Portal +
Many are the users who today have some type of smart speaker in their home, be it from Google, Amazon or Apple, the three big technology companies that Facebook joined last year. In this way the GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple) the cake is currently shared.
The last to arrive was Facebook. He did it last year with the launch of the Portal+, and it did so in the midst of the crisis due to the privacy scandals that were surrounding the company, security scandals that, although they have been reduced, are still the headlines of many news.
Mini portal
Portal was and continues to be Facebook's commitment to enter homes but in a different way. Unlike most smart speakers, this model integrates a front camera with which we can make calls and video calls, so by having a microphone always active our privacy can be compromised.
To try to avoid suspicions from users, the company added a physical button that allowed deactivating both the microphone and the camera sliding a cap in front of the lens. When it has been practically one year of launch, no sales figures have been published, but the company has launched this product in several countries where Spain is located.
The launch of Portal in Spain comes from the hand of new devices, so we cannot talk about a single device but we have to talk about the Portal family. The Facebook Portal family is made up of 4 models:
- Portal+
- Portal
- Mini portal
- TV Portal
| Portal | Mini portal | Portal + | TV Portal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 10" | 8" | 15.6" | HDMI |
| camera | 13 mpx - 114º | 13 mpx 114º | 12 mpx 140º | 12.5 mpx 120º |
| Microphone | 4 microphones | 4 microphones | 4 microphones | 8 microphones |
| Price | $169 | $149 | $299 | $169 |
Video calls through WhatsApp and Messenger, Alexa and photo frame
Portal
One of the main attractions of this famous Facebook Portal products is the possibility of make calls and video calls through the device's camera, a camera that uses a movement system to focus and move if we are moving around the room while making the video call.
A few years ago, it was common to see how many users bought digital photo frames to display your favorite images as if it were a painting. Being one of social, images are a very important part. Thanks to the Superframe function, we can select which images we want to be displayed on our device at all times.
Even though Facebook was working on its own assistant a few years ago, it decided to quit without explaining why. Such a device is pointless and useless without an assistant. Amazon's Alexa has been chosen. The other option was Google, something that logically they did not even contemplate as an option.
Augmented reality is also available on the Portal, although at the moment it is limited to add skins and accessories to people who appear in video calls to try to make them more enjoyable (aimed at the smaller audience).
They are also speakers, although with so many functions it seems that they do not offer this function. At the moment they are compatible with Spotify, Pandora and iHeratRadio. Over time, support for more services will be added. In addition, they allow us to send the music from our device via bluetooth or WiFi to this device.
Does not have YouTube support, a great handicap since it limits access to a wide variety of content and that would make it an ideal device for the kitchen, for example. The reason for not including support for this platform is because Facebook has its own YouTube with Facebook TV, a video platform condemned to disappear since it was inaugurated due to the lack of success it has had both among users and content creators.
Portal TV, the Portal that connects to TV
TV Portal
A few years ago, it was common to find televisions on the market with a front camera that allowed us to make video calls through our television, an idea that it did not finish with the users, so the manufacturers decided to stop implementing it.
Once again, it seems that Facebook is following a different path and with the Portal TV wants to return to cameras on televisions. Taking into account that the social network is used, more and more, by older people, it is not surprising that perhaps this product can have some success.
The Portal TV connects to television via HDMI port, thus becoming a gigantic photo frame and that in turn allows us to make video calls in a big way (due to the size of the device where it is connected).
Privacy comes first
The problems that have surrounded the company in recent years have been constant, so the commitment that the company is putting in this market is striking, a logical commitment since It is an increasingly broad market with broad expectations for growth in the coming years.
In recent months, Mark Zuckerberg has insisted on stating that privacy comes firstThis will not prevent the company from collecting small pieces of audio, not video, in order to improve the quality of the service, as recognized in the terms related to the privacy of the device.
How much does the Facebook Portal cost
The cheapest model price for this new range of smart display speakers is 149 euros for the mini model. The immediate superior model reaches 199 euros, while the Portal + reaches 299 euros. The Portal TV goes up to 169 euros.
Where to buy the Facebook Portal
It won't be until next time October 15 when both the Portal and the Mini Portal are available. The model that was presented last year, the Portal + is now available for shipment. Portal TV will begin to reach users who book it on November 5. At the moment we can only buy them directly through the Facebook website. Presumably in time, they will also be available on Amazon.