Facebook Portal Go (Meta portal)
What if you could quickly connect with your closest friends and family members and experience the same level of proximity even when you are separated by great distances using facebook portal?
Today, we’re thrilled to introduce facebook portal, a brand-new home video communication systems that fundamentally alter how we stay in touch.
Portal uses AI technology to make video calling simpler and more like hanging out, and a widescreen display enables you to really appreciate each other’s company. Portal and Portal+ enable you to feel present even when you are not.
In 2018, Facebook Inc. introduced the Facebook Portal brand of smart displays and videophones (also known as Meta Portal) (now named Meta Platforms).
The product line consists of four variants (Portal, Portal+, Portal TV, and Portal Go), each of which offers video chat via Messenger and WhatsApp and is enhanced with a camera that can automatically zoom in and follow people’s motions. Alexa, Amazon’s voice-activated intelligent personal assistant service, is integrated into the gadgets. For targeted advertising, Meta makes use of some information gathered from Portal devices.
Reviewers gave the Portal line high marks for its ability to handle video and audio, but they questioned Facebook’s privacy policies for using the information that Portal devices collected for commercial purposes.
These gadgets are mostly focused on video calling and “placing people at the center.” Facebook thinks the Portal line of smart screens will make it easier for you to connect with more people in your life.
Facebook Portal Mini, Portal, and Portal+ are the four current models; they all operate mostly according to the same basic idea. Although they both focus on video chatting and aim to give you the impression that you are in the same room as the person on the other end of the conversation, they each have a different design aesthetic.
The Portal TV technology, which turns any TV into a massive video-calling screen, is a little different.
End-to-end encryption is a possibility because calls can also be made using Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, as we previously mentioned.
The sale and shipment of the 10.1-inch (25.7 cm) Portal and the 15.6-inch (39.6 cm) Portal Plus were announced by Facebook, Inc. on October 8, 2018. On September 18, 2019, the second generation of Portal devices was unveiled. On October 15, the second-generation Portal and Portal Mini were introduced, and on November 5, the second-generation Portal TV was made available. Facebook unveiled two new gadgets on September 21, 2021: a 10-inch battery-operated device dubbed “Portal Go” and a revised version of the 14-inch device called “Portal+.”
According to a report from June 2022, Meta was getting ready to phase out Portal as a consumer product and concentrate instead on the enterprise sector.
The first 10.1-inch (25.7 cm) device, released in 2018, was called Portal. When video calling someone on a smart phone, which is normally held in portrait mode, the second generation gadget in 2019 also enabled portrait orientation, which was much more practical.
Along with the smaller Portal, the 15.6-inch (39.6-cm) Portal+ was first introduced in 2018. The 2019 releases did not include an upgrade for this product. A somewhat smaller 14-inch (35.6 cm) new Portal+ model with a tilting screen was introduced in 2021; like the previous model, it is fixed in landscape orientation.
2019 saw the release of Portal Mini and the second-generation Portal. Similar in shape, it may be used either in portrait or landscape position.
After the 2021 release cycle, the Mini was canceled.
In September 2019, the second-generation portal and Portal TV were both released. Similar to the Microsoft Kinect, this device features a built-in camera and microphone but no display. By connecting to a TV, it gives the TV functions that are similar to those of other Portal family devices.
In the fall of 2021, Portal Go was initially released. Similar to the first version Portal, this 10.1-inch (25.7 cm) tablet only has a landscape mode. The user can take this first battery-powered Portal device out of the charging cradle and move it to new locations without it shutting off.
The software package known as Portal for Business, which was introduced in Fall 2021, enables any of the portal devices to function as conference room machines. It supports a number of external calling platforms and integrates with business tools like calendar.
How does the Facebook Portal function?
The following are some of Facebook Portal’s key attributes:
Smart Sound and Smart Camera
Artificial intelligence-powered “Smart Camera and Smart Sound” technology is present on all Facebook Portal devices. With the use of this technology, the cameras can recognize people, track them around the room, automatically pan, and zoom, all while reducing background noise and boosting the caller’s audio.
Actually, it’s very smart.
This also entails that the wide-angle lens included into the Portal devices allows them to detect many persons in the space and follow them around as they move. With Portal TV and Portal+, we have seen this in action, and it is extremely stunning. The company claims that in order to make sure that the panning and tracking are seamless and not too quick or abrupt, it worked closely with expert cinematographers.
In order to prevent the call from being cut short by a dog or cat walking into the room, it is also built to only recognize people and not follow pets. However, the business quickly clarified that the cameras only identify everyone in the room, not specific individuals. Facebook receives no information about the callers in any manner.
Additionally, Facebook Portal is equipped with sophisticated microphone technology that uses beamforming to follow the conversation and lessen ambient and background noise. This includes up to eight microphones on Facebook Portal TV, so you can effortlessly video call your complete family and speak with them.
Messenger for Facebook and WhatsApp
Even if your WhatsApp contacts don’t have a Portal, you can call them using either the Facebook Portal or Facebook Messenger.
Calls can be placed to and received from mobile devices as well as tablets, and Portal offers simultaneous group calls for up to seven participants.
When you’re not on a call, Portal can show your pictures, videos, and information such as birthday reminders and when your contacts are available to connect.
You can hold a video conversation using Portal with as many as 50 people now that Facebook Messenger Rooms are available.
You’ll be in a good position to learn that you can now blur your background or replace it with a pre-selected image with that many individuals present.
Facebook has been working to make it simpler to utilize Portal so that you can stay in touch with people on any platform. To enable users to keep in touch with more individuals, the company has worked with BlueJeans, GoToMeeting Webex, and Zoom.
Going live with Facebook Portal
It’s now feasible to use the various devices for internet broadcasting in addition to using Portal for video calls. You can start a stream to your own personal profile, Facebook sites, or groups using the Facebook Live app on the Portal device.
This is undoubtedly a good, straightforward method for swiftly and effortlessly live-streaming to your Facebook audience or to your family and friends.
You can use voice commands to watch videos, make calls, and do other things on Facebook Portal devices because Amazon Alexa compatibility is included as standard. Although Facebook claims to be enhancing it, in practice, this integration isn’t currently performing all that effectively.
You may ask it to get groceries, check the weather, manage smart home appliances, and more.
Similar to other smart gadgets, Portal may be operated using a straightforward voice command. That command is simply “Hey Portal” for both Americans and Brits. You can then issue a number of commands in response, such as:
- Hey Portal, give [contact name] a call.
- Play [title of the song], Portal.”
- Hey Portal, crank the sound up.
- “Hey Portal, set a timer for [the specified time and date].”
- Hey Portal, wake me up at [the specified time and date].
- “Hey Portal, how’s the weather over there?”
- And more…
Stories and AR effects
Using its Spark platform, Facebook has integrated augmented reality effects.
The goal is to make phone calls enjoyable and engaging. With this function, you may add AR stickers to your face and surroundings to enhance how things appear, similar to Snapchat lenses.
A Story Time experience functions similarly to add a fresh perspective to reading a bedtime story online. Currently, Story Time offers a variety of stories, with the promise of adding more in the future.
Applications and integrations
Facebook Portal smart home appliances have a few apps and connections, just like the majority of smart home appliances. Facebook has partnered with Newsy, Food Network, Newsy Premium, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Spotify Premium, and it plans to add more soon.
Additionally, the gadget supports Facebook Watch, which can be used to watch your videos and Facebook videos while on a call with others.
Facebook Portal security – Is it safe?
Although no internet-connected device is safe from hacking or breaching, the business is careful to stress that all Portal devices are “private by design” in light of Facebook’s prior issues.
By touching a button, the camera and microphone can be entirely turned off. The camera, microphone, or both can be turned off via a switch on the Portal frames, depending on your needs. The hardware also has a physical switch that turns off the microphones. The actual camera cover may be pushed out using this button to turn off the camera. So even if they are compromised, they are unable to record audio when this switch is turned on.
Furthermore, you may set a four- to 12-digit passcode to lock the screen in order to control Portal access inside your house.
However, Facebook guaranteed that video calls made through the Portal will be encrypted and that it won’t listen to, watch, or store their contents. Additionally, the AI technology for the Smart Camera and Smart Sound runs locally on Portal rather than on Facebook servers.
Moreover, the Portal camera doesn’t use facial recognition, and you may always remove the audio recordings made by the Portal from your Facebook Activity Log.
Facebook is quick to stress out that you may opt-out of data gathering and modify privacy settings if you don’t want your data captured, despite the news that Facebook staff members have listened to Messenger clips.
Privacy
Facebook claims that the Portal devices only record audio once the user commands them with the phrase “Hey Portal,” and they only capture video during video calls. Additionally, the camera on every Portal device has a cover that can be slid over it while not in use.
Facebook initially asserted during the product release that information gathered through Portal devices would not be used for targeted advertising. Facebook revised its position one week after the announcement and said that “use data, such as length of calls, frequency of conversations” and “general usage data, such as aggregate usage of applications, etc., may also enter into the information that we use to display advertising.”
Later, the business made it clear that it only examines the information of video calls made through Portal devices, not the actual content.
Critical Reception – Original Generation
The video and audio quality of the Portal’s Facebook Messenger video calling capability, according to Dan Seifert of The Verge, is superior to that of competing devices and videotelephony services, but “the Portal’s utility is pretty limited outside of video calling,” he said.
He voiced worry that the device is “always-watching and always-listening” in light of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal. The device’s autotracking wide-angle cameras, which allow the subject to stay in the device’s field of view, were complimented by Megan Wollerton of CNET.
A spokesman informed us that Facebook will really track information about calls made via Portal to supplement the user profiles it uses to inform adverts that appear elsewhere. Wollerton expressed concerns about Facebook’s privacy policy in connection to Portal’s video calls.
In a PC Magazine review, Sascha Segan stated that Portal would be a nice addition for remote workers if it gained integration with Workplace by Facebook, a capability that is not yet available. From a purely technological basis, this is by far the best video calling appliance we’ve seen, Segan wrote. Due to the “huge abuses of data on Facebook’s consumer platform,” Segan nevertheless deemed Portal to be “a disaster” from a “policy and privacy perspective”.
Mike Prospero and Monica Chin, writing for Tom’s Guide, attacked the display’s “huge and conspicuous” size, calling it “dystopian” and “more at home in a Black Mirror episode than in my living room or kitchen.”
The reviewers shared the same “Ongoing privacy worries,” but they gave Portal’s automatic panning and audio quality a positive score.
Second Generation
Nicole Lee praised the second-generation Portal’s understated look and adaptability to both portrait and landscape orientations in Engadget. Wired’s Adrienne So praised the video tracking and augmented reality capabilities of Portal but criticized Facebook’s propensity to “default to sharing more, not less.”
Segan compared the Portal TV’s competitive video calling capabilities with its “limited” support for streaming media services in PC Magazine’s evaluation of the device and questioned Facebook’s data security record.
The Portal TV is “a nicely functioning, decently priced device that really isn’t fit for everyone because of the privacy problems and more worrisome issues” affecting Facebook, according to Wollerton in a scathing CNET review.
Amazon reviews written by Facebook staff
The Amazon product listing for Facebook Portal had five-star reviews that appeared to have been written by Facebook employees, according to a tweet from The New York Times columnist Kevin Roose on January 17, 2019, who noted that one of the reviews claimed to have “historically not been a big Facebook or other social media user” before purchasing Portal.
The community rules of Amazon prohibit “making, moderating, or uploading content regarding your (or your relative’s, close friend’s, business associate’s, or employer’s) products or services.” These reviews were made in violation of these rules.
Andrew Bosworth, vice president of augmented and virtual reality at Facebook, responded by saying the reviews were “neither organized nor directed from the organization” and that Facebook will tell the staff to delete them.
FAQs about Facebook Portal
Is Portal Facebook subject to a monthly fee?
Is Facebook Portal subject to a monthly fee? Fortunately, no. Once you’ve purchased the device, you can use Portal for free as long as you have a Facebook or WhatsApp account (but again, these too are free of charge).
Is Facebook Portal being discontinued?
Facebook will stop producing Portal hardware for consumer use. As long as there is inventory left, the company will keep selling existing Portals and offer ongoing software support to current customers.
Are Facebook portals worth it?
They are, at best, fantastic digital picture frames, but the Portal isn’t particularly good at that. You can only use your Facebook or Instagram photographs, or you can use the Portal app to import photos from your phone, which is a little bit of extra work. We don’t actually need these multitasking capabilities from smart displays.
Can you watch Netflix on Portal?
With the Facebook Portal TV app, you have access to the complete Netflix catalog of programs and films. The Netflix app is only supported on Portal TV; Portal, Portal Mini, and Portal+ devices are not supported.
What is comparable to Facebook Portal?
The best smart displays: Echo Show isn’t your only option
- Echo Show 15. A smart display that goes on your wall. …
- Amazon Echo Show 10. This Echo can actually follow you around the room. …
- Google Nest Hub Max. Best smart display for Google Assistant. …
- Facebook Portal Plus.
What number of images can Portal store?
If you’re using the Portal app to manage your photos, you can upload up to 20 images at once.
When an upload is ongoing, no photos can be added or removed.
Only the Portal app and your Meta Portal device will show images that you upload from your camera roll.
Can you use Portal to make phone calls?
You can call someone using Portal and have the call show up on their phone, tablet, or – if they have one – their Portal device. You can call people using WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Zoom.
Facebook Portal doesn’t just sit there with a blank, black screen when you’re not using it to call someone, though.
Do you need a Portal to call a Portal?
Even if your WhatsApp contacts don’t have a Portal, you can call them using either the Facebook Portal or Facebook Messenger. Calls can be placed to and received from mobile devices as well as tablets, and Portal offers simultaneous group calls for up to seven participants.
Can you use Portal without a Facebook account?
You are unable to upload contacts from your phone or call Messenger connections who do not have Facebook profiles. Get additional information about adding or deleting contacts. Say “Hey Portal, call [contact name]” to place a call.
Can you facetime with Portal?
all responses So you can’t. Apple devices are the only ones that support Facetime.
How does Facetime differ from Facebook Portal?
The two are identical in every way except for the hardware; otherwise, there are no differences. The Portal’s display is smaller and lower-res than the Portal+’s (10 inches, 720p) (15-inch, 1080p).
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