In October 2018, Facebook launched its Portal-connected speaker. However, this is only available in the US and Canada, at least for now. During the F8 conference, Facebook stated that two models of the device (Portal and Portal+) will land in Europe, and thus most likely in France, in the fall of 2019. As a reminder, they work with the Amazon Alexa assistant and have the ability to be equipped with a screen and camera.
Facebook Portal: A new Alexa-connected speaker in Europe
Mark Zuckerberg’s group took the opportunity to announce the arrival of new features on their speakers. Most importantly, of course, is compatibility with Messenger and WhatsApp (with end-to-end encryption of conversations), which now lets you initiate and receive video calls via the instant messaging app in addition to the standard voice calls.
Also read: Portal: Facebook admits its connected speaker can spy on users
Also, saying “hello” to the Portal will notify you of today’s birthdays, upcoming events and other reminders from the information in your Facebook account. The firm also announced the arrival of new Alexa skills compatible with Portal and more visual options to make the most of the presence of a screen. For example, the Amazon Prime Video app will be available later this year. Facebook Live will be there soon too.
It remains to know the exact release date and price of Facebook Portal in our market. In the United States, prices are $199 for Portal and $349 for Portal+. It will inevitably be more expensive with us, which brings us to prices that are certainly pretty close to the Google Home and Google Home Max prices, well established in France and difficult to pull off.
