Social media giant, Facebook recently unveiled two new video calling devices – Portal and Portal+. The duo are already available for pre-order in the US from Facebook at Portal.Facebook.com as well as Amazon and Best Buy. Shipping is scheduled to commence in November.
Priced starting at US$ 199, the Facebook Portal has a 10-inch display with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution while the larger Facebook Portal+ has a larger 15-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. Both models rely on AI Tech – Smart Camera and Smart Sound – for easier video chats.
Smart Camera pans and zoom to keep everybody in the conversation in view while Smart Sound enhances user’s voice and minimises background noise. The devices offer both hands-free voice control (Hey Portal) as well as built-in Amazon Alexa to check sport scores and weather reports, control smart home devices and more.
Ironically, Facebook also emphasises the need for privacy and security. The camera cover blocks out the lens while receiving incoming calls and notifications as well as using voice command while a single tap can completely disabled the camera and microphone.
Finally, a 4- to 12-digital passcode can be set to manage access. Along with connecting with friends on Facebook and Messenger, Portal also enables listening to music via streaming services such as Spotify (Premium) and watching shows on Facebook Watch, Food Network and Newsy. There are also various Augmented Reality (AR) effects powered by Facebook’s Spark AR platform.
Source: Facebook Newsroom
