What Amazon got right about smart speakers that Facebook won't

Just hours after Amazon surprised us with more new Alexa-enabled gadgets than we can count, word broke that Facebook's voice-activated smart speaker (reportedly called "Portal") is apparently back on — and launching as soon as next week. 

Suddenly, a market that's been dominated by Amazon and Google is starting to look more interesting ... right? Well, not exactly.

I'm not trying to pick on Facebook but, of everything we've heard about the yet-to-be-revealed Portal speaker, nothing suggests that it can overcome what will likely be its biggest hurdle: that nobody trusts Facebook anymore. If you think an Alexa-enabled microwave sounds creepy, how do you think people will react to a Facebook-branded smart speaker with an AI-infused camera?  Read more...