Samsung bets on rebound with Galaxy S8 phones, virtual assistant Bixby

NEW YORK – Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its new Galaxy S8 smartphones, incorporating the virtual assistant Bixby, as the market leader seeks to rebound from a chaotic handset recall and a corruption scandal. The South Korean giant's mobile chief, DJ Koh, told a New York event the Galaxy S8 and S8 handsets marked "a new era of smartphone design." Fitted with screens of 5.8 and 6.2 inches, the two handsets include Samsung's upgraded digital assistant Bixby, competing in a crowded field that includes Apple's Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The most striking feature of the new phones is what Samsung dubs an "infinity display" -- an expanded glass screen that covers the entire front of the device and appears to curve seamlessly around its edges. The home button has been replaced with a pressure-sensitive section embedded under the screen.