It only took a deadly viral outbreak, but Facebook’s video chat hardware is finally popular.
As CNBC’s Todd Haselton reported last week, Facebook’s Portal TV device is sold out everywhere. The $150 camera turns any television into a big screen for video chat, letting users talk to friends and family through Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. Although hardly anyone was buying Facebook’s Portal hardware before, the Portal TV in particular is taking off as people seek out more ways to stay in touch while on lockdown.
While video chatting on the TV feels more immersive and lifelike than talking through a phone or tablet, I wish there was another option, one that wasn’t tied to a company with so much privacy baggage. The overnight success of Portal TV proves that the demand for big-screen video chat exists. If we keep depending on video chat after the pandemic dies down—and I think we will—we’ll need something similar from a company with a solid privacy record that doesn’t…
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Source : fastcompany.com
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