Stefan Mileschin

Reviewers have had their hands on Facebook's Portal for some time, and the verdict is pretty much the same everywhere: Portal is one of the best video calling devices ever made. The Wall Street Journal calls it the "most immersive video-chatting experiences I've ever had," while CNET praises the camera's tracking ability, screen quality, and camera quality, saying it feels like you're in the same room as the other person. However, almost every review I came across had one major caveat: they simply don't trust the device. The same Wall Street Journal reviewer who praised the Facebook device refused to even bring a Portal into her home. A New York Times reviewer was frustrated by how easy the device was to setup, and how amazing it was, as he couldn't shake the feeling that it was "some kind of digital Eye of Sauron." In spite of their substantial efforts, Facebook seems to have broken the trust of the press, and its possible that feeling could filter down to consumers this holiday season. That was my biggest problem - and likely Facebook's most difficult hurdle to overcome when selling the Portal. It was the idea that I was putting an always-on camera in my home, connected to Facebook, 24 hours a day. There was no shaking the feeling that I was being watched.

http://www.hardocp.com/news/2018/11/...ebooks_portal/