Facebook to launch $500 video device 'Portal' this year

Facebook is set to enter the home device market this year with its first consumer hardware device. According to sources close to the firm, the company will unveil a $499 (£370) video chat system to rival Amazon's Echo Show in May. Named'Portal', it will feature a laptop-sized touchscreen and smart camera technology boosted by artificial intelligence. The firm plans market it as a way for friends and family to video chat from a communal hub. This puts in in direct competition with Amazon who has positioned its Echo Show device as a social hub for the kitchen.