Facebook is all set to make a home video chat device for the living room named ‘Portal’ featuring a wide-angle camera, microphone, 15-inch screen, and Al speakers. This device is set to launch in early May, claimed by the financial news site Cheddar.
The device is expected to be much similar to Amazon Echo Show. Portal will feature a laptop-sized smart screen with a wide-angle camera that is provisioned with artificial intelligence and facial recognition to identify individual faces.
According to the reports, the device is expected to be available to consumers in the second half of this year, likely costing $499 (Rs 31,735 approx). The Portal is set with voice commands and also facial recognition linked with the user’s Facebook account to identify friends. Unfortunately, Portal is significantly higher in price than Amazon Echo Show, which costs $299 (Rs 14,627 approx). It is also boosted with third-party Apps such as – Netflix and Spotify.
Amazon Echo Show is a device with a 7inch touchscreen display, a camera, and microphones that takes advantage of Alexa voice commands to display updates like weather updates and videos, which is much similar to Facebook’s Portal.
Portal will act as the first Facebook product for the home. It will be the first giant step of social networking to enter into the hardware business. It is a big initiative for Facebook to launch such devices so that friends and family can stay connected through video chatting.
