Facebook is developing a video conferencing device called Aloha, according to people familiar with the matter. The development of the Aloha device is still underway and is expected to arrive in May 2018, Although the date of arrival can change, video chat is now so huge that many messaging services and social networking platforms offer this feature to consumers.
Skype is one of the largest and most popular video messaging services. Consumers can access Skype on a mobile smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop and even on a user's TV so friends and family can be invited to full-time video chat The real, all it takes is a device with a camera, microphone and display screen.
Facebook currently competes with Skype through its Messenger service, which provides the full functionality of the video call, so users can chat video with any of their contacts on Facebook, along with the ability to send pictures and videos captured through the mobile device, Play games with them online.
Aloha is the first virtual experience for Facebook in consumer electronics. The company sold its virtual reality camera Rift in January 2016 after acquiring Oculus, the developer of the camera, but hopes the next Aloha will be more attractive to the consumer market, A large touch screen, speakers and camera to make video calls, making it eligible to compete with the Amazon Echo device released in June.
The company seems to have started working on Aloha after the Facebook executives saw the success of Amazon's first Echo and its current Echo Show. Aloha can be considered the first product to be released and seen from its proprietary Building 8 lab, Regina Dogan, a former Google official, has recently made Andrew Bosworth responsible for all of the company's consumer devices, including Oculus and Building 8.
The new device includes a large screen, measuring either 13 inches or 15 inches, touch along with a camera and speakers, and the device can recognize people as they move towards the display, and the magic of the device in the camera, which described one of the sources as a smart intelligence camera , Facebook has employed top experts in computer vision and industrial intelligence to make the camera automatically capture images and identify elements in the field of vision.
The device is designed to be used indoors and has been tested in kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms. Aloha requires either a Facebook account or a Messenger to work, automatically connecting Facebook's friends list to Facebook. This integration allows the device to initiate video calls with other friends Who have the Aloha device if the two people are present, and the only thing is not yet known is how to handle the device in the presence of multiple users at home with different accounts.
The Aloha voice device is based on the Intelligent Assistant M, an artificial intelligence-based assistant in the form of a written chat robot specially developed for Messenger platform. The availability of a voice version capable of dealing with business operations from Assistant M to Aloha owners may make purchases by voice, Facebook is considering selling the device for up to $ 500 in stores and over the Internet, but has not yet decided on the price.
Facebook plans to sell Aloha through pop-up stores and within existing retail stores such as Best Buy, which the company plans to sell in North America and Europe at first, but it faces one hurdle in building the device so far: consumer distrust of the user privacy point At Facebook, where the company conducted marketing studies for its new project and received a large reaction to indicate consumers fear that Facebook will use the device to spy on users.
Facebook is studying innovative ways to market its new device to ease privacy concerns, including promoting it as a device that allows the elderly to communicate with their families easily. In addition to Aloha, Building 8 is developing a smart home audio system without a display, Hexagonal design is largely as the first Echo device, and Facebook plans to sell it at a price lower than the price of Aloha.
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