Bixby Release Date Features: Here's What You Can Do With Samsung's Voice Assistant
It took longer than Samsung likely expected for the full version of its Bixby virtual assistant to reach customers, but Galaxy S8 users can now get some more use out of their smartphone.
Samsung confirmed Wednesday that voice support will roll out to U.S. Galaxy S8 smartphones. The Galaxy S8 had launched earlier this year with a basic version of Bixby that only had minimal features, because of difficulties the assistant had with understanding English.
Read: Samsung Reportedly Planning To Release Its Own News App That Supports Bixby
Here’s what you can now expect to see from Samsung’s Bixby:
Bixby Voice
Samsung has positioned Bixby as an alternative to competitors like Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant thanks to its own voice control options. For Samsung, it likely hopes that Bixby-specific features help the assistant stand out from the pack.
Bixby’s touted contextual understanding has been a major selling point for Samsung. According to Samsung, Bixby will be able to understand and process multi-part requests more easily than competing assistants.
In a Bixby demo during the Galaxy S8 release event, Bixby could understand a multipart request asking Bixby to take a screenshot and send the image to another contact. Much like Amazon’s current success with Alexa, Samsung wants to accomplish this versatility by integrating Bixby into the phone and third-party apps.
Bixby Vision
Samsung wants to bring a similar scope of features to the S8’s camera. Powered by Bixby, Vision is a semi-augmented reality feature that can overlay relevant information based on what you see from camera. This can include local facts about landmarks for tourists around town or shopping information for products it can identify.
Bixby Home
As with most of the major virtual assistants, Bixby Home will also host a general hub page. Much like Google Now, Bixby Home dynamically displays data or functions based on your current needs and habits. Cards can be generated for information like the weather or which can control applications like smart home gadgets.
Bixby Reminder
While reminder apps are a standard option on most virtual assistants and smartphones, Bixby’s reminders app adds some additional features to the function. Within individual reminders, you can add information like websites, videos or images.
Bixby’s voice options
Many virtual assistants have generally featured female names and voices, like with Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana. For users who want some variety in their assistant, though, Bixby can be configured with a male voice by default. This diversity in assistant voices has also started to become popularized — in its upcoming iOS 11 update, Apple plans to add a male Siri option.
Read: Samsung's Smart Speaker Is Codenamed Vega, Development Slowed Down Due To Bixby
Bixby smart home control?
Smart home gadgets like lights and refrigerators are an increasingly popular option in homes today and Samsung wants to include its assistant in this growing market. The company has reportedly explored adding the assistant onto some home appliances, depending on if the market for smart home assistant-powered appliances grows accordingly.
However, don’t expect Samsung to bring Bixby onto its own dedicated home device. While Samsung had briefly floated the idea of making its own Bixby-powered home speaker — similar to the Amazon Echo and upcoming Apple HomePod — the company has since put those plans on the backburner.
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