Why Facebook’s first physical deceive could be better than ALEXA
Instead of saying Hey Alexa, play Power 93, you now will be say Hey Portal? Portal is the name of Facbook's 1st physical assistant and the voice-navigation system (triggered when it hears the words “Hey Portal”) can lead users to apps like Facebook Messenger for video calls and Facebook Watch for video content along with a group video chat.
You can search for music, ask for whatever answers but this is what separates it from Alexa or Echo. The Portal has an artificial intelligence-powered camera that pans and zooms automatically to keep all faces in the screen. So if, while on a call, you decide to get up from your couch to grab a glass of water, it will track you across the room while you do it. The device also has a four-microphone array to capture 360 degrees of sound.
So if you like me you start thinking about the Privacy issue with FB. So i check out hte The product page for Portal has just three menu items: “Home,” “Products,” and “Privacy.” This is what hey had on the page.
- Video calls are encrypted and never recorded or seen by Facebook (though the company can access your call-log data).
- The camera will not capture video when not in use for a call and the mic will only capture sound when it is asked to listen.
- Facebook will not process or log conversations that happen near a Portal when the device not engaged.
- No data collected through Portal will be used to target users with ads on Facebook or any other app.
It comes in two sizes: a $199 version with a 10-inch display, and a $349 version with a 15-inch display (the “Portal+”).