Samsung recently unveiled a new smart speaker
prototype at the SXSW show for 2018. This news in itself is not very
interesting. We have seen numerous companies unveil smart speakers over the
last year or two. However, the prototype Samsung brought to the table differs
from the rest in a significant way. The Aurora speaker is not very smart on its
own, rather it uses your smart phone as the brains of the operation. As a
matter of fact, the Aurora speaker does not have a mic, a processor or any
other component that makes a speaker smart.
The device is a Bluetooth enabled speaker, with a
section for docking a compatible smartphone. The speaker then uses the phone's
hardware, including the mic and camera, to create a smart speaker experience.
It has a display that portrays a holographic-style character, which reacts to
the user's voice. The new speaker will of course require an app to work and it
is not clear what handsets the Aurora will work with. The device is still under
development so there are a lot of details left to be worked out. Still, the
concept is interesting and could be successful.
Samsung appears to be taking something that most
people already have in their pocket, and put it to another use when they are
home. While your smartphone is charging, it can then provide you with a smart
speaker experience. Since the Aurora does not have any of the complicated
hardware inside most smart speakers, it is really cutting down on production
cost. This speaker could appeal to buyers who think a smart speaker is neat,
but they do not want to pay premium prices for existing products. Since the
product is in development, Samsung has not announced a price, release date or
if it will even reach production. As a side note, no one has mentioned if this
speaker is intended to work with Samsung's less-than-popular digital assistant
Bixby, or if something new is in the works.
