Samsung has announced an official update to its Bixby voice assistant. Dubbed “Bixby 2.0,” the enhancement is worthy enough to take on Amazon’s long-existing Alexa. According to a report by Tech Radar, the company claims that Bixby will sound “more natural” after the update. Its natural language capabilities have received a major enhancement. This is expected to make the interaction with the virtual assistant smooth and human-like.

Everything you need to know

The South Korean giant introduced Bixby with the launch of its Galaxy S8 smartphone in February this year. This was the first time that a Samsung-branded handset would be powered by the propriety AI system. Many of the features in the virtual assistant were undoubtedly inspired by the ones that are already existing in the market for years. This includes Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. Samsung has been able to integrate Bixby in most of its products in a very short span of time.

The AI system is available in most gadgets, including smartphones, TVs, and refrigerators by the company.

Individuals can control many aspects of a room, including smoke detectors and security sensors, through Samsung’s Smart Things line-up. With the objective of making the entire experience more personal, the company decided to update Bixby. They claim that it is capable of anticipating user’s needs and requirements with ease. It goes without saying that Amazon’s Alexa already provides this experience. For example, Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo speakers can seamlessly connect with other electronic devices in the room; for example, air conditioners and thermostats. Individuals can then control these aspects as per their preference.

Samsung speakers

The report by Tech Radar further states that Samsung plans on launching a smart speaker of its own soon.

This will compete directly with other big products in the market – including Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, and Google Assistant. DJ Koh (Samsung Mobile, President) had announced during the Galaxy Note 8 launch event that a smart speaker powered by Bixby was “coming soon.” How soon would that be? This is a question that hasn’t been answered yet. Additional details about this matter are yet to show up online soon. It is being speculated that the smart home speaker will be launched on the occasion of Cyber Monday (2017). The company hasn’t provided their confirmation as yet. Therefore, it cannot be said for sure if this is true.