Facebook Portal, a Camera Toting Smart Speaker, Will Be a Hard Sell

Facebook Portal is the social media giant's way of putting a sophisticated camera in your home, but a recent streak of data breaches might spell trouble for the company's first branded product.

Looking at the specs, Facebook Portal is basically a tablet on steroids. It will come in two versions, a regular and plus size, and will be available in November for $199 and $349 respectively. What that gets you is something that resembles Amazon's Echo Show, adding dedicated software to really make video chatting a charming experience.

Early reviews of the product actually look pretty formidable. Aesthetically, Facebook Portal is actually pretty stylish. It looks a lot like Amazon's Echo Show and has a really sleek appearance for both models. Facebook Portal Plus actually has a built-in stand and allows the screen to rotate for two totally different experiences. A wide-angle camera produces video calls with extreme clarity with a pair of tweeters and a small subwoofer giving strong audio fidelity for both chatting and listening to music. It appears that Facebook is adding a microphone mute button and a camera cover for all your privacy concerns.