After months of speculations, Samsung finally announced company's in-house built Artificial Intelligence-based Bixby digital assistant. It is said to be more sophisticated compared to rivals--Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Microsoft Cortana and even the Apple Siri.
The Bixby is developed by Samsung's recently acquired Viv Labs, which was co-founded by original creators of Apple Siri. Due to creative differences, they left the Cupertino company to build their own start-up firm.
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Prior to the acquisition, Viv Labs had demoed a near-completed digital assistant dubbed as the "Viv". It was intuitive enough to have a normal conversation with another person and get the service delivered, without the user having to open an app and choose options on the screen.
Bixby is said to be capable of integrating all the information available online, instead of inclining on some select apps installed in the phone for a particular service. It can also intuitively improve itself by learning users' preferences over time.
Samsung's Bixby will be able to support almost every task that the application is capable of performing using the conventional touch gesture command. Currently, the rival digital assistant have mastered in a few select applications leading to confusion among users which commands works via touch and voice.
Word on the street is that the Bixby can also help the mobile owner make a purchase online with just voice commands. No other smartphone phone brand in the market offers this. Even Google Assistant cannot make payments via voice commands, but it is expected to be made available later this year.
Samsung also confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will come with dedicated Bixby digital assistant button, on the side. It is slated for unveiling on March 29 in the New York City.
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