Samsung is paying attention to Apple when it comes to plotting the course of it smartphone division. According to numerous reports, the Galaxy S8 will bring over a few features that are surely coming on the iPhone 8 next year (all-screen design with buttons and sensors incorporated into the display) and features that are available in this year’s iPhone 7 (3D Touch support, dual-lens rear camera, and a personal voice assistant).
That doesn’t mean the Galaxy S8 won’t turn out to be a great phone. In fact, there’s at least one new Galaxy S8 feature that’s worth getting excited for: that personal voice assistant that Samsung never had.
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Gone are those days now, as Samsung has acquired Viv, a startup that makes Siri-like products. In fact, one of the people behind Viv worked on Siri for Apple in the early days. And, rumors are saying that Viv might be a lot better.
According to GalaxyClub, the Galaxy S8’s AI assistant will come with two personalities, including male (Bixby) and female (Kestra) voices, and bring over support for mobile payments by voice.
The site discovered new AI-related trademark applications filed in South Korea and the European Union, which mention the two names and variations thereof.
Interestingly, the name Bixby Pay has also been spotted, suggesting that Samsung is looking to let people pay for goods by simply voicing the appropriate instruction to either Bixby or Kestra.
This might be just of the novel AI features heading to virtual assistants next year, and probably one of the tricks coming out of Viv’s coffers.
Siri currently does voice payments via PayPal, and Apple’s virtual assistant might get iMessage peer-to-peer payments support in the future.
