Bixby Voice review: A story of unfulfilled potential

The aim of this Bixby Voice review is to determine whether Samsung has done a proficient enough job with its new virtual assistant. There are some things that set it apart from the contest. Information technology leaves a lot to be desired in other aspects. Bixby Vocalization correct now is a story of unfulfilled potential. There is a long way to go earlier it can be crowned king of the virtual administration.

Beginning, some background. Samsung introduced Bixby with the Galaxy S8 and Milky way S8+ earlier this year. Bixby Voice, the conversational assistant, was delayed for a few months. It was finally released for users beyond the world terminal calendar month. Bixby Vocalism only has back up for English and South Korean. Information technology'south besides bachelor on the Galaxy Annotation viii.

In case you've not done it yet, hither'south how you setup Bixby on the Galaxy S8 and Milky way Note 8. Information technology will take around 10 minutes or and then. You volition help Bixby learn your phonation and your pronunciation style by speaking generic sentences.

Bixby Voice Review

You summon Bixby by pressing and holding the dedicated fundamental. Information technology's not a simple listening trigger, though. Yous have to go on holding the push until you're done giving Bixby a command. At that place is an reward to this. You can make a long query and even terminate in the middle of one to call up, and the voice banana won't cut yous off.

However, the fact that the Bixby button needs to be kept pressed makes voice control less useful. Many users volition simply opt to use their hand to actually tap on the device instead of waiting for Bixby to respond.

Samsung says that Bixby tin do anything in response to a voice command that the user tin do by tapping on the display. Granted, Bixby outshines its competitors in some areas, but information technology hasn't matured enough to compete with established rivals like Siri and Google Assistant.

Hotword hopscotch

Yous tin too use the "Hi Bixby" hotword to access the assistant. The hotword is always on so it works even when the phone is locked. Simple queries similar "What is the weather similar today?" work without unlocking.

However, if you enquire it to tell you the time in another urban center, Bixby volition require you lot to unlock your telephone outset. You can gear up up a voice password when configuring Bixby and speak it out loud when prompted to unlock the telephone.

I constitute this to exist a very useful feature when I'g at my desk. I don't have to take my hands off the keyboard if I desire to unlock my Galaxy S8+ and check something quickly. Withal, I'g not impressed with Bixby's ability to pick up the hotword. My experience with information technology has been striking or miss.

Generally, though, it has forced me to raise my voice but to become the hotword to register with Bixby. I accept the wake-upwards sensitivity turned up to high and yet sometimes in well-nigh-silent rooms, it only fails to register the hotword in the first endeavor. It's like I'yard playing hotword hopscotch.

When information technology does listen, the vox recognition can likewise be hitting or miss. It happens frequently enough that you'll definitely observe it. Fifty-fifty if yous're speaking slowly and conspicuously, Bixby tin often take its time to pick upwards on your command. Sometimes, information technology only won't catch a few words.

Y'all'll observe that it has a tendency to do this when there'south a lot of ambience racket. It will become amend slightly once yous employ it for a considerable amount of time. I utilize Bixby Voice on a daily basis and yet I however feel this fourth dimension and again. At that place's a lot of room for comeback here.

Ii is ameliorate than one

There'southward a fullscreen Bixby interface that has a glassy background and displays answers on frosted cards. This interface pops upwardly when yous inquire Bixby to rap, beatbox, answer a factual question, tell y'all about the weather, search the web, and more.

The "pop up" interface is what you'll see virtually frequently. Adorned with the Bixby logo, information technology'due south substantially a conversation bubble that animates in response to queries. It offers quick options to teach Bixby how to respond to sure commands.

Control freak

Bixby does a skillful job of controlling unlike applications. For example, you lot can command information technology to launch WhatsApp and ship someone a message, open Google Play and install Spotify, or tell information technology to evidence you pictures you took in New York Metropolis (or to just open the latest picture saved in the gallery).

Most of Samsung'due south native apps have support for direct command via Bixby but the company has also enabled support for some tertiary-party apps besides. More will be uniform with Bixby Vocalism in the future and then this is a step in the right direction.

Bixby is exceptional at letting you control system functions. You lot can command information technology to turn on the blue light filter, exercise not disturb way, adapt the screen effulgence, alter the volume, and even change the organization language.

What irks me is that Bixby won't allow yous to change default apps if you don't want to utilize a Samsung app. For example, if you'd rather utilize another text messaging app instead of Samsung'due south native app, Bixby won't assistance y'all send a text unless y'all make Samsung's app the default once again. Why does it have to be a control freak to this extent?

The aforementioned is true for the web browser. Bixby will always open Samsung Internet in response to voice commands. The links in Bixby interface will not stick to your selection for the default web browser; they will e'er be opened in Samsung Internet. It restricts user choice and that'due south not indicative of a good user experience.

It'due south a skillful indication that Samsung wants to make more third-party apps compatible with Bixby. The Bixby Labs program lists experimental support for tertiary-party apps like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Twitter and Tumblr. I hope that it reconsiders its stance on default apps.

Chat skills, or lack thereof

Bixby's conversational power does leave a lot to be desired, though. While it can provide answers to questions similar "Who is the president of the U.s.a.?" past tapping into Google Search, it's unable to hold a contextual conversation.

If you follow up that question with "how old is he," Bixby won't have an answer for you. If y'all ask the same question to Google Assistant, which is already nowadays on quite a few of Samsung's Android devices, information technology volition recall that yous previously asked it virtually the president and at present want to know his historic period.

Ecosystem envy

In this day and historic period, it's not just virtually how the voice banana performs on your device. The assistants are an integral part of a wider ecosystem that contains a plethora of other products and services. Have Google Assistant, for example.

When you ask it to save a reminder, it will save the reminder in the cloud. The reminder volition then exist attainable from Google Inbox, the Google app, Google Calendar on iOS, Chrome OS and the Web wherever the user is signed in with their Google Account. Not to mention the fact that the Assistant tin also exist used to control a broad multifariousness of smart dwelling house devices and is available on several different platforms.

Bixby only doesn't accept that kind of reach. If you lot enquire it to save the aforementioned reminder, it's going to do that in Samsung'southward native app. That reminder won't exist accessible to you on any other platform. This is true for almost all functions in which Bixby stores some information. Information technology's going to be stored on the handset and your data will essentially be tied to that device.

There has been no indication that Samsung wants to build a web portal or cross-platform apps that will address this. It hasn't opened upward Bixby enough to compete with its established rivals and that's where you experience Bixby'southward potential is being wasted. This will go out you with some serious ecosystem envy.

Gamification needs work

In order to get people to apply Bixby ofttimes, Samsung has relied on gamification. Users are rewarded points for using the assistant. They can rack up feel points and increase their level. Not only does this make Bixby smarter because the more you use it, the more than information technology learns simply it too unlocks rewards. The rewards aren't something to be excited most, though, as y'all merely get things similar a custom background for your phone.

The idea hasn't been executed as well as information technology should take. The popular ups for Bixby rewards cover a big function of the telephone's display and you immediately experience that they get in the style. You take to tap on unnecessary notifications just to practice what yous wanted to in the starting time place. Information technology adds unnecessary interactions and it's not a expert user experience at all.

My favorite Bixby characteristic

Quick Commands is my favorite Bixby characteristic. You lot tin configure a variety of actions that Bixby will complete in response to a custom command. For example, if I say "Goodnight" to Bixby, it turns on the blue light filter, sets an alarm for x am and turns on the do not disturb mode. It makes the user'south life easier so full marks to Samsung for Quick Commands.

Thoughts on Bixby

Granted, Bixby's rivals had their off-white share of shortcomings when they first emerged on the scene. Bixby hasn't been around for a long time then information technology'due south going to take some time earlier these issues are sorted. Samsung will expand Bixby to additional devices, and it'southward also going to launch a smart speaker, which will enable interactions with more smart devices.

That being said, given the extra time that Samsung took to polish Bixby, information technology would have been ameliorate if the lingering issues that nosotros still see had been resolved. Samsung should take as well made it simpler and reduced the number of unnecessary interactions. It leaves a lot to be desired when there are times that Bixby won't just respond to the hotword that information technology's supposed to be always listening for.

If you lot want a virtual assistant that'southward faster at returning results, has more tertiary-party integrations, is better at voice recognition, can be accessed on more than devices and offers a proper ecosystem, and then Google Banana has no contest on Android. Information technology'south going to take a long time before Bixby is capable of replacing Google Assistant.

Conclusion

In conclusion of our Bixby Voice review, permit in that location exist no dubiety that Bixby is full of potential. Samsung has taken a stride in the right direction but at present it needs to do more if it wants Bixby to exist a truly bang-up virtual banana.

What is your accept on Bixby Voice? Has information technology lived up to your expectations, or do you recall it needs more piece of work? Do permit us know in the comments!

Source: https://www.sammobile.com/2017/09/25/bixby-voice-review-story-unfulfilled-potential/

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