Samsung has joined the ranks of Google (Google Assistant), Apple (Siri), Amazon (Alexa) and Microsoft (Cortana), with the launch of Bixby, its artificial intelligence based virtual assistant. The assistant will be deeply integrated into Samsung products (devices and appliances) starting with the upcoming Galaxy S8.
Bixby will different from other existing voice agents or assistant such as Cortana and Siri. Rather than serving as a database for making requests or answering queries, the assistant will be more advanced, and provide support to various tasks on Bixby-enabled apps using voice commands.
According to Samsung, the assistant can be used anywhere there is an internet connection and a microphone. Once an app is Bixby-enabled, the intelligent assistant will support most of the app’s functions, features and voice commands will eventually replace text or touch-based inputs.
Secondly, the assistant will understand the current context and state of the application whenever it is called upon and help the user continue with the current work-in-progress. It is also designed to be very smart and flexible when understanding and executing commanded tasks, prompting the user to provide more information if need be to better execute tasks.
Commenting on the announcement of Bixby, InJong Rhee, Executive Vice President, Head of R&D, Software and Services said;
“Bixby will be our first step on a journey to completely open up new ways of interacting with your phone. At the launch of the Galaxy S8, a subset of preinstalled applications will be Bixby-enabled. This set will continue to expand over time. Our plan is to eventually release a tool (in SDK) to enable third-party developers to make their applications and services Bixby-enabled easily.”
https://youtu.be/T-sKC8Ic-Xo
The Samsung Galaxy S8 will come with a dedicated button (below the volume controls) and initial capabilities will be limited to some pre-installed applications, with others added over time. It will also be available in English and Korean languages with others expected to arrive at a later date.
Doest that mean the Galaxy S8 will not come with the Google Assistant?