Facebook is said to announce its own video chat device called Portal next week. The company had originally planned to launch it during the F8 developer conference in May this year but, due to the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal, executives decided to shelve the announcement at the last minute.
According to a report by Cheddar, the device will function similarly to an Amazon Echo Show with social features and come in two screen sizes. Portal will feature integration with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant and let users play music, watch videos and more. The larger device could be priced around $400, while the smaller one could go for around $300.
In terms of features, the device will also feature a privacy shutter that can cover the device’s wide-angle video camera, which uses artificial intelligence to recognize people in the frame and follow them as they move throughout a room, added the report.
Soon, you will also be able to friend, follow, and DATE people all in one place thanks to Facebook Dating, at least if you're in Colombia. Since Facebook already knows if you're single -- which some 200 million people have listed themselves as on their personal profile -- or when "it's complicated," why not just hand them the reins to find your next love connection? After all, no one knows more single people than this social network, seems to be their rationale.
Well, if you're looking for love and you live in Colombia (the rest of the world will have to wait), look no further: Facebook Dating, first announced back in May, has arrived in the South American country. Now, you can look for a match on the same platform you see updates from your grandma, but don't worry, your dating activity will not be visible to anyone in your network.
In fact, the service will be, in essence, separate from Facebook and completely opt-in, so you won't be surprised by any rogue romance attempts. Also, Facebook promised that Facebook friends will not be suggested as matches.
The default matching of the service will match you only with friends-of-friends and strangers, or just people with no mutual connections if that's what you prefer. Privacy is taken seriously, and no one will know that you're dating online without your permission.
Despite Facebook being new in the dating market, its years of collecting data about its users gives it an advantage. The company already knows you and your potential lover's interests and hobbies and will use this data to make a "meaningful" connection destined for that "long-term" relationship Facebook status.
