Though Samsung’s Bixby voice activated assistant has been knocking around in its phones since April of 2017, the Korean tech giant is a step behind the pack when it comes to getting it into a smart speaker to rival the Amazon Echo or Google Home.
But that’s set to change soon. We know that Samsung is working on a Bixby-powered smart speaker, and now we might know its name, too. A number of trademark filings listed in the US and Europe suggest that the company’s smart speaker will be called the Magbee.
Following a few other applications, a picture of what may be called the Magbee is starting to form – we’ve heard word of a personable assistant with an expressive rotating head, armed with seven speakers.
More Magbee?
With the IFA 2018 conference waiting just over the horizon, and the Galaxy Note 9 launch expected on August 9, it’s very possible that we could get our first true glimpse of the Bixby speaker before the year is out.
But could the Magbee be a sign of more to come? The Magbee trademark listings have been seen from Samsung as far back as December of 2017, even if this is the first time its been associated with a smart speaker specifically. Previously it’s been tied to digital locks, TVs laptops and more. So it could become an umbrella term for Samsung’s smart home devices in general, perhaps.
What’s almost certain however is that it will feature some cracking audio design – with Samsung now having bought out the Harman Kardon audio brand, it’ll be wanting to put its expertise to good use.
- Samsung Bixby: everything you need to know
