Latest rumors from the tech industry suggest that the recently trademarked Samsung Hello may be Samsung’s answer to Google Home and Amazon Echo smart speakers. The rumors are based on recent developments which saw Samsung receive a Wi-Fi certificate for a mysterious device after filing for a certain patent and the aforementioned trademark. Back in late 2016, the South Korean company filed for a patent with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and revealed some documents depicting sketches of what looks like a revised version of the Otto robot which Samsung unveiled last spring. Not long after that, the company filed for the aforementioned “Samsung Hello” trademark which described voice-enabled software for organizing and aggregating digital content, as well as controlling certain devices.
Among other things, Samsung Hello can apparently manage music, videos, games, and news, in addition to interacting with users, the firm’s trademark filing reveals. In other words, Samsung’s mysterious service bears all of the traits of a digital assistant, which is why initial speculation suggested that Samsung Hello is in some way connected to Bixby, the upcoming AI assistant that’s expected to debut with the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. Furthermore, the company’s robot assistant may be the SM-R210, an unannounced product mentioned by a 2016 import listing. That mysterious device was said to feature a camera like Otto did, but its model number suggested that the product itself is neither a camera nor a smartphone.
Finally, the same model number appeared in a Wi-Fi Alliance certificate earlier this week. The documents in question revealed that the SM-R210 features a camera and a Wi-Fi adapter, in addition to running the Tizen operating system. Seeing how this would be the first Samsung-made product bearing the model number in the SM-R2 range, it’s reasonable to presume that it isn’t a revision of an existing device. Naturally, since the SM-R210 already received its certification, its commercial debut may be just around the corner. It remains to be seen whether the Seoul-based tech giant is truly developing its very own smart robot that’s meant to rival the Echo and Google Home, but if it is, it’s possible that more information will follow later this month once Mobile World Congress kicks off.
