Days after Facebook revealed their ‘Portal’ smart display the social media Company has been revealed as working on a TV connected device that will take on Foxtel, Telstra TV and Fetch in the future.
The Android based device, code-named Ripley, is reportedly based on some of the same technology as Facebook’s recently unveiled Portal smart display but the big difference is that it has a video camera that can be placed on a TV it will also stream movies and other content.
Ripley is reportedly still in development, it was discovered when traces of Ripley first surfaced last week, when Hong Kong-based reverse engineering mastermind Jane Manchun Wong tweeted about discovering the name in some Facebook code.t.
In addition to video chat functionality, the device would likely offer access to Facebook Watch, as well as third-party video service
Facebook unveiled Portal earlier this month, it is set to take on Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Home Hub, with a big focus on smart video chat features.
Portal’s wide-angle camera can track people during a video chat, and keep subjects in focus even if they move throughout a room.
The device also makes use of Amazon’s Alexa assistant for voice control, and it incorporates videos from Facebook Watch, Discovery’s Food Network and E.W. Scripps’ Newsy, with plans to add other partners in the near future.
