Facebook is reportedly entering the hardware business with a home device for video calling, according to a report from finance outlet Cheddar.

The Portal home device would act primarily as a video phone, in line with Facebook’s long-time mission of connecting friends and relatives, but would also allow access to streaming services like Spotify and Netflix, Cheddar reported.

The Portal device is rumored to cost $499 — significantly more than comparable devices like the Amazon Echo Show, which sells for $230 — and will start shipping in the second half of 2018, according to Cheddar.

It marks another entrant into the increasingly crowded voice-activated space and will have some stiff competition in Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices, the Google Home, and Apple‘s HomePod.

Facebook did not immediately return request for comment from CNBC.

Read the full Cheddar report here.

Source: Tech CNBC
Facebook is reportedly entering the hardware business with a home device for video calling