is anyone besides me confused as to why Bixby is needed

[PLR1985]

I get the idea it's supposed to allow you to navigate apps all by voice but it's confusing when Google Assistant is also on the phone. So much redundancy!

 

[SHO_3 5]

Samsung being Samsung I guess. Would be cool to remap Bixby button for Google Assistant.

 

[T48]

Samsung did not acquire Viv Labs until late last fall, so am kind of surprised that Bixby is integrated within the S8 already.
But have read long term they are looking to have this Bixby AI interface across all of their product lines from phones, watches, tv's, fridges etc. Which is something Samsung cannot do with Google Assistant. That said, am not expecting much out of it at the start or launch day of the S8.

 

[flyingkytez]

I get the idea it's supposed to allow you to navigate apps all by voice but it's confusing when Google Assistant is also on the phone. So much redundancy!

It's Samsung S Voice part 2

 

[Swapnil Vartak]

Yeah I don't see the point of Digital assistants at the moment. It's weird saying to your phone Hey Siri or OK google in the privacy of your home let alone in a public place. With all the trouble, they actually do precious little. Yeah I know that they can be used to control smart things like lamps and stuff but how many people are actually using those crazy expensive items?

This may be semi-useful 3 years from now..

 

[Stang68]

Samsung did not acquire Viv Labs until late last fall, so am kind of surprised that Bixby is integrated within the S8 already.
But have read long term they are looking to have this Bixby AI interface across all of their product lines from phones, watches, tv's, fridges etc. Which is something Samsung cannot do with Google Assistant. That said, am not expecting much out of it at the start or launch day of the S8.

Actually, Bixby isn't Viv. Bixby was built in-house by Samsung. Viv will likely be built-in to Samsung phones maybe next year? Or maybe the Note 8. But I remember reading Bixby isn't the part of the Viv acquisition. So I guess that means Bixby will only get better?

 

[T48]

Actually, Bixby isn't Viv. Bixby was built in-house by Samsung. Viv will likely be built-in to Samsung phones maybe next year? Or maybe the Note 8. But I remember reading Bixby isn't the part of the Viv acquisition. So I guess that means Bixby will only get better?

If it is not Viv Labs, then it is S voice based? That may turn a lot of people off. I did not get to watch the full S8 unpacked event. But kind of got the feeling from quick reviews that Samsung is releasing this a little too early for where Bixby is at in development.

 

[donm527]

It's all about capturing your data... what you search for, where you browse, what you want to look for, what you want to buy, where you go, etc., and selling your info and making a ton of more money than just from selling phones.

Why let SIRI or Google Now or Alexa capture all that info and use it and sell it when you can make Bixby and capture it all for yourself.

 

[Matty]

I think you are onto something @donm527, When we say voice commands to the Google Assistant on the Galaxy S8, all search results and answers will go to Google and not Samsung. So now if we use Bixby to ask for various things. Samsung can use that data to improve their products. So it's actually a really good move to have their own assistant.

Could Samsung uninstalled Google Assistant since it comes with the OS? I'm all for competition and the more assistants we have to choose from the better a Monopoly is never good.

 

[LeoRex]

I think you are onto something @donm527, When we say voice commands to the Google Assistant on the Galaxy S8, all search results and answers will go to Google and not Samsung. So now if we use Bixby to ask for various things. Samsung can use that data to improve their products. So it's actually a really good move to have their own assistant.

Could Samsung uninstalled Google Assistant since it comes with the OS? I'm all for competition and the more assistants we have to choose from the better a Monopoly is never good.

Samsung can't touch Google Assistant.... well, they can, but they won't be able to use anything Google in the phone.. no app store, etc.

 

[smooth4lyfe]

Bixby apparently does more than Google Assistant...Bixby actually controls your phone actions like "take a screenshot and send to to this person" or "turn on blue light filter".

Google Assistant is better for like non-phone commands like sports scores or weather....plus Google Assistant has a sexier voice than Bixby

 

[MIGSG]

I wish Bixby will be like just a plugin to Google Assistant. Just like GA is the main app and then you can put neat mods/plugins like the Bixby.

 

[MIGSG]

Google Assistant can also do those, but not all. Ive installed Google Assistant to my S7 and I prefer it more than S Voice. I can turn the flashlight/wifi/etc on off. But some are not yet supported like the blue light filter.

 

[Cobravision]

Time will tell, but I have zero hopes for Bixby to be anything other than a waste of a button. Fingers crossed it can be mapped to practically anything else. Voice command is still frustrating to use. Still not happy that Nougat remapped long press home to Google Assistant which is voice only. I'd love to switch it back to Google Now, which allows me to search by voice or text.

 

[LeoRex]

not happy that Nougat remapped long press home to Google Assistant which is voice only. I'd love to switch it back to Google Now, which allows me to search by voice or text.

Text input in GA is coming... people tearing down apps have seen several commits related to text box entry and controls indicating text stuff inside the Google app related to Assistant.

 

[ol_jackburton]

I get the idea it's supposed to allow you to navigate apps all by voice but it's confusing when Google Assistant is also on the phone. So much redundancy!

isn't that like saying that having more then one way to unlock your phone or to send a text is redundancy. I get the idea that the focus of bixby will be more aimed at you interacting with your phone and less of you interaction with the world outside your phone.

 

[Cobravision]

Text input in GA is coming... people tearing down apps have seen several commits related to text box entry and controls indicating text stuff inside the Google app related to Assistant.

Maybe I'd get better with use, but ATM I cannot speak out my texts because when I write, I naturally pause between words to collect my thoughts. When I use voice to text, those pauses screw everything up. Same thing when I'm searching for something with voice to text. If I pause to gather my thoughts, it just searches for the sentence fragment I dictated. That's why, even though cloud based voice recognition is so sophisticated that I'm frequently shocked that it understood me, trying to send texts or operate my phone using voice is just not going to work. My brain can't process what I need in a single chunk necessary for it to be useful.

 

[Large Hadron]

The other element is that Bixby isn't intended to be just for phones. Apparently Samsung intend to roll it out to other connected devices in the next few years (e.g. TV sets and Lord knows what else), and the phone is just the first implementation. Presumably this means it would capture data on your usage of any other device with it enabled. They'll probably try to say it all links up to make an "ecosystem" too...

I admit that my response to the "Bixby button" is that I'd like to remap it to a flashlight or a ringer mode toggle. But then I also remove Google Now/Assistant from my phones, so that's not an anti-Samsung position, I just don't feel the need for these things.

 

[ThrottleJohnny]

Perhaps people should try it first. You might like it.

 

[donm527]

Perhaps people should try it first. You might like it.

https://youtu.be/HDwvwxN6XGU