Looks Like Samsung Is Building An Echo Of Its Own

It seems Samsung is not content to let Amazon and the Echo (or Google’s forthcoming Home products) walk away with the simple smart home device market. According to reports emerging, Samsung is releasing a gadget all its own called the Scoop to compete in the field.

Designed a bit like the Echo Dot, the short portable bluetooth speakers comes bearing the standard feature set for what it is: speaker, volume control up top, a microphone around the front and ports around the back. There is also a leather strap for some reason – apparently Samsung thinks users will love the Scoop so much they will never want to part with it and thus need a convenient way to wear it.

The news of the Scoop comes care of documents and photos submitted to the US Federal Communications Commission that describe the coming Samsung take on the interactive bluetooth speaker. A brief manual included with the filing confirms that microphone input.

What remains unknown are the details of the hardware or the software that will power it. Will the Scoop have an Alexa-like personal assistant run on AI and the limitless enthusiasm of consumers for hearing computers try to tell jokes? Not known? Will the microphone always be “on” and listening for user interaction, a battery-draining option — or will it, like the Dot, require users to tap a button before speaking?

And, of course, the biggest mystery – when will the product hit the market? Reports indicate that the machinery itself looks “finished,” but none of the disclosed documents have any indication as to when the potential smart speaker will hit the market.