There are reasons to be wary of Portal devices. Portal can be voice-controlled courtesy of Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant, which is also built into Amazon Echo Show smart speakers (more on those a bit). It requires zero adjusting, unlike my Logitech computer webcam that often needs tweaking. It automatically zooms in and out based on how far I am from the screen, and keeps me centered if I move around. The camera has a wide-angle view, so you can get a lot on the screen. Video chats with my sister, who is also using a Portal, look and sound pristine. But it’s what’s on the Portal’s display that matters. The hardware, created by the Facebook-owned Oculus maker of virtual-reality cameras, is kind of picture-frame bland. I was keen to try Portal because I am a heavy Facebook user, and I mostly have not been disappointed. And Facebook has lately begun adding support for other video-conferencing services, like its own, business-y Workplace, along with third-party offerings such as Zoom, WebEx, GoToMeeting and BlueJeans. Portal also supports Facebook’s popular WhatsApp, if you prefer to video chat that way. You can do one-on-one Messenger calls with your friends, or set up Rooms for group chats. The Portals use the same video-conferencing features found in Facebook’s mobile Messenger apps and on its website. There’s also the 8-inch Portal Mini ($129), a 15.6-inch Portal+ with a rotating display ($279), and a $149 Portal TV that has no screen of its own but is positioned atop a TV for a big-screen video-chat experience. I have been trying out the $179 Portal, a 10-inch smart display that I have positioned beside my computer in my home office. The social-media giant has a line of Portal consumer video-conferencing devices. But you need to select your smart display with care.
0 kommentar(er)
