Looking to lessen its reliance on Google and further differentiate itself among a crowded field of Android handsets, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone will feature a brand new intelligent personal assistant, similar in nature to Siri on the iPhone.
Dubbed Bixby, Samsung’s AI assistant will be based on technology the company picked up when it acquired Viv this past October. What makes the forthcoming release of Bixby so intriguing is that Viv’s AI software was designed to answer layered questions that competing AI services are either unable to answer or struggle to process. For instance, Viv CEO Dag Kittlaus — who we should note helped develop Siri — explained that Viv can answer complex queries like, “Find me a flight to Dallas with a seat that Shaq could fit in.”
While it remains to be seen just how extensive Bixby’s feature set will be once the Galaxy S8 hits store shelves, expectations are rather high. Indeed, we’ve already seen reports that Bixby will allow users to use voice commands to send money to friends and family. And just yesterday, word emerged that Bixby will be tightly integrated into the S8 camera and will be able to process text via OCR and even search for and identify objects.
The most recent rumor involving Bixby centers on how users might call the feature into action. According to newly surfaced Galaxy S8 case renders , it appears that the Galaxy S8 may come with a fourth physical button. This had led some to speculate that this mysterious fourth button might be used as a way for users to quickly activate Bixby.
As for other specs worth noting, the Galaxy S8 will likely feature an edgeless display, improved camera technology, 32GB of storage (with a 256GB model available), and an improved Super AMOLED display. Underneath the hood, the S8 will likely be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 S0C. There have also been rumors, however doubtful, that the device will come packed with 6GB of RAM.
