Samsung To Challenge Amazon Echo With Own Connected Speaker Scoop

Samsung is joining the growing market of voice-assisted speakers that is currently being dominated by Amazon Echo. For its entry to this market, the South Korea company is designing a Bluetooth-connected speaker that has its own microphone for quick and easy detection of voice commands.

The Galaxy Note 7 maker has already submitted documents about its upcoming speaker to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, so it won’t come as a surprise when the electronics giant announces the device and its release date soon.

According to VentureBeat, included in the documents Samsung sent to the independent government agency on Monday are a manual and photos of the speaker that is dubbed as "Scoop." In addition, the site noted that Samsung’s speaker is designed to be mobile and easy to carry around, since it comes with a strap — a portability feature that is not that different from Amazon’s Tap.

Just like Amazon Echo, Samsung’s Scoop is also expected to feature a voice assistant like the former’s Alexa. However, it remains to be seen whether Amazon is tapping Alexa’s support for its voice-activated speaker, or if it is also in the process of developing its own voice assistant, Business Insider reports.

Based on the manual included in the filing, Scoop will come with volume up and volume down buttons at the top, along with the special light that notifies users when the battery of the device is almost out. The speaker also has a play button that can also be used in Bluetooth pairing. Meanwhile, the photos of the device suggest that a USB jack and a charging port are located near the power button.

In terms of use, Samsung’s Scoop can also do what the Amazon Echo Dot does. It can stream music from a smartphone using Bluetooth, and it can also be used as an external audio source using its audio jack, as per CNET.

The news about Samsung’s plan to build its own voice-activated speaker comes months after Google announced its own offering, called Google Home.