Samsung is known for building some software features that rival what Google already offers with their suite of applications. The latest offering from Samsung to challenge Google’s software features is the virtual assistant called Bixby, and the company wants it to succeed. We’ve seen how well Bixby can work thanks to tight integration with Samsung’s first party applications, and its functionality will likely extend thanks to partnerships with outside companies. In a recent interview, the CEO of Harman said the Bixby speaker will be “unbeatable” and will offer “a better AI platform than Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.”
This close work with Harman is something we have been expecting ever since it was announced that Samsung would be acquiring them for $8 billion in cash. This is also not the first time we have heard about the Bixby speaker either. Just a few month ago we started to see reports from local publications claiming Samsung was indeed working on a virtual assistant speaker that would compete with the likes of the Amazon Echo and Google Home.
With as much as Samsung has been pushing Bixby and its dedicated button and the new automated programming system, it makes sense that they would want to compete in this market. We recently saw a surge of connected speakers utilizing Google Assistant at IFA this year and we’re expecting more competition with Andy Rubin’s Essential Home as well. Back in July, though, it was reported that we shouldn’t be expecting a connected Bixby speaker from Samsung anytime soon.
The CEO of Harman all but confirmed this in their recent interview with The Korea Herald when they revealed how much progress they had made so far. We were told a “significant level of joint research and development of the device is underway,” but that is as much as they let on about it’s progress. That, along with the fact Samsung wants to launch a “whole new ecosystem” with it shows that we are likely months away from an official announcement about it. It would make sense if Samsung made this official with the launch of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9.
Source: The Korea Herald
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