Facebook is currently working on a video chat device similar to that of Amazon Echo Show, according to a report from Bloomberg. The device would be the first major hardware product from the company’s Building 8, a new R&D lab. Facebook’s research division is headed by Regina Dugan, a former Google executive.
The Amazon Echo Show-like device would have a laptop-sized touchscreen, anywhere between 13 and 15-inches. The report says the video chat device will feature smart camera technology that will help users feel like they are in the same room when communicating with another person. Apparently, the device is in the prototype stage but it is already being tested in people’s homes.
This isn’t the first time we’re hearing that Facebook is developing a video chat device with a large touchscreen. Last month, DigiTimes reported that Facebook’s upcoming video chat device would have a 15-inch touch display. Citing sources close to the “upstream supply chain”, the device will be manufactured by Chinese contract manufacturer Pegatron Technology. The product is aimed for a first quarter of 2018. According to the report, the smart speaker’s 15-inch display will be supplied by LG Display, using in-cell technology. While the details about the smart speaker are scant, it’s being said that it will have a magnesium-aluminium alloy chassis.
Facebook’s smart speakers might work in a similar fashion as the Echo show, the latest smart home hub from Amazon. It’s large touch screen will allow users to accomplish a number of tasks such as viewing photos, attending video and voice calls, and monitoring security feeds.
Bloomberg also reported that Facebook is working on a second device, the smart speaker that could be sold for around $100 ( or approx Rs 6400). The smart speaker, just like Apple HomePod, Google Home and Amazon’s Echo, would be controlled using Facebook’s voice assistant.
Facebook has repeatedly failed in the hardware space. In 2013, it launched a smartphone in collaboration with HTC, which failed to make an impact. In 2016, Facebook released the Oculus Rift, one of the first VR headsets to be commercially sold. Till date, the company has not announced how many units of the Rift it has sold.
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