There have been rumors that Samsung is working on its own digital assistant named Bixby, and that it will be launched alongside the upcoming Galaxy S8.
Samsung has not yet officially revealed Bixby, but a reference in the Privacy page of Samsung Italy's website has confirmed that there is indeed a digital assistant named Bixby, and that it will likely be included in the Galaxy S8.
Samsung Leaks Bixby
Bixby, which is being developed by Samsung to be able to compete with the digital assistants of rival tech companies such as Apple's Siri, Google's Assistant, and Microsoft's Cortana, has been the subject of several rumors leading up to the Galaxy S8 launch.
Samsung, however, has apparently confirmed the existence of Bixby on the Samsung Italy website.
"Depending on your model and region, you will be able to tell your Mobile Device to activate certain functions, such as playing songs from a playlist or looking up for something on the web using S Voice," the translation of the page claims, adding that users will have the ability "to control all the operations made with the touch interface using voice commands with Bixby."
This is far from being the first piece of evidence on Samsung's Bixby, but it is the first time that Samsung actually referred to the digital assistant in any form of documentation.
What Do We Know Now About Bixby?
It was previously believed that Bixby will allow users to control native applications installed in the Galaxy S8 through voice commands. How the digital assistant will function specifically, however, has remained unclear, especially as it will likely clash with the Google Assistant that is being pushed as one of the main features of Android, which will power the Galaxy S8.
The translation of the Samsung Italy page that mentions Bixby suggests that the digital assistant will coexist with S Voice, the voice assistant that is currently available in Samsung's Galaxy smartphones.
The text also seems to imply that Bixby will be able to carry out all the commands that users can otherwise input using the touch-based interface. All other commands, however, will be done through S Voice.
All of this sounds confusing, highlighted by the fact that the original Italian text is said to be not native-sounding at all. As such, there may be some things lost in translation, with the official details of Bixby to only be made clear once it is released alongside the Galaxy S8.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Rumors And Leaks
In comparison to Bixby, there have been many more rumors and leaks concerning Samsung's upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8.
The latest leak claims that the Galaxy S8 will have a glossy Jet Black option, similar to the Black Pearl option for the Galaxy S7 edge and the Jet Black option for Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ on March 29 in a simultaneous event in New York and London. It is said that preorders for the smartphones will then begin on April 7, but the actual release date of the devices remains unclear.
