Facebook's (NASDAQ: FB) Portal TV video chat device is getting a second life amid the COVID-19 outbreak, as people across the globe are forced to work from home, and keep their friends and family at a distance. When Facebook began selling the Portal TV in November, the device -- which lets the user video chat using their own TV as the screen -- was quickly dismissed by industry reviewers and privacy experts, and for the same reasons they'd looked askance at prior Portal models. Given the social media company's notable failures to protect its users' data, why would anyone want a Facebook camera in their living room? IMAGE SOURCE: FACEBOOK. But the COVID-19 pandemic has altered people's priorities. The Portal TV is now sold out on Facebook's website, and it's out of stock on Best Buy and Amazon. "Like other companies, we're experiencing impact to our hardware production due to COVID-19," a Facebook spokesperson told CNBC. "Some Portal models have been intermittently out of stock in select channels and regions. We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to make products available as quickly as we can," the Facebook spokesperson said. Facebook isn't the only company experiencing higher demand for video conferencing devices and software. There are now more than 490,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, and almost 70,000 in the U.S. In light of the threat, countries, states, and cities have enacted shelter-in-place rules to stem the pandemic's spread. More than 191 million people in the U.S. alone are now under such orders. Zoom, Microsoft, and Cisco Systems have all seen big upticks in demand. For example, last week Cisco said it's Webex virtual conferencing software logged 5.5 billion meeting minutes in the first 11 days of March.10 stocks we like better than MicrosoftWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Microsoft wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of March 18, 2020 John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Donna Fuscaldo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Zoom Video Communications and recommends the following options: long January 2021 $85 calls on Microsoft, short January 2021 $115 calls on Microsoft, and short May 2020 $120 calls on Zoom Video Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source