The smart speaker market has been growing for the last couple of years with Amazon getting a head start on the competition. It wasn't until Q1 2018 that Google was able to outsell Amazon in this market and this has shown the market is still ripe for the taking. Both Amazon and Google have had their hand at innovating in the space with some devices being equipped with a camera and others going for a bigger display to convey information. We've heard about a Bixby Speaker from Samsung for a while now. New patents show that a future product may feature a camera and a rotating display.
It was MWC 2018 when we were told that Samsung has been working on a smart speaker of their own and that they were planning to have something available on the market during the second half of the year. While patents don't always end up resulting in an actual product, one that was filed by Samsung in November of last year could give us an idea as to what the company is planning with their smart Bixby Speaker line. This particular patent was granted to Samsung just a couple of months ago and looks to illustrate a smart speaker that reacts to you.
As you can see above, the device has two components, with the base keeping it steady while the head is able to rotate and tilt. This particular design houses 7 microphones and will turn to look at the user when spoken to. The patent also talks about the device having both a camera as well as a display, which would help it to know where you are and show you information that you may have requested. It actually looks very similar to another product that has been on the market for a while now.
This type of smart speaker certainly would make it stand out from the other products that we've seen from Amazon and Google. It could actually be their way to fit into a very competitive market. The only problem is Bixby isn't very good right now as a virtual assistant. It's great for helping you navigate around a smartphone interface with your voice, but it struggles with the things you typically do with a smart speaker.
Source: LetsGoDigital
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