Facebook Launches Portable Version of Portal Video Chat Device | TECHNOLOGY

Facebook announced on Tuesday two new models of its Portal video calling devices, including its first portable version.

The social media company also reported that it was testing with several US firms a service for companies to remotely manage work accounts and devices.

Facebook said the portable Portal Go will cost $ 199 and the large-screen Portal +, the latest generation of the product, will cost $ 349. Both will begin shipping on October 19.

Facebook has not provided Portal-specific sales numbers, but a spokeswoman noted that there was an increase in sales and usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which many companies switched to remote work and more people stayed home. under confinement measures. Facebook gets the vast majority of its money from digital ads.

The company, which is under scrutiny from global regulators and legislators for its focus on security, privacy and content across all of its services, launched its first Portal line in 2018.

Smart display devices, one of Facebook’s forays into selling hardware, allow users to make video calls with cameras that automatically follow users around a room.

Updates to the new models announced Tuesday included a “home mode,” which allows users to share Portal and control others’ access to their contacts and applications, and a way to watch TV through the product with others who do not. are using a Portal device.

Likewise, Facebook announced that it would begin adding support for Microsoft Teams in Portal in December.