Meta Is Killing Off the Consumer Version of the Portal Video-Calling Device
Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorFacebook once called its Portal family of devices, first introduced in 2018, “the future of video calling” — and spent big on ad campaigns pushing the products.Now the social media giant, since renamed Meta Platforms, is switching gears: The company will no longer produce consumer versions of the Portal and instead will focus on business uses, as first reported by The Information.The main feature of Meta Portal (which was previously called Facebook Portal) is video-calling, with the ability to start or join calls of up to 50 people. The devices feature built-in support for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant.In addition, the Portal line has been positioned as an entertainment device, providing access to Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, Paramount+ and Showtime, as well as Spotify, Pandora and iHeartRadio (and, of course, Facebook Watch).