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Zoom calls are coming to Amazon, Google and Facebook smart displays
Zoom has just announced that its Zoom for Home video conferencing platform will soon be available on Amazon’s Echo Shows, Google’s smart displays plus Facebook’s line of Portal devices.
Facebook Portal adds Zoom support and other work-from-home features
The most significant announcement: all Portal devices will now support the Zoom video conferencing platform. All four video chat platforms will be available on Portal Mini, Portal and Portal+ in September, with Portal TV support coming later on.
Facebook expands Portal group calls to 50 people
It's bringing more Zoom-esque features to the device.
Facebook will soon let streamers charge for broadcasts
A bunch of livestreaming features are on the way to Facebook, Instagram and Portal.
Facebook will provide free Portal devices to UK hospitals and care homes
As many as 2,050 Portal video calling units
Amazon is undercutting Facebook's own Portal sale
Ahead of Valentine's Day, Facebook is discounting its Portal products by $30 each -- and it's added $50 discounts for bulk-buying into the mix, too. While this isn't quite as good a deal as Facebook's previous Black Friday offering, the 'buy one, get one reduced for someone close to you' deal could well be appealing. Not one to be outdone, though, Amazon has gone one better and is right now not only matching these discounts, but beating them on most of the Portal models and including the $50 bulk-buy discount to boot.
Take a look at the 'Portal' prequel that never was
You're probably not going to see a Portal 3 in the near future (Valve seems to have an aversion to third installments), but you're about to get the next best thing: a look at the prequel that never shipped. LunchHouse Software has received permission to produce a documentary series that reveals F-Stop (aka Aperture Camera), a prequel to the Portal series that was cancelled in mid-development. The initial video only shows basic game mechanics, but those already speak volumes.
Facebook's big Portal update adds livestreams and 'Mic Drop' karaoke
Facebook is adding a slew of new features to Portal, and just in time for all the video calling the holiday season demands. First up, Facebook Live -- you'll now be able to livestream from Portal directly to your Facebook profile, a feature which is arguably overdue given what Portal is all about. Watch Together is now available on all Portal devices -- not just Portal TV -- so you and your loved ones can snuggle up in front of videos together even if you're apart.
Facebook's Portal devices are each $50 off for Black Friday
With this latest Black Friday roundup, we want to draw your attention to a group of devices that are perhaps more controversial than some of the other products we've spotlighted recently: Facebook's Portal TV webcam and Portal smart displays. All things considered, there are better options from companies like Google and Amazon in the smart display category. Compared to devices like the Echo Show and Nest Hub, Facebook's Portal smart displays offer fewer apps and features -- you won't find a native YouTube app on Portal, for example. For all their faults, however, Facebook's Portal devices do have their strengths. If you primarily use Messenger or WhatsApp to chat with friends and family, for example, Facebook's devices offer the best experience in that regard. These deals are worth considering -- just know before you buy what features matter most to you.
Facebook Portal review (2019): A redesign doesn't ease privacy fears
When Facebook debuted its Portal video chat devices last year, they were met with a great deal of skepticism. After all, the company doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation on security and privacy. Following their release, Facebook faced even further scrutiny when it sent confusing messages on whether the devices collect data (they do) and when employees were caught leaving five-star reviews for them on Amazon. Oops.
Facebook contractors are listening to Portal voice commands again
Facebook may have halted human review of Messenger voice chats in August, but that didn't mean it was putting the brakes on everything. The company has revealed to Bloomberg that its contractors will go back to reviewing Portal device voice commands (what you say after "hey Portal") after quietly pausing them around the same time as Messenger reviews came to a halt. It's bringing the practice back now that there's "more transparency and control," hardware lead Andrew Bosworth said. You now have an option to stop sharing the audio with Facebook.
Facebook might bring major streaming services to its Portal for TVs
Last year, reports emerged Facebook was working on a video chat camera you'd plug into your TV. It sounds a bit like its Portal smart display, albeit without the need for a dedicated screen. One reported aspect of the device is that it'd offer video streaming, including Facebook Watch. It seems Facebook has been trying to strike deals with other major streaming services too.
Facebook will launch new Portal models this fall
Facebook has apparently been busy designing new variants of its Portal video chatting devices. According to the company's Vice President of AR/VR, Andrew "Boz" Bosworth, Facebook plans to unveil new Portal models this fall. Bosworth has made the announcement on stage at the Code Conference in Phoenix, where he told the audience that the social network is releasing "new form factors" because "there's a whole new generation of hardware coming out." Facebook, he said, wants "to make sure that human connection, connection between two people, is a first-party experience" on a piece of hardware for the home.
Watch Facebook's F8 2019 keynote in 13 minutes
Facebook's F8 developer conferences tend to be chock-full of news, and that's truer than ever for 2019. The company's opening keynote brought major changes to just about every corner of Facebook's universe, including a site redesign, a super-lightweight Messenger app, Instagram shopping and new features to find friends or hook up with your secret crush. And then there's the hardware -- Oculus finally committed to release dates for the Quest and Rift S, while Portal will be available beyond the US. It's a lot to handle, but you don't have to worry about wading through it all. We've rounded up the highlights of F8 in a video that will get you up to speed in short order.
Facebook Live and Amazon Prime Video are coming to Portal
Facebook has revealed a bunch of upcoming updates for its Portal devices. It's adding multiplayer augmented reality games and Instant Games this summer. You can play the likes of Words with Friends, Battleship and Yahtzee on the smart display. New AR effects will be available on Portal every month as well.
Facebook Portal will be available outside the US this fall (updated)
Facebook's Portal video chat devices are about to become much easier to find, not to mention more useful. The company has announced that it will make both Portal and Portal+ available outside of the US, starting with Canada this June and following with a European expansion in the fall. On top of this, Facebook is bringing WhatsApp calls to Portal and introducing end-to-end encryption for all calls. Those last two additions could be particularly crucial outside of North America, where WhatsApp is far more popular.
Facebook cuts its Portal smart display to $99 for Mother's Day
Mother's Day is less than a month away, and it seems Facebook is hoping you'll consider giving your Mom a Portal or Portal+ to keep in touch with you -- it's running a Mother's Day sale on the smart displays. Until May 12th, Portal will set you back $99 instead of $199. If you decide to pick up a pair of them (maybe, possibly one each for you and Mom), you'll get $200 off, as long at least one is the larger Portal+.
How AI made Facebook’s Portal your ‘personal cameraman’
After releasing its Portal video-calling tool to largely positive reviews (especially from its employees) last November, Facebook is finally cracking open the device and giving the rest of us a glimpse at the Portal's inner workings. Engadget sat down with Facebook's Rafa Camargo, Vice President of Hardware, and Matt Uyttendaele, Engineering Director of Mobile Vision to discuss the device's development and the artificial intelligence that powers Portal.
Facebook employees caught leaving five-star Amazon reviews for Portal
Facebook released its Portal and Portal+ smart displays two months ago, at the tail end of a scandal-ridden year in which data leaks and privacy incidents were abundant. So, the company faced a tough battle in convincing consumers to buy a smart display for their homes, no matter how well the camera tracking works. Still, Facebook does have some happy customers, judging by Portal's five-star reviews on Amazon. Or at least it seems that way until you take a closer look, and see that some of them were apparently left by Facebook employees.
Amazon advised US government on a portal that could make it billions
A key Amazon executive and former Obama administration official privately advised the US government on a procurement portal that could be worth billions to the company, the Guardian reports. Director of Government Anne Rung corresponded with an official at the General Services Administration (GSA) about how the government could create a purchasing portal, even before the legislation -- called the "Amazon Amendment" -- was created.
