Facebook introduces two new Portal devices
You probably use your laptop or mobile device when doing your video calls, whether you’re at home/in the office or you’re on the go. But in case you needed to add another device to your collection and you’re a Facebook fan, they do have video calling devices called Portal. They have now introduced two new devices, the Portal Go which is their “first-ever portable Portal” and the Portal+, the newest generation for their original Portal device. They’re now available for pre-order and will ship by October 2021.
Since the Portal Go is the more portable of the two, it is obviously the smaller of the two, weighing in at 3 pounds and with a size of 256.7 x 78.9 x 173.9mm. It has a 10.1-inch display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and comes with 2 full-range speakers and a woofer for bass. It also has a charging dock so it can be more portable but it also comes with a wall adapter. The next-gen Portal+ meanwhile has a 14-inch HD tilting display, weighs 4.2 pounds, and has a size of 312.6 x 98.1 x 250.7mm. Aside from the speakers’ specs of the Portal Go, it also has 2x passive radiators and only comes with a wall adaptor.
Both Portal devices have a 4-mic Tetrahedral Array microphone system and a single 12MP resolution camera with an Ultra-Wide field of view, since video calls are the primary function of these devices. There are also other features aside from video calling, like you can listen to music streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, etc. You can also use it as a digital photo frame displaying your favorite Facebook and Instagram photos and you can also add from your camera roll.
They’re also positioning it as a work device for those working from home. By December, they will be adding support for Microsoft Teams for all the Portal devices including these two new ones. This will include sharing calendar, contacts, files, and chat. They will also introduce a new service called Portal for Business for small and medium businesses to help manage portal devices and Facebook Work Accounts which will be available for Portal devices soon.
The Portal Go is priced at around $199 USD while Portal+ is at $349. They will be available for pre-order this month and will be officially released by October 19, 2021. You can purchase it through Amazon and Best Buy.
