Cheddar is reporting that Facebookwill soon discharge a video - schmoose twist that will sit in your nursing home and scan and recognize the brass of anyone who passes by .
No one want this .
The machine , called Portal , according to Cheddar ’s Alex Heath , will be like in design to theEcho Showthat Amazon introduced last year , and the regalia of smart displays Google announced last night , include theLenovo Smart Display . Which entail a utterer , display , and photographic camera that you interact with via your voice . This is probably the same projection , codenamed Aloha , that Business Insider reported Facebook ’s secretive Building 8 was function on last year .
The troubled Building 8 is Facebook ’s skunkworks hardware development lab , and at one point , it was knead on an even more invasive equipment — one that couldread your mind . The computer hardware - development labsaw a rash of departureslast year include its drawing card and former DARPA director and Google exec , Regina Dugan .
But back to the portal : The camera on this gimmick will reportedly practice a extensive slant lens of the eye , to capture more of the Portal ’s surrounding , and it will be able to use facial recognition software package to always know who is in front of it .
Creepy .
Cheddar also claims the Portal will be capable to playback content , perhaps from company like Netflix and Spotify . As Cheddar further note , Facebook signed big music licensing mess with Sony / ATV and Universal Music Group last year , so you might be able to expect some kind of homegrown music streaming service as well .
But I ’d be wary of YouTube throw its mode to the gimmick , if Google’sdumb fightwith Amazon over YouTube on the Echo Show is anything to go by .
As for whether it is mean to compete directly with the $ 230 Echo Show or the $ 200 to $ 250 chic display power by Google , that ’s anyone ’s guess . Because harmonise to Cheddar ’s origin , the Portal will retail for a stupid $ 500 — way more than anyone should or would require to make up for aninvasive always - on camera and always - listening microphone . Though Cheddar ’s source also exact Facebook could lour the price to boost rubes to grease one’s palms it .
Cheddar has no details on when the Portal will be released but suggests it may be later this year .
What I want to bed is , what form of software would this potential monstrosity run ? Facebook may have facial credit on whorl , but it does n’t have the rich voice interface capability of Amazon or Google . Hell , it does n’t even have something likeBixby . Facebook also has n’t really made many forays into ironware intended for consumers , apart from its acquirement of VR party Oculus .
This is right than the Facebook phone rumor that would never die , and it fix a lot of gumption given the oversupply of smart display , but … it ’s also a Facebook - powered camera sitting in your support room or bedroom . Facebook is incursive enough , would you really want to invite it into your home ?
Facebook told Gizmodo in a command , “ We are not comment on this speculative floor . ” So if you cognise anything about Portal / Aloha , hit me up at[email protected ] .
[ Cheddar ]
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