14 DAY TRIAL // A new report claims Samsung is ready to deploy its Bixby 2.0 intelligent assistant later in the year along with the Galaxy Note 9 phablet.
Samsung has been working on the second-generation of its Bixby voice-powered digital assistant for Galaxy devices since October last year when it announced Bixby 2.0 for the first time during the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) 2017 event that took place in San Francisco, US.
The company revealed back then that Bixby 2.0 will be capable of doing more than setting alarms and reminders, adding new entries to your calendar, playing songs, or answering elementary questions. Samsung said it would be deeper integrated into the Android operating system and more involved in our busy lives.
This will only be possible thanks to the natural language capabilities of Bixby 2.0, which will allow the virtual intelligent assistant allowing to better understand the world around, said Samsung. Now, Yonhap News reports that the South Korean tech giant revealed on Tuesday its plans to release Bixby 2.0 in the second half of 2018.
Galaxy Note 9 phablets will be the first to ship with Bixby 2.0
Samsung's Co-CEO & President of IT & Mobile Communications Division Koh Dong-Jin said during a press conference held at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, that the beta version of Bixby 2.0 is currently being tested with more than 800 partners around the globe.
Samsung now plans to release Bixby 2.0 along with its upcoming Galaxy Note 9 phablet later this year. "Considering the current speed (of development), the Bixby 2.0 can be showcased through the Galaxy Note 9," said Koh Dong-Jin. "The Bixby 2.0 will allow users to experience a wider scope of voice-assistance features."
Most probably, Bixby 2.0 will also be available to Galaxy S8 and S9 customers after its launch later in the year via a software update. Meanwhile, Samsung has resumed the Android 8.0 Oreo rollouts for Galaxy S8 and S8+ devices and unveiled the all-new Galaxy S9 line-up with improved camera and internals.
In addition, Samsung said that it's doing everything it can to prepare for the rise of the 5G technologies, which could be integrated into future models of its Galaxy devices, that if the company goes with its plan to abandon the "Galaxy S" naming for upcoming devices, as recent reports suggest.