alt Hacker NewsMeta enables ADB on deprecated Portal devices [video]
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It is sad that it takes a Meta developer having some fun to realize they should open up ADB.
This isn't the repairability and reuseability of old devices mindset people have been begging for. This is some guy using internal privileges to having some fun, and deciding the rest of us should get a piece of the fun as well.
This is a "happy story" in the same way it is a "happy story" when some kid successfully fundraises a classmate's cancer treatment because the healthcare system neglects them.
Apparently a message prompting users that they can enable 'adb' on their devices by navigating to "Settings > Debug > ADB Enabled" has existed for over a month although majority have been unsuccessful due to the Setting not existing! [0] [1]
[0] - https://x.com/PiunikaWeb/status/2053803917910376584 [1] - https://www.reddit.com/r/FacebookPortal/comments/1t55mee/unl...
The blog post with the details on our update today which is a bit more complete than Boz's video: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog/build-apps-for-port...
I had a couple of old Meta Portals sitting around the house.
I always liked the hardware, but after Meta moved away from Portal, they mostly became devices collecting dust. So I turned them into a routine board for our kids.
It helps our kids stay on track without us having to repeat the same reminders over and over. And they are both pretty competitive, so nobody wants to finish their tasks second
I was thinking that this or opening the bootloader should be required (by governments) for deprecated devices. Imagine all the Android and Apple devices you could give a second life by installing in them linux with some lightweight window manager (with touch support), or even Ubuntu Touch, etc.
(it's series of 2018 peak pre-covid facetime deskphones, similar to Amazon Echo Show devices)
Is this the same Portal device that they disabled every feature on other than Messenger and WhatsApp calls that I can now only use as a bluetooth speaker?
Finally some good news from Meta for a change
Nice. I have a 3rd gen Echo Show 8 that's collecting dust and I direly wish I could sideload an actually useful UI onto it, but there aren't any methods of doing so yet.
Can't wait until Mythos is public so I can set it on pwning the damn thing.
How much telemetry goes back to Meta from these devices still? I’m already looking for one on Gumtree and they’re quite cheap! Quite a few sizes as well! I always wanted a customisable desk tablet thingy!
for those who aren't familitar with Meta's product line: "Meta Portal (also known as Portal) is a discontinued brand of smart displays and videophones released in 2018 by Meta." a tablet with feet, focused on video-calls.
Showing my age here - it took me a while to realise this has nothing to do with old Apple keyboards and mice.
Were these ever sold outside the USA? This is the first time I hear about the product.
Fun reminder of how many times Meta/Facebook has tried and failed to build hardware products. Considering all the Metaverse layoffs, Quest is probably next.
At least now, you can use their old hardware to run code generated by a competitor (Anthropic)!
Apple Desktop Bus? That's a really old peripheral standard...
What is “Portal devices”?
Does this mean you can update the android version?
Seriously wondering who was even considering buying those. I know nobody cares about privacy anymore but this is another level.
Buying a camera and mic appliance from the least trustworthy company in the world, who has proven how far they can go to lie and get any single data out of you.
Now do the unsupported Oculus Rift hardware please & thanks!
Interesting, does that mean we might get root support on the old unsupported Quest devices too? The Q1 is already discontinued and no more updates yet still locked down, and they did something similar for the Ofulus go, providing a rooted boot image for it
Next would be recovery tools too, so they're not paperweights
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Makes my blood boil that I have to open ChatGPT, paste the link and ask what the hell is ADB.
I'm work-friends with one of the project leads on Portal, and I felt terrible for him when Portal launched. It was right after all the Cambridge Analytica stuff that gave Facebook a massive privacy-blackeye. I said, "I think it's a great product but I think this is the worst time for Facebook to launch a product that sits in your house with a mic and a camera." On top, it was a bulkier, less flexible, non-portable version of Facetime/Zoom/video chat on your cell phone or tablet. Never understood the drive behind it because it was an OBVIOUS failure right from the get go.