Facebook brings BlueJeans, Webex, Zoom to its Portal devices

Facebook on Wednesday announced a partnership with leading video meet apps with BlueJeans, GoToMeeting, Cisco Webex and Zoom and brought those apps to its Portal devices that offers high-fidelity sound and an AI-powered smart camera for hands-free video calling.

BlueJeans, GoToMeeting, Webex and Zoom will be available on Portal Mini, Portal and Portal+ devices in September, with plans to add support for Portal TV in the future.

“Whether you’re meeting one-on-one with a colleague or joining up to 1,000 participants, Portal helps you get more out of your meetings,” Facebook said in a statement.

Facebook’s collaboration tool Workplace is already available on Portal devices and the company now announced backgrounds for your video calls to eliminate distractions in the workspace.

“We’re also adding a way for you to use Portal as a dedicated work device for calling co-workers and participating in meetings. Instead of logging into Portal with Facebook or WhatsApp, you will have the option of creating a free Workplace login in the coming weeks,” the company said.

One can choose to set a 4-12-digit screen lock passcode on Portal to control access to the device.

“To help keep your meetings secure, Workplace on Portal requires a local PIN code before accessing your meetings and calendar information, which the GoToMeeting and Zoom apps on Portal will also support,” Facebook said.