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Facebook's Portal Speaker Cam: Good Idea at the Wrong Time?
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On today’s episode of the Tech Talk Tuesday podcast, Ryan McQueeney discusses Facebook’s new Portal device, a fresh entrant to the growing pool of home assistants and smart speakers. As Ryan points out, the timing of this video-chat gadget has already raised questions amid data privacy concerns and intense competition.
Remember to subscribe and leave a rating on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy the show!
Social media giant Facebook announced on Tuesday a new line of camera-equipped smart speaker for use with its Messenger application. Named “Portal” and “Portal Plus,” these devices come equipped with artificial intelligence technology and several features designed to replicate in-person hangouts.
The Portal is a big step forward for the Messenger brand, which boasts over 1 billion users but it is largely seen as an add-on to the regular Facebook platform. It also adds a new hardware-first revenue pipeline for Facebook—right at a time when its advertising business is being scrutinized more than ever.
Facebook also enters a growing subindustry of smart speakers and home automation devices that is currently dominated by Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) and Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) .
From a design perspective, Facebook’s Portal actually resembles Amazon’s new Echo Show, which begins shipping later this week. The Portal announcement also comes just one day before Alphabet is expected to reveal the latest in its Google Home line at a new “Made by Google” event.
Facebook’s desire to grab a slice of this pie is advantageous, but as Ryan points out in this week’s Tech Talk Tuesday, it may have bitten off a bit more than it can chew. Ryan argues that, although it would be normally be savvy for Facebook to steal Amazon’s and Google’s spotlight, the social media king simply does not carry the clout to pull off such a move right now.
If you want to seriously contend with the Amazon Echo and Google Home, you better be able to control the conversation surrounding its reveal. But Facebook is still facing serious public distrust over several data privacy scandals, and the Portal announcement quickly turned into jokes at its expense.
It’s easy to understand why. Oh, one of the least trusted internet companies in America wants to put a camera in my living room? That seems like a tough sell right now.
Make sure to check out the show to hear Ryan’s full thoughts on the conversation!
If you feel that we missed something, or if you want us to cover a different story, shoot us an email at podcast@zacks.com. Make sure to check out all of our other audio content at zacks.com/podcasts, and remember to subscribe and leave us a rating!
Thanks for listening to the Zacks Tech Talk Tuesday Podcast; we will see you next time!
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And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.
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Facebook's Portal Speaker Cam: Good Idea at the Wrong Time?
On today’s episode of the Tech Talk Tuesday podcast, Ryan McQueeney discusses Facebook’s new Portal device, a fresh entrant to the growing pool of home assistants and smart speakers. As Ryan points out, the timing of this video-chat gadget has already raised questions amid data privacy concerns and intense competition.
Remember to subscribe and leave a rating on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy the show!
Social media giant Facebook announced on Tuesday a new line of camera-equipped smart speaker for use with its Messenger application. Named “Portal” and “Portal Plus,” these devices come equipped with artificial intelligence technology and several features designed to replicate in-person hangouts.
The Portal is a big step forward for the Messenger brand, which boasts over 1 billion users but it is largely seen as an add-on to the regular Facebook platform. It also adds a new hardware-first revenue pipeline for Facebook—right at a time when its advertising business is being scrutinized more than ever.
Facebook also enters a growing subindustry of smart speakers and home automation devices that is currently dominated by Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) and Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) .
From a design perspective, Facebook’s Portal actually resembles Amazon’s new Echo Show, which begins shipping later this week. The Portal announcement also comes just one day before Alphabet is expected to reveal the latest in its Google Home line at a new “Made by Google” event.
Facebook’s desire to grab a slice of this pie is advantageous, but as Ryan points out in this week’s Tech Talk Tuesday, it may have bitten off a bit more than it can chew. Ryan argues that, although it would be normally be savvy for Facebook to steal Amazon’s and Google’s spotlight, the social media king simply does not carry the clout to pull off such a move right now.
If you want to seriously contend with the Amazon Echo and Google Home, you better be able to control the conversation surrounding its reveal. But Facebook is still facing serious public distrust over several data privacy scandals, and the Portal announcement quickly turned into jokes at its expense.
It’s easy to understand why. Oh, one of the least trusted internet companies in America wants to put a camera in my living room? That seems like a tough sell right now.
Make sure to check out the show to hear Ryan’s full thoughts on the conversation!
If you feel that we missed something, or if you want us to cover a different story, shoot us an email at podcast@zacks.com. Make sure to check out all of our other audio content at zacks.com/podcasts, and remember to subscribe and leave us a rating!
Thanks for listening to the Zacks Tech Talk Tuesday Podcast; we will see you next time!
Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies
It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%.
And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.
See Them Free>>