Samsung entered the virtual assistant market earlier this year. The company's Bixby digital helper was then delayed until the middle of last month. However, it is available now and Samsung has teamed with Microsoft to bring Bixby to LinkedIn.
Bixby was originally scheduled to ship with the Galaxy S8 flagship back in April. Samsung used the smartphone to get closer to Microsoft than ever before. Bringing the virtual assistant to the LinkedIn is a further extension of the growing relationship.
Microsoft acquired the business social network in a $26 billion deal last year. Since then the company has worked to bolster LinkedIn's features and integrations. Introducing Bixby gives users the ability to automize some tasks on the network.
More specifically, the assistant will manage appointments and meetings, providing links through the My Schedule notifications. This means users can manage common connections. Bixby will also give LinkedIn users the ability to track who they have already met. Samsung says this will improve messaging and connecting.
Getting smoother access to news is also part of the integration. Trending Storylines can be viewed through Bixby directly within LinkedIn. This avoids needing to access the relevant website or application.
Samsung and Microsoft
Microsoft and Samsung have been getting close, without the South Korean giant ever really embracing Windows 10 Mobile. Samsung jumped on the hybrid bandwagon created by the Surface Pro with its Galaxy TabPro S and recently launched Notebook 9 Pro.
With the launch of the Galaxy S8, the company debuted a special “Microsoft Edition”. This version of the smartphone comes with the full Office suite on board, including Outlook and Cortana.
The Microsoft Edition Galaxy S8 fueled rumors on a variant that will run Windows 10 Mobile instead of Android. Wishful thinking, as no such device has yet to materialize.
Samsung also recently integrated Windows Hello into its native Galaxy S8 apps.
