Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, he just presented two new Portal video calling devices during a live broadcast on the social network. The goal of these devices is to allow users to to focus on remote work. Let’s find out all the details together.
Facebook Introduces Two New Portal Video Calling Devices
Facebook announced earlier, during a live broadcast, two new Portal video calling devices. This is the first major update of the hardware line since 2019.
The new devices, the Portal Go and the Portal More updated, will be available respectively at the price of 199 and 349 dollars. The Portal Go from 10 inches is a new portable device wrapped in fabric with an autonomous battery, mentre il Portal Plus introduce a more elegant design of the model that debuted three years ago.
Both devices are available now for pre-order. The shipment of the products will start from October 19.
Like the rest of the lineup, the Portal Go features one wide angle camera which automatically follows who is in focus. It is the first Portal device that it does not require a constant power connection and Facebook is also billing it as a portable Bluetooth speaker with support for Spotify e Pandora.
The new Portal Plus works similarly to its predecessor. However Facebook revealed that it got rid of the rotating display which switched from vertical to horizontal view. Both devices have a physical shutter to cover the camera like past versions.
The difference with Amazon’s Echo line and supported apps
Unlike Amazon’s Echo line of smart home devices, Facebook’s Portal is almost entirely intended for video calls. The latest software updates for Portal’s Android-based interface bring even more emphasis on video calling in a remote work environment. A new calendar app syncs with Outlook O Google to show upcoming meetings.
Excluding Messenger and WhatsApp, which are owned by Facebook, all Portal devices now support Zoom, Webex at Cisco, BlueJeans e GoToMeeting. On top of that, starting in December, Portal will add support for Microsoft Teams.
The integration with Teams suggests that, according to Facebook, Portal devices will be used more and more like primary devices for videoconferencing. To conclude, starting next year, the company will launch a program to allow companies to bulk order and manage these devices who can, for the first time, be used without a Facebook account.