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Facebook's Portal video hub gains major news channels and recipes
Facebook's Portal and Portal+ smart calling devices have only been available for a month, but they're already getting significant updates. The latest version will bring news content from ABC and CNN, and via a new web browser, offer access to Monday Night Football from ESPN, YouTube and AllRecipes.com. You'll also be able to play Facebook's Instant Games like Battleship, Disney's Tsum Tsum and more.
Facebook's Portal video chat displays go on sale in the US
Facebook's Portal and Portal+ smart displays are now available in the US via Amazon, Best Buy and their own, ahem, portal. The social network created the devices with video chats in mind, giving them AI-powered cameras that can track you as you move around while talking to friends and family. It can call anyone on Messenger, not just someone who also has a Portal, so you can use it to call most people in your friends list. Engadget Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar got the chance to see it in action in October and found that the picture on screen shifted smoothly to keep the person in frame. He said it looked even better in portrait mode -- almost as if the other person were truly in the same room.
Facebook’s confusion about its Portal camera is concerning
Facebook couldn't have picked a worse time to introduce Portal, a camera-equipped smart display designed to make video chatting in your home easier. And, if the rumors are true, the company is reportedly also preparing to launch a video chat camera for your TV, based on the same system as Portal. Not only does news of this hardware come at a time when when Facebook is under major scrutiny after suffering a massive data breach in September, which exposed private information of 29 million users, including usernames, birth date, gender, location, religion and the devices used to browse the site. But the most concerning part about Portal, is that Facebook's own executives don't seem to have a basic understanding of what types of data the company will be collecting or what it will be using it for.
Facebook is reportedly making a video chat camera for your TV
Facebook's Portal cameras might just be the start of the company's plans to bring video chat to your home. Cheddar sources claimed that the social network is making a "camera-equipped device" that brings video chat and streaming services (including Facebook's own) to your TV. Nicknamed Ripley, it's tentatively slated to launch in spring 2019. A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment.
Facebook's Portal smart displays aim to fix video chat
It's never been easier to video chat with someone today -- you can thank the rise of ubiquitous webcams, front-facing mobile cameras and social networks for that. But the act of having a video conversation with someone is still a pain. You have to coordinate with whoever you want to call, make sure you're using a compatible service, and if you're chatting from your phone, you'll also be stuck holding it up for the entire conversation. Clearly, there's still plenty of room for improvement. So, for the past two years, Facebook has been working on a solution, and it's not at all what you'd expect. The company is unveiling two smart displays, the Portal ($199) and Portal+ ($349), which are focused on video chatting. They have AI-powered cameras to track you as you move around the room, large screens to easily see who you're talking to, an array of four microphones (plus more AI smarts) to capture everything you're saying and decent speakers, so the conversation is always clear.
Facebook could launch its video chat devices this month
Facebook will finally reveal its long-rumored video chat device called "Portal" next week, according to financial website Cheddar. A previous report by the same publication said the company was supposed to unveil the device during its annual F8 conference in May. However, the revelation was pushed back due to all the scandals the social network had to face over the past few months, particularly the Cambridge Analytica fiasco and the role it played in Russia's election interference in 2016.
Facebook reportedly tweaks data storage on upcoming video chat device
Facebook has been working on a smart home device called Portal -- a video chat gadget powered by facial recognition that could reportedly suggest a call when two users are both near their respective devices. In January, reports surfaced that Portal might launch this year, but yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Facebook won't be unveiling its home products at its F8 developer conference in May as was initially planned. The pullback is attributed to the ongoing Cambridge Analytica controversy and growing concerns over how Facebook handles its users' data. Now, The Information reports that the company is also considering alternative privacy safeguards among its smart home devices.
Magic Leap releases its first set of AR developer tools
We've been anticipating Magic Leap's as-yet unreleased mixed reality gear for quite some time now. We know that the AR headset will be dubbed the Magic Leap One, will cost around $1,000 and will have applications for music as well as gaming. Still, the number of things we don't know about the gear is pretty significant. Now, however, the company appears to be lifting the veil a little bit with a new Creator Portal, which seems to contain more information for developers interested in the device as a platform, with a simulator, developer community, learning resources and an SDK to get started making apps for the unreleased device.
Facebook’s video chat device could be released this year
Facebook has long been rumored to be working on a video chat device to leapfrog the smart speaker competition. Now, apparently, financial website Cheddar has sources that say that the $499 device, named "Portal," will be announced in May with a planned release for late 2018.
The new ‘Portal’ game is a ‘Bridge Constructor’ spin-off
Fans have been waiting with little hope for a third entry in the beloved Portal franchise since the second game came out in 2011. It seems Valve has answered their prayers -- kind of. Instead of another first-person teleporting puzzle adventure, the next Portal-branded title is a standalone spin-off of the popular Bridge Constructor game. If a marriage of both those franchises is up your alley, snag it for desktop or mobile on December 20th.
Engadget giveaway: Win a Portal WiFi router!
Not only do many of us tax the limits of our bandwidth and routers, but if you're in a crowded environment and scan networks, you'll often see a long list of neighboring ones all up in your space -- Bill Wi the Science Fi anyone? Portal has come up with a method to avoid the noise by using more channels of the 5GHz WiFi spectrum than other devices. These FastLanes, as they're called, help your data move along without any neighboring interference, making them ideal for crowded environments. Plus, the onboard WiFi AutoPilot continuously monitors your network and optimizes data lanes to avoid congestion. A Portal WiFi router is capable of covering 3,000 square feet on its own, but since they're mesh network-capable, you can easily expand your coverage area with additional units. This week, Portal has provided us with three of its breakthrough devices for a trio of lucky readers. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning a Portal WiFi router. Winners: Congratulations to Bobby O. of Independence, KY; Nathaniele W. of Valdosta, GA and Sean C. of Campbell River, BC!
The HoloLens version of 'Portal' jumps right into the real world
If the thought of immersing yourself in Portal in VR has already got your brain tied in knots, just wait until you step into the HoloLens version. Developer KennyW has successfully ported a basic rendering of Valve's wildly popular first person puzzle-shooter to play on Microsoft's augmented reality hardware, and the result is just as trippy as you'd expect. Since this is just a proof-of-concept, there are no puzzles to solve just yet, but it does turn a boring old office building into a mind-bending Aperture Science playground.
Chrysler unveils its concept minivan for the selfie generation
The future of driving (or more likely, riding) has become less about speed and more about making sure occupants are comfortable and more importantly, entertained. At CES later today, Fiat/Chrysler (FCA) will unveil its Portal concept car. The electric vehicle will have face recognition and voice biometrics for what the automaker says is focused on millennials and will be "more than a tool -- it's an integral part of their lives."
Pop culture's many takes on artificial intelligence
Over the years, artists, writers, filmmakers and game studios have all tackled the concept of artificial intelligence. Often their vision is of machines that are brutally hostile to humans. Philip K. Dick envisioned androids that murder their owners. The iconic HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey ... also murders his human companions. Of course, there's Skynet, which launches an all-out war on mankind. We could go on like this for a long time. But there are also those, like Spike Jonze, who envision us having a more complex relationship with computer-based personalities; one in which they could even be love interests. And in Star Trek: The Next Generation Data is not only a "good" android, but he's often the hero of the show. We've pulled together 13 of our favorite portrayals of AI over the years and put them in the gallery below. It is by no means comprehensive. So please, let us know what we missed in the comments or tweet at us (@engadget) to let us know your favorite AI character from the film, TV or books using the hashtag #EngadgetAIWeek.
Try passing 'The Turing Test' August 30th on Xbox One
Given video gaming's reliance on artificial intelligence and penchant for sci-fi themes, it's surprising that only now there's a game named after Alan Turing's famous A.I. test. Here we are though, with The Turing Test hitting Xbox One on August 30th. It's also been promised for Steam next month. A post on Xbox Wire makes the game sound an awful lot like Portal, to be honest. It's a first-person puzzler set in a sterile research facility on Jupiter's moon Europa wherein you'll use a gun of sorts to control A.I.-powered machines and "solve puzzles that only a human could solve." That's in addition to other tasks designed to bend your brain.
Portal router aims to deliver us from congested WiFi
What happens when former Qualcomm engineers decide to build a router of their own? You get something like Portal, an innocuous looking device that aims to speed up WiFI networks using technology never before seen in consumer routers. It supports 802.11AC WiFi, but it works on all six channels of the 5GHz spectrum, whereas today's routers only work on two channels. That's a big deal -- it means Portal is well-suited to delivering fast WiFi in places like dense apartment buildings.
Valve uses 'Portal' robots to find out if your PC is VR-ready
In mere months we'll finally have two of the "big three" virtual reality headsets out in the market. While your bank account might be more than capable of writing the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift pre-order checks, can your PC's performance actually cash them? Valve has a test for that. The SteamVR Performance Test is just over two minutes long and takes place in a Portal-inspired non-interactive testing facility. Naturally.
Xbox One adds 'Halo: Reach' and 15 more playable 360 titles
Microsoft's Xbox One has had a stellar release slate over the last few months, packed with exclusive games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and multiplatform hits such as Fallout 4 and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Still not satisfied? Well, there's now an additional 16 games from the Xbox 360 era that you can play on your Xbox One via backwards compatibility. Some of the highlights include the head-scratching puzzle-platformer Braid, indie darling Spelunky, Portal and Fable 3.
Here's what it's like to play Valve's VR 'Portal' experience
Sure, people can wax poetic about using HTC's Vive virtual reality headset, but what's it really like when you're looking through those lenses? You might not have to make a pilgrimage to one of HTC's tours to find out. ValveTime has posted a video walkthrough of Valve's Portal-themed VR demo (used on the Vive since this spring), and it gives you a good sense of what the immersive, room-based experience is like. To put it mildly, this is a tantalizing glimpse of what VR can do for gaming -- you can explore every nuance of an Aperture Science workshop, pulling drawers and levers almost like you were there. We don't want to spoil the whole thing, but it's safe to say there are robots and a few signature Valve surprises. Can we have a full-fledged title based on this, please?
TiVo Online has some web TV for everyone, more if you have a TiVo
We still haven't progressed to TiVo's cloud DVR future, but the company is jumping ahead with the launch of TiVo Online. That is the name of its new web portal that collects video from cable channels, internet sources and even your TiVo DVR (if you have one), to put TV on your computer easily. The interesting part is that it's usable by anyone, but you'll get a lot more out of it if you have cable, and/or a TiVo DVR. Also, TiVo just launched upgrades bringing Plex, iHeartRadio and Yahoo Screen to its boxes. We took TiVo Online for a spin and on the plus side, it's a welcome improvement from the web features TiVo has offered so far, but it has a few drawbacks.
