Facebook's Portal Mini keeps you connected with loved ones — and it's $50 off
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The holidays are a great time to bring family and friends together. However, sometimes there are one or two family members who are on the other side of the country and can’t make it to big celebrations. But with the Facebook Portal Mini, you can always stay connected to them, so they don’t miss out on all the cheer, Christmas and beyond.
Right now, it’s on sale for $79, or $50 off retail on Amazon.
Usually going for $129, the Facebook Portal Mini lets you make video calls via Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, even if your friends and family don’t have a Facebook Portal themselves — they just need a laptop or a smartphone! The smart display also uses a smart camera that can pan and zoom to keep up with you, so you don’t have to worry about staying in frame while making calls.
The new Facebook Portal Mini features an 8-inch HD display, plus it also uses Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, for hands-free navigation and voice commands for news, sports scores, weather updates and more. In fact, the Portal Mini doubles as a smart home hub to connect all your smart home devices — just as long as they’re Alexa-enabled and compatible.
Worried about privacy? The Portal Mini allows you to cover your camera and switch off your microphone when not being used. All video calls are also encrypted from end-to-end.
Need even more convincing? Just check out the over 300 near-perfect reviews on Amazon.
“Absolutely amazing video calling experience,” a delighted five-star reviewer wrote. “My parents don't use Facebook much but with the product they can see most recent photos posted to Facebook automatically on the device. Think of all the electronic photo frames that go useless and boring since they show same stuff over and over, and imagine how much better it can be when it shows fresh photos instead. Hardware definitely is top notch and I'm looking forward to see what software improvements come to the product.”
“The portal was recommended by a friend,” another satisfied shopper added. “I have regular conversations with friends that are far away, and the portal makes it seem like you are together chatting in your living room or cooking together — for that matter. The camera on the screen moves with you! I would highly recommend this for those who are having regular video conferencing with family, friends or work. It's like being there. You must have a FaceBook messenger account, but those you call don't have to have this machine.”
Shop it: Facebook Portal Mini Smart Video Calling 8-inch Touch Screen Display, $79 (was $129), amazon.com
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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