It keenly uses an AI-powered camera to pan, zoom and reframe the picture, allowing you move freely and naturally around.
Ultimately, no matter how good the Portal is, placing a device with a camera in your home made by a company that mishandled your data is a big ask.
And it seems Facebook is aware of this, because the Portal has a physical mute button on the top and an actual camera cap to cover the lens when you're not chatting.
When you're on a video call, you can add Snapchat-like effects that can turn you into a carrot-eating rabbit or Groucho Marx, among other things. It can also place a cat on your head -- my favorite.
One of the coolest features is Story Time: It has five interactive story books you can read, and Facebook is working with book publishers to add even more.
When you start a story book your screen becomes a mini-teleprompter displaying copy from the book. But as you read, the person on the other end sees drawings and animations. When I read a Three Little Pigs storybook, it added a Big Bad Wolf overlay to my face encouraging me to "act" out the role. The appeal of Story Time for families is immediately obvious and fun.
See the full story here: https://www.cnet.com/reviews/facebook-portal-plus-preview/