I did a LOT of reading about these things before making the decision to purchase 4 of them, and I couldn't be happier. My husband and I wanted to be able to keep in better touch with his parents and grandmother, my parents, and my sister who lives out of state. We wanted something simple that our parents could use, since they always spend half of our video chats unable to get their microphones on their laptops to work, or some other technical issue. It also seemed like having a device specifically made for video calling would cause us to talk more often. We never think to open Skype or other programs up on our devices (or even call them on the phone for that matter), but having a device out in the open with the person's name and face popping up whenever they become "active" on Messenger really makes me excited to hit the call button just to check in and say "hi" and chat.
I was nervous before purchasing because of the number of articles that claimed the idea of them was "creepy" and that they had an "always listening microphone". What they didn't explain is that there is a button on the top of the device that turns both the camera and the microphone off, and the device displays a red light when they're both turned off (pictured). It also comes with a camera cover.
The speakers in this thing are LOUD. I haven't turned it up past 2/3 of its limit. Camera tracking and video calls are perfect. I've been using Spotify on this almost nonstop since we received it, and what also surprised me was that when I started it on the Portal, Spotify popped up on my phone and allowed me to control the Portal volume and change the songs on it from my phone, like a remote.
I am very, very happy with this purchase. It honestly far exceeded my expectations. I'm excited for how easy it suddenly is to stay in touch with our loved ones, and how this device encourages you to call and talk to people. Anyone who says that you can do the same with a tablet, how often are you actually sending video calls from your tablet? This is a video phone, and every time I look at it, it makes me want to reach out to my family. I love it.
Amazing video call quality but limited other functionality. Strong buy for those who want to keep in touch with family across the country. Until you make a call with Portal, you don’t realize how much cognitive overhead your incur through parsing garbled conversations over cell and VoIP.
I bought it for hands-free youtube viewing of cooking instructions and it works well because it stands on my kitchen counter. It has a roving camera which follows me as I move around the kitchen. Its convenient to have everything in one portal which includes access to facebook, photo album viewing, messenger conferencing with max of 7 people, youtube, and has alexa voice command.
A room for improvement is about the power. It should be rechargeable to make it portable. It still has a wire for plugging in to power outlet.
So only super biased and negative people can give one or two stars. This product is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to video calling. Portal definitely takes video calling to whole another level.
I know there have been some bad reviews about this product, but so far it has been worth every penny of its $149.00.
My father lives 1400 miles away and has cancer. The joy he got the first time it connected and he got to video chat with his grandchildren was a phenomenal moment. He giggled and kept saying over and over how much he loved his Christmas gift. Whatever else people say about Facebook, thank you for these memories.
Feature Product
- Move and talk freely with Smart Camera: With Smart Camera, you don't have to worry about being out of frame. Whether you're moving around the kitchen, prepping dinner or chasing the kids through the living room, Smart Camera adjusts to follow the action. And as more people enter a room, Smart Camera automatically widens to keep everyone in view, so you don't miss a moment
- Private by design: Facebook doesn't listen to, view or keep the contents of your Portal video calls. Calls on Portal are encrypted, so conversations stay between you and those you're calling. You can also completely disable the camera and microphone with a single tap, or block the camera lens with the camera cover provided
- Connect with friends, even if they don't have Portal: Easily call friends and family on Messenger - calls can be made seamlessly to and from smartphones and tablets. And you can bring up to six other people into a group call
- Alexa built-in: Portal has Alexa built-in, so you can ask a question, set a timer, add items to your shopping list, control your smart home or more. Just ask
- Experience more together: With Portal, story time will never be the same. With music, animation and augmented reality effects, Portal lets you become some of your children's favorite characters as you read along to well-loved stories. And if friends or family also have Portal, you can listen to your favorite music together as if you were in the same room, without delays or feedback
- Stay close with Superframe: When you're not in a call, Portal can display your Facebook photos and videos. You can also see when your closest contacts are available to connect, and get birthday reminders
- Active Facebook account required for product use
Description
Connecting through Portal feels like being in the same room, even when you’re far apart. Whether you’re moving around the kitchen or chasing the kids through the living room, Portal’s Smart Camera automatically adjusts to keep everyone in view. With Alexa Built-in, you can access thousands of Alexa skills hands-free. And you can make video calls to and from smartphones and tablets, so you can stay in touch even if friends and family don't have Portal.
Portal also comes with unique experiences like Story Time, which lets you read along to well-loved stories with fun animation and augmented reality effects. And with Portal you can enjoy music, videos, news, games, and more from Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, Youtube, CNN, and the Food Network. There is no monthly fee, Portal just needs to stay connected to a Wi-Fi network and AC power. Portal is certified for sale and use in the U.S. only at this time and will be available in markets outside the U.S. in the future. However, you can use Portal to connect with your loved ones anywhere in the world where Messenger is available.
I would have never asked for or purchased one of these but we got 2 for Christmas. I seriously thought about exchanging them for something else because I wasn't interested in a FaceBook camera. I decided to give it a try and wow did it win me over. We live away from all our family and video chat with them often and this device makes it so much easier. The camera being able to follow you around during a call and the fact that it's done locally on the device and none of that data is being processed by Facebook's servers is totally awesome! I believe most people will hesitate to buy this because of the mishandling of user info that Facebook is known for but this is an simple awesome piece of technology that is awesome for staying connected to love ones.
People are biased against it befause Facebook made it, but it's really a great product. I don't understand the Facebook hate bandwagon anyways.
The initial review below was an accurate depiction of how the Portal was performing, even after following all of Amazon's suggestions that it had to be the wifi router, Internet service, to may devices in the home.
How I fixed it: I installed a BitDefender Box 2 (also purchased here on Amazon).
Configured it to protect my Cable Company WiFi Hub .
Forced portal restart by pulling the plug and leaving it without power for ~30 minutes.
Plugging it back in. During the startup of the portal, BitDefender Box 2 located the issue and blocked the numerous additional ports being opened by portal apps, which were not in the legitimate port ranges for the portal.
Seems that one or more portal application providers may have security issues.
Also blocked Alexa from phoning home without user interaction.
Recommendation: If you plan on purchasing a Portal, get a BitDefender Box 2 as well.
Note: I have no financial interests in BitDefender, simply a very satisfied user, and I.T. Infrastructure Professional.
Initial Review --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Portal is a pretty neat concept, with useless "streaming" capabilities.
Alexa is the voice interface, through which you start streaming music, podcasts, videos, etc.
Except that, the device randomly pauses and locks up, not responding to voice commands until reset.
I have a 100MB download circuit and use 5G wireless with the portal about 10 feet from the router, and the portal powered and protected by a UPS/Batter Backup.
I also have Alexa on my smartphone, and it will stream while on wifi from the same source, Amazon Prime Music without missing a beat, as will the desktop I'm using to write this review.
I doubt this review will be up long, as one thing amazon does is police their reviews.
(Snarky comment removed by author.)
Cheers.
Fantastic picture quality. Limited apps at first start up. Super easy setup.
We have for years been trying to find a device that would allow us to video call with my mother-in-law who is in her 80’s. We have hit wall after wall until the Facebook Portal came along. She finally was open to it when she saw the ease of use! She was already familiar with Facebook messenger, so there was nothing really new for her to learn! The camera cover is also a great security add and brings a sense of peace to the user. We also got one for my parents (early 70’s) and they set it up by themselves and jumped right on with no issues! It is really saying something when our senior community feels at ease using the product!
As far as the call quality, if you are in good WiFi, the quality is excellent!! I would say the best feature is how the camera moves to keep the caller in focus and on camera! It is also neat how it enlarges when other people come into view! We really can’t say enough good things! I just wish we could have had this years ago! This is a game changer!
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