Facebook, Inc. Might Also Jump Into Smart Speaker Fray

Facebook, Inc. Might Also Jump Into Smart Speaker Fray

Smart speakers are all the rage right now in tech, so it's not all that surprising that Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) is reportedly looking to enter the space. DIGITIMES reports that Facebook is exploring a smart speaker, but instead of being run by a voice-powered virtual assistant like other companies', it may use a 15-inch touchscreen as the primary interface. Prominent contract manufacturer Pegatron is expected to begin volume manufacturing the device ahead of a launch in Q1 2018. Pilot production has already begun, according to the report.

LG Display is said to be supplying the display in-cell display panels, and the speaker will feature a magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis. This all comes as Facebook has been ramping up its hardware efforts, a department known as Building 8. The company poached Regina Dugan from Alphabet subsidiary Google last year to lead the team, and scooped up engineering exec Rich Heley from Tesla a couple months later.

According to the rumored description of the device, it sounds a bit like Amazon.com's (NASDAQ: AMZN) new Echo Show, which also features a display, albeit a smaller 7-inch touchscreen. Echo Show also uses the display for video calling, which is a feature not available on other screen-less Echo devices (and may help explain why Amazon is exploring a consumer messaging service).

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Source: Fool.com