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1Bixby Brings Samsung Smartphones Into the Personal Assistant Era
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were announced March 29 with a new virtual personal assistant called Bixby. The feature, which can be activated through a vocal command or by pressing a physical button on the right side of the handsets, can perform basic assistant functions, such as setting reminders or creating calendar events, but it also provides contextual information to users based on their location. Bixby even helps users search for images, aids them in their shopping pursuits and controls apps. Bixby is a significant release in the broader virtual personal assistant market. Samsung’s smartphones now have a digital assistant offering to compete with Apple’s Siri and Microsoft Cortana, an important consideration in the highly competitive mobile market.
2Bixby Learns More About the User Over Time
While Bixby can digitally “see,” the virtual assistant’s core feature is in listening. The app listens to vocal commands, interprets them and responds accordingly. It uses natural language interpretation and will ask questions if it doesn’t understand. With each request, Bixby learns more about the user and his or her requests.
3It’s Integrated With Bundled Applications
4Bixby Does Contextual Searches on Object in Photos
5It Works as a Shopping Companion
6Bixby Is Location-Aware
7It Performs Typical Assistant Tasks
8It Has a New Notification Engine
9Card-like Interface Displays Important Information
Bixby comes with a Home screen that let users see all the content they care most about. Home, which works with some native apps, uses a card-like interface to show that information. A contact card, for instance, might show missed calls. Bixby can analyze user behavior and create cards to help make Home more appealing.
10More Tasks Are on the Way
11Look for Samsung to Add Bixby to Other Devices
Bixby is available on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ and is activated by a physical button on the right side. While Samsung hasn’t confirmed its plans, the company is expected to roll out Bixby to other devices in the coming weeks and months. The chances are that Bixby will play a prominent role in future Galaxy device releases.