One of the standout features of the upcoming new Samsung Galaxy S8 is believed to be its new AI-based personal assistant named Bixby. And the latest on this point to the ability of the voice controlled assistant to be able to process payments as well on behalf of the user.
That is not all as there could be male and female versions of the personal assistant as well, with Bixby being the female and Kestra likely to be the male iteration. The folks at GalaxyClub claim to have come across facts in support of this, which includes trademark filings in South Korea and the European Union.
However, while the trademark application has mention of just Kestra, there are multiple variants of Bixby. Those include Bix-bee, Bix:)bee, Bix:)by and Bix-by. That said, all the individual names are backed by the same description, which in plain language point to the development of a personal assistant that responds to voice commands.
Then, there is also the name Bixby Pay, which clearly points to its ability in making payments based on voice commands of the user.
No doubt, it will be an enhanced role for the assistant, something that will put it a notch or two ahead of the likes of the Siri or the Cortana.
The above is also believed to be a direct fallout of Samsung’s recent acquisition of the start-up Viv Labs, which specializes in developing AI software. One of Viv members has also been associated with Siri as well.
Among the other Galaxy S8 rumors doing the rounds is that it will have a full front display with buttons and sensors incorporated right on to it. It is also likely the S8 will come with 3D Touch support along with dual-lens camera at the rear, features that already are present in the iPhone 7.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Samsung might have lost the support of its battery supplier SDI owing to the massive Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. Perhaps SDI is afraid of a steady erosion of its consumer base as well as its reputation after the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 got canceled altogether.
However, there isn’t yet any official confirmation on this so far. The same also applies to whether SDI’s backing out will have any adverse impact on the Galaxy S8 launch plans.
