
Social media giant Facebook made an aggressive foray into the hardware industry by launching a smart speaker with a screen and a camera, specially created to ease video calls. "You can delete your Portal's voice history in your Facebook Activity Log at any time", the company says, explaining that the rest of Portal's tech is locally run from the device itself.
Portal, however, is cheaper, costing only US$199 each, while the new Echo Show, which has a 10.1-inch screen and a speaker at the bottom of the device, costs US$229.
Facebook on Monday launched two in-home video chat devices, moving the company beyond its social network and into the increasingly competitive market for voice-activated, internet-connected speakers.
The device is known by the name of "Portal" and Facebook is trying to advertising it as a way for its more than 2 billion users to chat without having to worry about positioning and controlling the device during video calls.
Portal and Portal+ are available now for pre-order in the USA from Facebook, Amazon and Best Buy.
The device will be available for pre-order in the U.S. and is created to allow users to make video calls at home without standing in front of the screen or hold a phone at arm's length constantly. "Portal's camera doesn't use facial recognition and doesn't identify who you are", the company says.
You can call Facebook friends and connections on Messenger even if they don't have Portal.
In a bid to carve out its share of the smart home devices industry, Facebook has announced the Portal and Portal+. Whichever of the two devices you settle for, you will still be able to make video chatting with the availability of a wide-angle camera capable of capturing your body, and tracking every of your movement within the living room.
Portal locks with a passcode, and its microphones and camera shuts off with the tap of a button.
Facebook today jumped into smart devices with the launch of the Portal and Portal+ displays. The social media giant is still dealing with a recent hack of over 50 million Facebook profiles. Is marrying a smart speaker with a video capability you already possess with your laptop, desktop or tablet/phone really that useful? The Portal's compatibility with Amazon Alexa expands its functionality with tens of thousands of voice-powered apps, or "Alexa skills", that are another avenue for reaching audiences or providing customer service.
"Smart Camera stays with the action and automatically pans and zooms to keep everyone in view".
"We don't listen to, view, or keep the contents of your calls in any way", Zuckerberg said.
"Frankly if we don't build the hardware, I do have concerns", Facebook's vice president of consumer hardware Andrew Bosworth admitted, saying it was crucial to put "people first" whether delivering a platform for virtual reality or augmented reality.
Related News:
-
Turkey asks permission to search Saudi consulate for missing journalist
Members of Congress, both Republican and Democrats, have also called for answers regarding Khashoggi's disappearance. Right now, nobody knows anything about it, but there's some pretty bad stories going around. "I do not like it".Google exposed personal data of nearly 500,000 and didn't disclose it
Google and Apple are both now giving users more control over their data and the ability to limit what third parties can access. Google will take the next 10 months to kill off G+ for consumers, finishing it off by August of 2019.I was Brett Kavanaugh's college roommate. He lied under oath
I am grateful for each and every one of you. "In fact, none of us condemned Brett for his frequent drunkenness", they wrote. He said , "I believe her because it matches the same story I heard 35 years ago, although the two of us have never talked". -
Turkish prosecutor seeks 10-year jail term for U.S. pastor
He is one of thousands caught up in a Turkish government crackdown following a failed 2016 coup against the Turkish government. His wife Norine looked on from the visitors' seating area as he listened to testimony from defense and prosecution witnesses.Hurricane Michael Shutters 700000 Bpd Of Oil Production
In large areas of Mexico Beach, homes were obliterated or reduced to stacks of rubble, aerial video from CNN showed on Thursday. Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he's anxious the number of deaths will rise Thursday.Paul Scholes on ’embarrassing’ Jose Mourinho: Manchester United legend’s tirade in full
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is embarrassing the club, according to former midfielder Paul Scholes . United take on Valencia today, with the manager wanting to take a positive result away from the match. -
Chaser projects Alan Jones’ ad and phone number onto Sydney Opera House
Mr Quint said the government still hadn't explained how projecting advertising onto the sails adhered to the exemptions. Some 240,000 people have now signed a Change.org petition calling for the promotion to be stopped.Microsoft stops Windows latest 10 update after complaints of data loss
This is specifically happening with Version 1809, which is slowly rolling out to every Windows 10 computer right now. However, now according to the latest reports , this latest Windows 10 update will delete your files.Sarah Sanders defends Trump's comments about Christine Blasey Ford
President Trump reiterated his support for Mr Kavanaugh on Tuesday, saying he believed the Senate would approve the judge. It's not now clear whether the Republican leadership has secured enough votes to ensure Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation. -
Demi Moore, Cara Delevigne, others attend Princess Eugenie's wedding
Princess Eugenie's royal wedding day has arrived, and she's chosen a mostly traditional look with a few modern twists. Eugenie and Jack sealed their marriage with a kiss in a stunning Royal Wedding rocked by some almighty stormy weather.Aquadam to be installed at Spanish Arch ahead of Storm Callum
Rain will then hit Edinburgh on Friday afternoon, becoming increasingly heavier into the evening. It is due to pass to the west of Ireland, northern England and Scotland during Friday.Interpol president reported missing after trip to China
While Meng is head of the executive committee that oversees Interpol , the agency is run by Secretary General Juergen Stock. His duties in China would have put him in close proximity to former leaders, some who had fallen afoul of Xi's campaign.