Only a week back we reported that Facebook is working on a modular smartphone, just like Google’s Project Ara, and now the company has started working on a couple of other new initiatives.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the California-based social network giant has also started working on a laptop-like display for a video chat service. It will be an all new category of devices, with a huge screen and smart camera technology.
This technology is expected to be announced around F8’s spring conference, and prototypes are being tested at people’s homes. This device would be similar to the ones you usually see in Sci-Fi movies, the ones that have a large screen, almost 13 to 15-inch, for video chat but a wide-angle camera that has AI abilities.
For example, the spy cams at home can lock into any movement of the user, and follow the user in and around the room. This video chat service will be able to do the same, allowing the users at both ends to be able to move around freely. Since it will be AI based, you would be able to talk about it, watch videos and play music as well.
Bloomberg also reported that Facebook is working on an Amazon Echo-like speaker as well. Naturally, this segment is hot right now and since AI is booming, it makes sense to have a speaker connected to the internet, and one that has a personal assistant built-in.
Will these devices improve the experience on Facebook?
Facebook is all about being connected to your friends. Now that can be either through video chat, voice chat or just regular messenger service. However, in the past couple of years, Facebook has gone ahead and become more than just a social media giant.
With an entry into online content, solar-energy based drones and instant games, the company is showing off its ability to become bigger than just a social media network. A video-chat device will be useful for people who talk to their friends and family very often.
Moreover, it will serve the purpose of video on demand on a display with a personal assistant, which means Facebook can also focus on creating more online content. The cameras installed on the device can also ensure your video chat is more intuitive and isn’t as fixed as it is right now. Again, it is a completely new segment, so the public reaction is what would matter eventually.
A standalone smart-speaker is something that we would have expected Facebook to launch. All internet giants have done so, however, Google Home and Amazon Echo are the most famous. It won’t be any different from these leaders, hence it might not even be in the limelight for very long.