Smart speakers are all the rage these days. Amazon has seen considerable success with the Echo hardware so it’s no surprise that others are jumping on the bandwagon as well. Google has the Google Home, Microsoft has third-party options. Even Apple has made one so it was only a matter of time before Samsung threw its hat in the ring as well.
According to a new report today by The Wall Street Journal, Samsung is working on a smart speaker of its own. The project is reportedly codenamed “Vega.” As smart speakers are powered by artificial intelligence-based digital assistants, Samsung’s device will have Bixby.
Bixby is Samsung’s very own AI assistant. It’s available on the Galaxy S8 though full functionality is only available to users in South Korea. Samsung has been facing problems in getting Bixby ready for English-speaking users in the United States.
The scribe reports that Samsung has been working on this device for over a year but many of its features and specifications still haven’t been locked down. Perhaps that’s why it doesn’t offer any information about the pricing and availability of this device.
Since Samsung is facing difficulties in getting Bixby ready for the U.S. market, a delay with the assistant will have an impact on the smart speaker as well since Bixby will be integral to the entire experience.
Samsung has not yet confirmed or denied the report so we’ll just have to wait and see if more information about this product comes up.
Filed in . Read more about Bixby, Samsung and Smart Speakers.