Facebook Releases Smart Speaker 'Portal' for Smart Video Calling

Facebook Releases Smart Speaker 'Portal' for Smart Video Calling

Facebook, in order to make video calling an easy and enjoyable experience, released a smart speaker on Monday. Although this is a commendable set by the social networking site towards its users there are certain past histories of the networking giant that are expected to hamper its journey.

The previous records of privacy mishaps along with overpriced devices with limited functionality are some of the drawbacks of Facebook generated services and these would perhaps discourage users from availing Facebook services in future as well. Moreover, there are other hindrances too on its way. Superior quality services are already being offered in this zone by the market leaders like Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google.

The new Facebook device launched for convenient video calling is named as Portal and is priced in two versions, one for $199 and the other for $349. The wide-angle camera of the device that automatically keeps users in focus as they move about a room is the plus factor of it.

Portal is available for purchase at Amazon and Best Buy stores in addition to Facebook.com. The device will start shipping to U.S. customers in early November. However, the thing is when there are best-seller smart speakers costing under $100 from Amazon and Google, whether buyers would go for the costlier one just for the brand name is doubtful.

The video calling devices are a common sight at the households of the developed countries today. The United States only has about 32 per cent consumers who own a smart speaker and another 16 per cent are planning to buy one by the end of 2018. A survey conducted by Adobe Analytics unveiled the above fact about the video calling devices last month.

The special features of the portal include a touchscreen and a video chatting app which is already in use by 400 million people. Notably, the Facebook messenger service is used by millions of users each month worldwide and this quality is lacking in the rival smart speakers.

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Sentinel Assam
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