What you need to know
- Facebook's new Portal TV accessory brings smart video calling to the biggest screen in people's homes.
- Portal TV is priced at $149 and will begin shipping on November 5.
- Apart from the U.S. and Canada, it will also be sold in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.
Facebook today expanded its lineup of home video-calling devices with the launch of the new Portal, Portal Mini, and Portal TV devices. The Portal TV accessory, which can sit on top of or below your TV, brings "smart video calling to the largest screen in your home."
To get started, all you need to do is connect the Portal TV accessory to your TV using the HDMI port and sign in to your Facebook account. Once you have signed in, you can start making video calls to friends and family using Messenger or WhatsApp.
As the company notes in its press release, all WhatsApp calls on Portal will be end-to-end encrypted. The Portal TV comes with a mic and camera disable button as well as an integrated camera cover.
The Portal TV has Alexa built-in, which means you can do a lot more than just place video calls with it. Once you connect your Amazon account, you can use it to check the front door, control all your smart home devices, listen to music, watch the latest news, and more. You can even access popular streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access, Showtime, and more through Portal TV.
The new Facebook Portal TV, which is priced at $149, is now available for pre-order and will begin shipping in the U.S. and Canada on November 5. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, all new Portal devices will also be available in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.
Facebook Portal TV
Facebook's new Portal TV accessory lets you make smart video calls with Messenger and WhatsApp to your friends and family on their mobile devices. Worried about privacy? Portal TV allows users to block the lens with a sliding camera cover and also has a button to disable the camera and microphone. It comes with Alexa built-in too.
