Facebook updates Portal smart display, adds TV box for video calls

News Broadband Global 18 SEP 2019
Facebook updates Portal smart display, adds TV box for video calls

Facebook has updated its Portal smart display for video calls, first launched a year ago. The new range includes a mini version of the display and a TV set-top box, to turn the TV set into a home for video calls. In addition, the company is expanding sales of the devices beyond North America, to the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. 

The Portal devices are available to pre-order on portal.facebook.com and at select retail locations. The 8-inch Portal Mini costs USD 129, and the standard 10-inch Portal sells for USD 179; both will ship from 15 October. The new Portal TV box is available for USD 149 from 05 November. Anyone buying two Portal devices receives USD 50 off.

The redesigned Portal features a thicker bezel than the original version, making it resemble more a digital photo frame than a tablet. The display can be used for video calls, displaying photos and watching videos, in either portrait or landscape orientations. An adaptive display adjusts brightness and colour to the surroundings, and the built-in speaker can also be used for listening to music.

Portal first launched with the Facebook Messenger app for making calls. Facebook is now adding WhatsApp as well to connect with friends, with all calls encrypted end-to-end. 

Also new is the Amazon Prime Video app on the device, adding to the integrated Alexa digital assistant from Amazon. Other music, video and chat apps can also be downloaded, as well as access to Facebook Watch for watching the social network's own video content. 

Categories:

Internet

Companies:

Amazon,  Facebook

Regions:

Global

Tags:

Messaging, Launch, Consumer devices, Videoconferencing

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