Bixby is the newest personal digital assistant in town. The new voice activated virtual assistant is a product of Samsung, and the South Korean based tech giant is confident that Bixby will perfectly compete with other voice-activated virtual assistants including, Siri, Cortana, Assistant, and Alexa. Bixby distinguishes itself from the other virtual assistants by using voice commands instead of touch to control applications or handsets. This will help factor in image recognition and location awareness.
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung has unveiled its Galaxy S8 and has increased Galaxy S8’s resolution considerably. It has an integrated camera function that makes it possible for users to recognize buildings including popular tourist destinations and access information by simply taking a photo. Moreover, the new photo recognition tech used by Samsung can be used to interpret menus, especially in foreign languages. Also, specific photographs can be used to shop for certain items or find specific places.
According to tech analysts and consultants who were present during the presentation, they found the context awareness and image recognition very impressive. Moreover, they loved the ability of Bixby to make recommendations. However, Bixby is yet to be completed, and it didn’t speak during the demonstration held in New York. According to reports, the only remaining thing is to infuse it with the Viv technology, which is a company behind Siri. According to Bob O’Donnell, a consultant, and analyst with Technalysis Research, Bixby is not talking yet and is work in progress. He added that the company still has room to grow and expand the personal assistant.
Galaxy S8 comes with a bigger screen compared to that of Huawei P10 Plus, LG G6, iPhone 7 Plus and HTC U Ultra. Also, it comes equipped with Bixby, which differs from Google Assistant in various ways. First, it allows users to perform actions that would need screen touches and taps. According to Samsung, Bixby will be in a position to handle various smartphone tasks currently managed by touch. The tech giant has issued a statement explaining that its facial recognition does not allow for authenticating mobile payments or accessing the Secure Folder of the device. The two require using other biometric features of the phone.
Tough Competitors
The new personal assistant will face a tough challenge from established rivals. Moreover, it will be challenged by Samsung’s own phones that provide the option to choose Alexa, Cortana, or Assistant. According to Richard Windsor, a writer, and independent analyst, Bixby might face challenges because Google Assistant, which is powered by Android software and backed by Google, will be the new phone’s home button.
This implies that Bixby already has a formidable competitor on its very own flagship device. According to Windsor, although Bixby is working to have things done differently, a careful evaluation of Samsung’s demonstration illustrates a service without much intelligence. According to Roger Kay, an analyst with Endpoint Technologies Associates, the major challenge with Bixby might be catching up with its key competitors, which have been around for quite some time. He added that these things cannot be built overnight and developing something like Siri might take many years of hard work. However, Kay noted the importance of Samsung to take part in the game. Kay mentioned Bixby’s ability to summarize numerous things fast and the fact that it is hands-free.
The sector appears to have been greatly impacted by Amazon’s speakers-connected Alexa. This makes it possible for users to access a wide range of interactions including purchases, news, connects and music with smart home gadgets. Kay referred to Alexa as ‘the top dog’ and noted that Amazon has performed a wonderful job from a commercial point of view.
Also, Bixby has been promoted as a remote hub especially for connected gadgets. This is another problem because the move takes the software further than the smartphone. An analyst with Moor Strategy & Insights, Patrick Moorhead argued that the success of Bixby in connected home might rely on the amount of data it can gather. According to Moorhead, machine learning only gets better with the more data and training it gets. Although Bixby cannot take advantage of large databases like Windows and Apple, it can sync with Samsung home appliances and electronics via the Smart Things platform.
Moorhead added that Samsung ships numerous devices ranging from washing machines and Chromebooks. This allows it to pick up different information sets, which could make it smarter than Siri with time. Siri has no idea about a refrigerator, but Samsung does.
Also See: 7 Facts Why Google Assistant is Preferred to Siri
Conclusion
Samsung’s personal digital assistant, Bixby will face a lot of competition from its already established rivals. The tech giant seeks to make a name for itself in a field already dominated by other tech giants including Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Bixby distinguishes itself from its rivals by the use of voice commands instead of touch to control applications or handset. It comes with an integrated camera function that allows users to recognize buildings and access websites. Its photo recognition tech also allows for deciphering menus written in foreign languages and finding specific items and places to shop.
