Many computers come with a built-in camera, but none offer the HD video of the LifeCam Cinema, Microsoft's newest flagship Webcam, which incorporates a native 720p wide-screen sensor that offers higher quality video to instant-messengers, YouTube videographers, and everyone in between.
Webcam users already know that traditional 1.3-megapixel cameras typically struggle to curb digital noise when recording in low light. Last year's LifeCam Show showed improvement, but the video still had bits of graininess. The LifeCam Cinema continues that momentum with Microsoft's new ClearFrame Technology, which promises better low-light performance (and increased visibility thanks to its 74-degree viewing angle) without having to sacrifice resolution quality.
Microsoft also includes Windows Live Movie Maker and Windows Live Photo Gallery to help users edit and upload their videos to popular social networking sites like YouTube or Facebook. The LifeCam Cinema will start shipping in September for $80, which includes a three-year limited hardware warranty.
One last thing: no surprise (though we still have to say it), but the LifeCam Cinema does not work with Macs.
... Read moreWe found tons of little gizmos that either brought us thoughts of "awww cute" or thoughts of "awww really?" Also, man babies and sticky mats. What, you really want me to explain that in further detail? Really?
Listen now: Download today's podcast
Subscribe with iTunes (audio)
Subscribe with iTunes (video)
Subscribe with RSS (audio)
Subscribe with RSS (video)
EPISODE 150
Angel. Baby. Pinocchio. Witch. Webcam
Battery-bot breaks world record at Le Mans
Are they just messing with us now? The strangest Wii accessory yet
HotCans prove that canned food need never be cold-n-stale
Aroma USB drives away memories of bad odors
Hot Asian Gadgets
A good way to fight crime? Anti-burglar door mat
Pink Watch
Sony Ericsson Conducts Rigorous Analysis of “Women,” Presents Findings In Phone Form
What the hell?
The PRC is your Personal Rockin’ Chair
Potty Time
Portable Toilet Speakers offer you relief of the music kind
Tool Time
Make New Friends With The Portable Tap Dispenser
HELLO COUGAR SUBMISSIONS
(Credit:
VeryPC)
Look up above this article. A little higher, above the screen. Chances are that if you're on a laptop or even one of many desktops made in the last five years you'll see a Webcam built in. And that Webcam might end up saving you--and the environment--a little bit of power.
British inventor and self-described "ecogeek" Peter Hopton and his company VeryPC have come up with a piece of software, called PecoBOO, that uses open-source face detection to detect when you're looking at you screen and, more importantly, when you're not.
When you look away for more than a few seconds, get up, or generally ignore your screen, it'll turn off. Then, when you face it again, it turns on. This reduces backlight power consumption and thus overall energy consumption of your device. That saves energy for your battery and your wallet.
The general idea isn't new; other devices have similar technology, like the iPhone. Its optic sensor disables the touch screen and backlight when you put the phone up to your ear. This is just a natural progression of the same idea, though the end effect is different.
I'll cop to being one of the people who disables the power-saving features of my laptop most of the time. Sometimes, as a writer, I have to sit and think for a few moments about how a paragraph should be put together. For some reason if my screen goes blank I find it very distracting, but if I had this built into my MacBook Pro, I wouldn't really have to worry about it.
Unfortunately, PecoBOO is currently available for Windows Vista and XP platforms only.
(Via New Scientist)
iHome iStand Notebook Media Bundle for Mac.
(Credit: iHome)We've reviewed a few iHome computer speakers in the past, but the company is now making a bigger move into the computer accessories market after signing a licensing agreement with LifeWorks Technology Group.
The new line is expected to launch "this summer," and we've highlighted a couple interesting looking products, the iStand Notebook Media Bundle with an integrated iPod/iPhone dock ($299.99) and the iConnect Media Keyboard ($149.99). The Mac version of each is colored silver and white, while the Windows version is black. iHome-branded mice, headsets, and Webcams are also in the works.
For more info check out life-works.com.
Comments?
iHome iConnect Media Keyboard for PC.
(Credit: iHome)
The Eyeball sounds great, but it looks more like a loose leaf tea strainer than a Webcam.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)Webcams aren't the first product to spring to mind when you think of Blue Microphones. The company has a solid reputation in the pro audio world for making high-end boutique microphones, but they've been slowly dipping their toes into the waters of consumer audio products, such as the Snowball USB podcast mic, and its baby brother, the Snowflake.
Now we have the Eyeball, a $99 Webcam that borrows on the design of the Snowflake, but leaves behind the intolerably cute product name. We compared the Eyeball with the Logitech Pro 9000 and the MacBook's built-in iSight camera and microphone.
To see and hear the results, check out our full review of the Blue Microphones Eyeball webcam over at CNET Reviews.
On Sale Now: $49.95 - $99.99
View the latest prices for Blue Microphones Eyeball Webcam
Toshiba unveils two new notebooks in Satellite series
Toshiba continues its lineup with a couple of new notebooks from its Satellite series.
(Credit:
Toshiba)
First up is the 15-inch Toshiba Satellite L305-S5921, an average, entry-level notebook that will suffice for the student on a budget. Don't expect to find a FireWire port, Bluetooth, or a Webcam on this unit, but do expect to see the usual row of media-control keys for pause, stop, rewind, and fast forward ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
On Sale Now: $584.99
View the latest prices for Toshiba Satellite L305-S5921
I'm a big View-Master collector, but even I never sat back and wondered aloud, "When will they come up with a Webcam that does 3D?" Then arrives the Minoru 3D Webcam.
The Minoru has two discrete lenses spaced at roughly human eye distance, but unlike a View-Master reel, it doesn't deliver two discrete images, rather it mixes both together into a blurry-looking mess that requires the goofy two-color glasses that have kept 3D on the launch pad since Day 1.
More encouragingly, you don't need a special Web platform or software for viewing: standard video IM clients or YouTube and its ilk are all compatible; the video will just look badly out of registration until you put the glasses on.
I can't help but wonder how much more satisfying the experience might be if the Minoru fed two discrete images to a viewer on the other end wearing video goggles.
The Minoru is supposed to ship December 2008 for less than $100.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
 |
EPISODE 110 |
iPhone heart monitor by John Ballinger
What the hell?
Share secrets with interactive plant from Sega
Fug
Ladybud earrings
Gender Gap
2009 Dodge Ram
Pink Watch
Third space-gaming vest now in pink for the ladies
Tool Time (Golf crap edition!)
Bulletproof polos make golf course assassinations a thing of the past
Hello Kitty Watch (Thanks, SuperGenius!)
Hello Kitty USB Webcam sees all
Microsoft announced two new additions to its Webcam lineup on Tuesday, the LifeCam VX-5500 and the LifeCam Show.
If blue isn't your thing, the Microsoft LifeCam VX-5500 can do a quick change to red or white.
(Credit: Matthew Elliott/CBS Interactive)Take the LifeCam VX-5000, replace its Gumby-like rubber tail with a square plastic base, throw in some new 3D video effects and interchangeable faceplates, and you've got the LifeCam VX-5500. The camera body and optics remain the same as the previous model, which means the video quality remains very good, particularly for such an inexpensive Webcam.
The new 3D video effects include face tracking technology, so you can conduct video chats with a distorted head or while wearing a funny hat. You can also share video messages via a Vista Gadget, but you'll need to have a Vista PC and a LifeCam on both ends of the exchange. Maybe Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates exchange video messages this manner, but I doubt many others will find this feature all that useful.
While I liked the flexible yet sturdy Gumby stand on the previous model, the VX-5500's stand provides a solid base whether sitting on a desk or resting on the of a laptop or LCD. And for what it's worth, you can choose among three included faceplate--red, white, and blue.
My early tests with the VX-5500 reveal the same great performance as the VX-5000 that I reviewed earlier this year. Video at 640x480 looks smooth, and the image quality holds up well under low-light scenarios. Fast movement does cause some stuttering and blur, though the same can be said for all Webcams. Aside from the addition of the new 3D video effects, the LifeCam software remains largely unchanged and in need of an overhaul.
The VX-5500 will cost $60 when it starts shipping on September 25.
... Read more
(Credit:
PCLaunches.com)
A reader named Jenny wrote in to alert us to the Devil Angel Baby Webcam featured on PCLaunches.com, and we'd just like to say: Thanks, Jenny! If we have nightmares tonight, we're blaming them on you.
Some might call this little Windows-only camera "cute," but we prefer the term "mutant." The blue-haired rubber gadget has a USB Webcam built into its face, making it not only a freaky desktop accessory, but a handy video-conferencing tool. It can capture or display video at 1,280x960 at up to 15fps, and sells online for $14.99, plus $5 shipping.
As an added bonus, Angel's witch-hat-adorned head can rotate 360 degrees, giving it that Linda Blair-in-The Exorcist feel.
