Don't expect that Samsung Bixby smart speaker anytime soon

Elyse Betters4 July 2017Speakers

WSJ says Samsung hasn't decided features and specs still
Another report says Samsung lacks enough data for Bixby
But the speaker has an internal project codename!

We've heard before that Samsung is working on a Bixby-powered smart speaker, but for the first time in a while, more details are surfacing.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung's smart speaker has a project codename: Vega. But it seems like there is some internal disarray about what's happening with the Vega at the moment. A release date hasn't been determined, for one, and the English-language version of Bixby has been delayed, which has led to Samsung being indecisive about the speaker's features and specs.

Remember, Samsung was supposed to launch a full version of Bixby’s voice features in the US by springtime, but that obviously didn't happen. The Korea Herald has put the blame on Samsung not having enough data to develop Bixby’s deep learning technology. Samsung launched the Bixby voice preview in a limited release in June, however. So did it not have enough beta testers sign up?

Whatever the reason may be, The Wall Street Journal claimed a full Bixby release in the US won't arrive “before the second half of July". Samsung obviously has to get that squared away before it can start readying its Bixby-enabled smart speaker, which will enter a growing market already bubbling with strong competition from the likes of Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod.

Even Microsoft is working with partners to launch Cortana-enabled devices sooner rather than later.