Samsung's Siri rival won't be ready for Galaxy S8's U.S. launch

The company's widely touted artificial intelligence tool Bixby -- seen as a rival for Apple's (AAPL, Tech30) Siri -- won't be fully operational in time for the U.S. release of the Galaxy S8. While some elements of Bixby will be included in the April 21 launch, the headline voice activation feature won't be available in the U.S. until "later this spring," Samsung (SSNLF) said in a statement. The delay is an embarrassing hiccup for Samsung. The rollout of the tech giant's first high-end smartphone since the debacle over its fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 is being closely watched. After a bungled recall that cost the company more than $5 billion and ultimately led it to kill off of the Note 7, analysts have said Samsung needs a flawless launch for the S8.