Will the Portal Send You?
Just when you thought you had enough devices, Facebook is jumping into the device arena with companies like Apple, Amazon and more. Is this just a desperate attempt for Facebook to stay relevant? According to a “recent survey from Pew Research, which claimed one in four (26 percent) Americans have deleted the Facebook app from their phone.” Based on this study, is Facebook’s Portal device going to bring back Facebooks relevance?
The features of the Portal seem to be a bit redundant with other devices and services already on the market. The portal will have Snapchat like features with fun sticker graphics to enhance communication, be Alexa enabled, and have integrations with different music services such as Pandora.
The only unique part of Portal seems to be the “”Smart Camera and Smart Sound” technology, which allow them to follow you around the room and automatically pan and zoom while also minimizing background noise and enhancing the voice of whoever is calling.”1 This is a new take on the video call as it is hands free and would allow you to keep moving about your daily duties while being on video. I have to wonder, who would need a service like this? That is unless you are trying to put on some sort of cooking show in your kitchen.
Overall, I am not convinced that the capabilities of this new machine are going to bring Facebook back into popularity. However, it is a great that Facebook is trying to branch out with new features in order to stop the rapid decline of their user base.
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