip around the screen. The bumper frame has a gloss finish, while the back is subtly textured. You can get it in translucent blue or solid black. It may serve well as a stopgap solution while you wait for your preferred S8 case to be released.

Buy one now from:

Mobile Fun

Big, beautiful, but breakable: Check out the best Galaxy S8 Plus cases

With a 6.2-inch screen and glass curves to die for, the S8 Plus proves big can be beautiful, but it’s also worryingly breakable. If it slips from your hand you can expect cracks and scratches in that gorgeous glass exterior, not to mention chips and dents in the metal frame. It’s not cheap to fix, so it makes sense to take precautions. Shop for the best S8 Plus cases and covers, and find the right style and level of protection for you.

More: What’s in a Name? Meet Bixby – the smart sidekick who’ll help you use your digital gear

VRS Design Crystal Bumper ($25)

Here’s a good option if you want an S8 Plus case to showcase Samsung’s stunning design. This clear, flexible TPU shell is very easy to fit and sports accurate cut-outs and slim button covers. It has been reinforced by a polycarbonate bumper which comes in a couple shades of silver, gold, or blue. It’s a simple, slim case, but it should offer protection from minor knocks, and it extends at the front to protect that huge screen.

Buy one now from:

Mobile Fun

Carved Satellite Case ($59)

At the top of Carved’s range of wooden cases you’ll find the Satellite series. Each case has a unique blend of real wood grain and colorful resin swirls, so you’re guaranteed a one of a kind. The underlying case is a simple black, plastic shell with accurate openings for phone functions, tactile button covers, and textured sides for improved grip. There’s a wide range of different designs to choose from. This is the perfect choice if you want a case that will really stand out.

Buy one now from:

Carved

Incipio Silver Sparkler Design Series Case ($35)

The Design Series from Incipio is all about bringing a little touch of glamor to your smartphone. The basic case is a familiar blend of tough, transparent polycarbonate, with a flexible bumper section that absorbs impact shock. To make things a little more interesting there’s a sparkling, silver design climbing the back. It’s a durable case for basic protection, with openings and button covers where you need them. If you don’t like the silver sparkle, there are many other designs to choose from.

Buy one now from:

Incipio

Moshi Napa Leatherette Case ($45)

With a shock-absorbing inner layer, reinforced by a hard-shell frame, this case offers proper drop protection for your S8 Plus. The back is covered in black, vegan (fake) leather, which adds a touch of style and makes it more comfortable to hold. There are openings for the camera and fingerprint sensor on the back, and the ports on the bottom. You’ll also find tactile button covers on the side. A slightly raised bezel around the screen keeps it from touching down on any surface.

Buy one now from:

Moshi

Spigen Neo Hybrid Case ($32)

A flexible TPU shell hugs your S8 Plus and a tough polycarbonate bumper slips on top for extra strength in this offering from Spigen. The result is an attractive two-tone design that will keep your phone safe from scratches, dings, and minor bumps. The back is textured for extra grip, there’s also a protective lip around the screen, and protruding button covers. The cut-outs are precise and offer unfettered access to the camera, fingerprint sensor, and all ports.

Buy one now from:

Mobile Fun

X-Doria Defense Clear Case ($25)

This transparent case is a good choice if you want drop protection without completely compromising the look of your S8 Plus. It combines virtually unbreakable polycarbonate on the back with a shock absorbing inner layer and a flexible bumper that offers extra grip. There are generous openings for ports, camera, and other features, and well-defined button covers on the side. There’s also a raised lip around the screen to help protect it.

Buy one now from:

X-Doria

SAM is a construction robot that can lay bricks 6 times faster than you can

Why it matters to you

SAM100 is a bricklaying robot that can take the backbreaking physical labor out of building walls. And work a lot faster than humans, too!

You seemingly can’t throw a rock in 2017 without hitting some new walk of life where robots are being employed. The latest? A bricklaying robot called SAM100 (Semi-Automated Mason) that is capable of building walls six times faster than a human bricklayer. And probably about 10 times faster than the majority of Digital Trends writers.

Created by New York-based company Construction Robotics, SAM is ready and willing to lay 3,000 bricks per day, using its combination of a conveyor belt, robotic arm, and concrete pump. By comparison, a human builder will average around 500 bricks per day.

“For a lot of different reasons, the construction industry has been slow to adopt innovation and change,” construction manager Zachary Podkaminer told Digital Trends. “Compare a construction site today from a picture of one years ago and, with the exception of a few tools, it really hasn’t changed all that much. Now it seems the industry is finally evolving and we’re trying to be a part of that by bringing technology to construction sites.”

More: Watch a giant house-building robot lay 1,000 bricks per hour

Costing around $500,000, SAM isn’t cheap, but it’s a potentially transformative tool in revolutionizing future building sites. SAM is already working on building sites around the U.S. and recently received an upgrade to SAM OS 2.0. which allows it to lay “soldier course” bricks.

Is Construction Robotics worried that it’s putting human laborers out of business, though?

“We don’t see construction sites being fully automated for decades, if not centuries,” Podkaminer said. “This is about collaboration between human workers and machines. What SAM does is to pick up the bricks, put mortar on them, and puts it on the wall. It still requires a mason to work alongside it. SAM’s just there to do the heavy lifting.”

At present, SAM’s human partner is required to smooth over the concrete before SAM places more bricks. While some people are going to be concerned that robots like this will largely replace humans on construction sites, if — as Podkaminer notes — robots can do the backbreaking heavy lifting and leave people to do other jobs, that could work out best for all involved.

Plus, we presume it doesn’t shout mean comments about our skinny arms as we walk past the sites it is working on.

Congress agrees to nuke the FCC’s privacy rule but your data remains safe

Why it matters to you

The recent voting against the FCC’s privacy rules had nothing to do with enabling the use of user data by third parties, but preventing two independent government agencies from regulating the same privacy issue.

In the next step to “tame” what is now considered as an overreaching Federal Communications Commission, the House voted to nuke privacy rules created by the independent agency that regulated an internet service provider’s use and sale of subscriber data. The decision follows one made by the Senate last week, which narrowly voted to repeal the privacy rules.

Several organizations contacted Digital Trends just after the House vote became public calling the government “racist” because eliminating the FCC’s privacy rules would have a huge impact on people of different nationalities and skin color. But as we pointed out in the report regarding the original House decision, the Trump administration is simply working to keep the FCC from stepping outside its regulatory jurisdiction.

More: Windows 10 Creators Update bringing real changes to updates and privacy

To be more specific, Congress is making sure an independent agency of the United States government isn’t imposing rules that go beyond its regulation “allowance.” When the “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services” rules were passed in October, the FCC was mostly ruled by the Democratic party. Now the Republicans are in control and want to put a leash on the agency.

The FCC set rules in place forcing ISPs to provide opt-in/opt-out options regarding the use of personal subscriber data by third-party companies. This essentially prevented ISPs from making quick cash selling the mountains of sensitive data they collect, such as a user’s current health symptoms, their peak activities, and so on. The rules also forced ISPs to provide data breach notifications, transparency, and more.

On the broadband front, the mission of the FCC is to provide regulatory policies so that Americans have access to affordable and robust products and services. As stated in Section One of the Communications Act of 1934, these policies aim to provide “neutrality, competition, investment, and innovation.”

Thus, the two parts of Congress believe the FCC stepped outside its regulatory boundary and is using the Congressional Review Act of 1996 to repeal the federal regulation. Now that Congress as a whole moved to repeal the FCC’s “overstepping” rules, President Donald Trump will likely sign the death certificate.

However, the Trump Administration stated on Tuesday that it specifically supports shutting down the Commission’s rule titled “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunication Services.” Even more, the White House explicitly explained why the FCC rules are shutting down.

“The rule departs from the technology-neutral framework for online privacy administered by the Federal Trade Commission,” the White House said. “This results in rules that apply very different regulatory regimes based on the identity of the online actor.”

Despite prior fears that user privacy is coming to an end, preventing ISPs from selling your private data is already handled by the FTC. What’s now going on in Washington is a simple case preventing two independent government agencies from regulating the same privacy issue. Your data, according to the FTC, is safe from the highest bidder.

Congress agrees to nuke the FCC’s privacy rule but your data remains safe

Why it matters to you

The recent voting against the FCC’s privacy rules had nothing to do with enabling the use of user data by third parties, but preventing two independent government agencies from regulating the same privacy issue.

In the next step to “tame” what is now considered as an overreaching Federal Communications Commission, the House voted to nuke privacy rules created by the independent agency that regulated an internet service provider’s use and sale of subscriber data. The decision follows one made by the Senate last week, which narrowly voted to repeal the privacy rules.

Several organizations contacted Digital Trends just after the House vote became public calling the government “racist” because eliminating the FCC’s privacy rules would have a huge impact on people of different nationalities and skin color. But as we pointed out in the report regarding the original House decision, the Trump administration is simply working to keep the FCC from stepping outside its regulatory jurisdiction.

More: Windows 10 Creators Update bringing real changes to updates and privacy

To be more specific, Congress is making sure an independent agency of the United States government isn’t imposing rules that go beyond its regulation “allowance.” When the “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services” rules were passed in October, the FCC was mostly ruled by the Democratic party. Now the Republicans are in control and want to put a leash on the agency.

The FCC set rules in place forcing ISPs to provide opt-in/opt-out options regarding the use of personal subscriber data by third-party companies. This essentially prevented ISPs from making quick cash selling the mountains of sensitive data they collect, such as a user’s current health symptoms, their peak activities, and so on. The rules also forced ISPs to provide data breach notifications, transparency, and more.

On the broadband front, the mission of the FCC is to provide regulatory policies so that Americans have access to affordable and robust products and services. As stated in Section One of the Communications Act of 1934, these policies aim to provide “neutrality, competition, investment, and innovation.”

Thus, the two parts of Congress believe the FCC stepped outside its regulatory boundary and is using the Congressional Review Act of 1996 to repeal the federal regulation. Now that Congress as a whole moved to repeal the FCC’s “overstepping” rules, President Donald Trump will likely sign the death certificate.

However, the Trump Administration stated on Tuesday that it specifically supports shutting down the Commission’s rule titled “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunication Services.” Even more, the White House explicitly explained why the FCC rules are shutting down.

“The rule departs from the technology-neutral framework for online privacy administered by the Federal Trade Commission,” the White House said. “This results in rules that apply very different regulatory regimes based on the identity of the online actor.”

Despite prior fears that user privacy is coming to an end, preventing ISPs from selling your private data is already handled by the FTC. What’s now going on in Washington is a simple case preventing two independent government agencies from regulating the same privacy issue. Your data, according to the FTC, is safe from the highest bidder.

Cortana-powered personal assistant devices will support 2-way Skype calling

Why it matters to you

Harman Kardon’s Cortana-based smart speaker will be the first of its kind to let you make two-way Skype calls.

There is a massive battle in the personal digital assistant space, with a number of companies fighting to become the one that people talk to. Things started out with Siri, Google Now, and Cortana on smartphones, but has branched out to stand-alone home-assistant devices like Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home.

Microsoft is expected to join this latter category, which is essentially “headless” devices, or those that function largely by voice and that don’t have displays, keyboards, and mice. Specifically, Cortana will be running on a “premium smart speaker” produced by Harman Kardon, and it will offer two-way Skype calling to go with its other functionality, MS Poweruser reports.

More: With help from Cortana, Microsoft aims to make your home even smarter

Harman Kardon’s Cortana-powered speaker is expected to be released sometime in the second quarter of 2017, meaning it could be available in the next few months. What makes or breaks a device and service like this is how well developers support it by creating new “skills” that extend its capabilities.

Microsoft understands this, of course, and it recently sent an email to Amazon Alexa Skills developers as part of a campaign to convince them to port their skills to Microsoft’s Cortana platform. In this email, it identified a capability that could leverage Microsoft’s Skype platform: “Your skill will also run on the upcoming Harman Kardon premium smart speaker, a Cortana-powered device that will come out-of-the-box with Cortana’s productivity skills, two-way Skype calling, and extensive library of facts and answers.”

Every company involved in this space needs to take advantage of their relative strengths. Amazon is strong in product sales, Google is strong in search, and Microsoft is strong in terms of its various productivity, communications, and collaborative products and services. Integrating Skype with Cortana in such a complete fashion would significantly enhance the value of a headless personal assistant like Harman Kardon’s smart speaker.

The evidence suggests that 2017 will be an important year for establishing the relevance of competing personal digital assistants. Things are heating up, and they are only going to get hotter when Cortana devices join Alexa and Google home in this increasingly competitive market.