Ever since Samsung acquired Viv Labs in October last year, there have been widespread speculations that the next-gen flagship Galaxy S8 would have Samsung’s own AI assistant. More recent rumors have reiterated that the S8 will feature Viv-powered AI assistant called Bixby. Now SamMobile has learned from its sources that Bixby would have features that would make it even more advanced than Apple’s Siri.
Galaxy S8 users can launch Bixby within the camera app
Bixby is said to be capable of writing its own code to handle new tasks. And it will be compatible with all the native apps on Galaxy S8. Consumers can also use it to send and receive payments via Samsung Pay. Sources familiar with the matter told SamMobile that Bixby will also offer visual search capabilities to Galaxy S8 users. The AI assistant will provide the visual search and optical character recognition (OCR) using the camera app.
Galaxy S8 users will be able to launch Bixby within the standard camera app. The AI assistant will analyze whatever the user is pointing the camera at to identify text and objects. It would help you search for that object and even buy it online. The OCR would allow Bixby to serve as a digital scanner. If you point the camera at a piece of text, it will scan it into a digital format.
The ‘interconnectedness’ will give Bixby an edge
The feature appears similar to Google Goggles that also performs text and object recognition from images. But Samsung’s AI assistant will take it to a whole new level, thanks to a “high degree of interconnectedness to other applications.” Viv Labs was founded by people who created Siri and sold it to Apple. Reports indicate that there will be a dedicated button for Bixby on the side of the Galaxy S8.
Sources told SamMobile that Samsung was still developing software for Bixby. So, some of the features could change ahead of the Galaxy S8 launch. The Korean company is expected to unveil the Galaxy S8 at a special event in New York on March 29th. Though the device will be present at the MWC next month, it will be shown only to a limited audience. The phone will hit the store shelves on April 18th.
Samsung to overhaul the S Health app
Samsung will reportedly launch two models of the phone: a 5.7-inch Galaxy S8 and a 6.3-inch Galaxy S8 Plus. The Plus variant is said to come with an optional S Pen stylus to appeal to the Galaxy Note 7 owners. Both models will have edge-to-edge Super AMOLED display that will house the home functionality and fingerprint scanner. The S8 is also said to have iris scanner.
The upcoming smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895, depending on the region. Samsung is also planning to take on Apple’s HealthKit by overhauling its S Health app. The updated S Health will offer symptom and illness search, video appointment with doctors, and many other new features.
