Samsung reboots its smart home, IoT strategy with the Galaxy S8

Samsung has a portfolio of devices and appliances that would make Apple envious. With the Galaxy S8 smartphones and other new products, Samsung hopes that will change. The company is setting in motion a grand plan to build smart homes where its devices operate seamlessly and provide a consistent user experience. Samsung's S8 smartphones will be able to activate appliances through Connect, an app based on the company's SmartThings platform. With just a flick of the finger, the app will allow users to start a robot vacuum cleaner, dim lights, or even ask a Family Hub refrigerator to analyze contents and send a supermarket shopping list. The S8 also features a new artificial intelligence service called Bixby, which will ultimately allow users to tell the Connect app to activate a device.