Apple mobile devices have a computer program that works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator known as Siri. Microsoft has the same personal assistant in Cortana, and just recently Google introduced its own in the Google Assistant.
It seems that Samsung would soon be joining the fray with its very own intelligent personal assistant in Viv after the Korean tech giant acquired the American company, which was founded by one of the minds behind Apple’s Siri.
Siri began its life as a startup before being acquired by Apple and transformed into a central iPhone feature. Central though it may be, Siri remains a key point of contention among iPhone users.
A lot better as a personal assistant
While Apple’s virtual personal assistant has certainly improved over the years and has become increasingly useful and accurate, many people still have trouble getting the results they want when interacting with Siri, details BGR.
But Viv will be a lot better, according to Dag Kittlaus, Viv founder and Siri co-creator. He explained that the more the user asks Viv, the more the personal assistant will get to know the user better.
Kittlaus explained further that Siri was just the first chapter of the plan which ushered the coming of the Internet age. But Viv will be a giant brain in the sky.
With that being said, it is possible that the acquisition of Viv by Samsung will lead to a next-generation assistant platform that rivals Google Assistant, which is widely believed to have surpassed Siri in terms of utility and accuracy.
And if rumors are on target, Viv could very well make its debut on the next flagship smartphone of the Korean tech giant – the Samsung Galaxy S8, due to be launched early next year.
Indicative that Viv would soon be coming to Samsung smartphones, there have been reports stating that the Korean company has already made a trademark application for Viv. The trademarked term is “Bixby” though, and not Viv.
Edge-to-edge display
Because of the controversy involving the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the Korean tech giant is under pressure to make sure that all its upcoming releases would be superb and that goes highly with the Galaxy S8.
Latest reports have it that the flagship smartphone could feature very little or no bezels at all. Samsung shall reportedly bring an edge-to-edge or a bezel-less display that will be based on OLED technology.
It was Park Won-sang, a principal engineer at Samsung, who revealed about the display of the Samsung Galaxy S8, hinting further that the smartphone will be coming with a 90% display area ratio. In comparison, the average ratio of display to body ratios in modern day smartphones stands at 80%, details the Indian Express.
There have been previous rumors and speculations about the features and capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S8 but it looks like Samsung top officials are now working overtime to prevent leaks about the device from surfacing online.
In fact, there are reports saying that Samsung managers have already asked its employees and its suppliers to prevent any potential Galaxy S8 leaks which they claim also contains the company’s operational secrets.
The company e-mail mentioned that leaks of operational secrets can cause irreversible ramifications and pose a great financial risk on the company and may lead to broken partnerships and loss of trust.
Smartphone manufacturers used to be able to keep their upcoming devices a secret until launch day. In modern times, however, not a single major smartphone is announced without the internet knowing nearly everything there is to know about it.
With the major mess created by the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, it would be interesting to find out whether the Samsung Galaxy S8 would have what it takes to reverse the trend and redeem the reputation of the Korean tech giant from a new depth that it has never found itself in before.
There are now reports going around that Samsung would be officially announcing the Galaxy S8 one day before the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 which means that it would happen on February 26 next year.