April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics' upcoming Galaxy S8 is expected to feature a shortcut button for web searching and watching videos that will finally support the artificial intelligence assistant Bixby, ETnews reported on March 20.

“A new button has been added on the left side of the device. The button will be used for Bixby in the long run,” an official from a local telecom carrier was quoted as saying.

“The Galaxy S8 has one volume control button unlike the previous two. The Bixby button will be located below the volume button,” the official added. 

ETnews

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The report said the button was originally planned to support the voice-controlled Bixby but the smart assistant functions would not be available at least in the early days of the phone’s launch due to the still ongoing development work.

The report added a software upgrade to support Bixby could be announced within the first half of this year. The Galaxy S8 is scheduled to be unveiled on March 29 before its official launch on April 21.

Samsung acquired US startup Viv Labs, the company originally behind Apple’s Siri assistant, in October last year with aims to develop its own version of an AI assistant.

The report said Bixby’s launch may have been delayed to offer services in more diverse languages.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)