Facebook wants to be in your kitchen

Facebook’s new in-home streaming and camera devices are coming to Australia.

Facebook's new Portal device. Source: Supplied.

Facebook is making a play for your kitchen and living room, announcing that its in-home streaming and camera devices, dubbed 'Portal', are coming to Australia.

The tech giant overnight announced four new Portal hardware products — Portal Mini, Portal, Portal+ and Portal TV, and confirmed they would each be released Down Under in October.

The devices are geared towards making video calls via Messenger and WhatsApp, and also allow for streaming video and audio through Amazon Prime or Spotify.

The products announced overnight are an update of the original Portal devices released in October, which were lauded for their ease of use but caught up in intense scrutiny of privacy missteps by Facebook.

The second-generation Portal devices will include one with television chat and videostreaming capabilities, while all models are equipped with speakers and a camera that track people as they move around a room. The devices use artificial intelligence to home in on voices as well as create special effects and casual games among friends.

"We couldn't be more excited to bring some of the world's best technology to Australia. We've been on a mission to build technology that brings people closer together in ways that minimise our sense of physical and emotional distance," Facebook's Australia and New Zealand managing director Will Easton said in a press release.

"Portal allows Australians to experience smart video calling on your TV and anywhere in your home. It is designed to make video chats feel less like a call and more like you're actually in the same room."

Facebook said that "all WhatsApp calls on Portal are end-to-end encrypted" but added that humans may listen to some queries, unless that option is switched off. The company stressed users could opt out of sending any data to Facebook, and designers stressed numerous physical features that would clearly demonstrate to users when the device was off or not filming them.

"A trained team may review a sample to make our voice services smarter and more accurate for everyone. You can view, hear and delete any of your 'Hey Portal' voice interactions in your Facebook Activity Log," a Facebook spokesman said.

"You can also turn off voice storage in Settings anytime, which means that your voice interactions are not stored or reviewed."

Andrew Bosworth, who heads Facebook’s hardware business, played down the competition among providers to offer more content, saying Portal’s strength was access to people.

“You will be hard-pressed to find another device that you can use to contact as many people as you care about,” said Mr. Bosworth. “This is the killer feature for a device like this in your home.”

Asked why other major providers — including Netflix and the forthcoming Disney + — chose not to make their products accessible via the device, Mr Bosworth said he hoped more would sign on later.

“I think people are still learning about it,” he said.

The Portal range will launch in Australia on October 15 and will retail for $199 for the Mini, up to $499 for the Portal+.

Additional reporting: The Wall Street Journal.