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Last updated: January 8th, 2020 at 15:31 UTC+01:00
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Samsung did reveal Ballie as a prototype so this isn't entirely surprising. But in light of this recent news, it sounds like the final, consumer version of Ballie could end up as a very different product from what we've seen on stage at CES. It could have similar technical capabilities but an entirely different form factor.
Ballie's connectivity capabilities are impressive but what really pushed it into the spotlight was the ball-like form factor. However, Samsung seems to care less about Ballie's exterior design – which might be difficult to pull off for a mass-production device – and more about the product's IoT nature.
‘People think Ballie is a robot because it functions like a robot. But it is not. We consider Ballie a device that interacts with numerous other devices that we already have‘ said Kim Hyun-suk at the conference to underline the device's hub-like nature. He added that the future Ballie could be a simpler device designed with ease of access in mind.
In other words, Samsung hasn't decided if the ball-like Ballie will ever be released, but assuming that it won't then the product's hub-like capabilities will eventually be implemented in a different, simplified product. It might even have a different name than Ballie.
Are you bummed out that you might not be able to buy your very own BB8-like smart rolling ball this year? Or do you think Samsung should abandon the bold design and focus more on the underlying hub capabilities?
Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.
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