Facebook is said to be building a camera-equipped gadget that sits atop a TV and allows video calling along with entertainment services like Facebook’s YouTube competitor, according to a report. The project is internally codenamed “Ripley” and uses the same core technology as the company’s recently announced ‘Portal’ device.
Facebook is said also said to be planning on introducing the project Ripley in the first half of 2019. Since the device is still in development, the date could be changed. The announcement of Portal was postponed owing to privacy concerns. The so-called device will also give Facebook a chance to compete with the likes of Apple, Roku, and Amazon.
Facebook’s own Watch video service is included with Portal, and the company has said that it intends to add more streaming services over time. Portal and project Ripley represent Facebook’s widening ambition to build a consumer hardware business besides its virtual reality brand Oculus. If you remember, Facebook, almost two-years ago formed a skunkworks hardware group called Building 8 that is dedicated to developing so-called “moonshot” products.
Two unreleased products the group teased publically last year include a device that can read brainwaves to determine what words someone wants to type and an armband that is intended to translate sounds into vibrations that can be understood through human skin. The brain interface device internally codenamed Edgefield and is still in the early stages of development. The group is currently working on scaling down the computer needed to power the headwear and improving its glass fiber connection.
The armband project which is codenamed Innatum has been shelved due to development complications. Facebook is also said to be working on hardware in the augmented reality (AR).