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VideoChat posts

Dell launches freshened Vostro 1320, 1520 and 1720 laptops

by Darren Murph posted Apr 2nd 2009 at 12:41PM

It's been awhile since this family saw any updates, but we must say, Dell did a pretty laudable job with the redesign here. Make no mistake -- these guys are still aimed squarely at the gamboling suits in attendance, but we could certainly see a consumer or two pulling the trigger. The freshened line includes the 13.3-inch Vostro 1320, the 15.4-inch Vostro 1520, and the 17-inch Vostro 1720, all of which come with pre-installed videoconferencing and webcam software (so long as you purchase the integrated webcam and microphone). Furthermore, users can now opt for an SSD in place of the traditional hard drive, a fingerprint reader for added security or an encrypted HDD with Wave Systems software. The whole trio is available today in North America and select South American countries starting at $569 (Vostro 1520), $629 (Vostro 1320), and $649 (Vostro 1720).

Gallery: Dell launches freshened Vostro 1320, 1520 and 1720 laptops

Minoru 3D Webcam ships this week, still looks freaky

by Darren Murph posted Jan 5th 2009 at 4:36PM

In case you haven't noticed, 3D is the topic of this year's CES. And we're not talking about 3D HDTVs exclusively -- we're talking about 3D figurines that double as webcams. To be quite honest, the USB 2.0 Minoru 3D Webcam is ripe for a Billy Mays plug, but considering that he's charging like seven figures per promotion these days, Minoru is settling for the spotlight in Vegas. The device features two cameras spaced "roughly the same distance apart as human eyes" in order to create a stereoscopic effect, and buyers get five pairs of 3D glasses just in case you lose one (or four). For those interested in seeing even more depth in their video chats, you can snag one from Amazon on January 8th for $89.95. Full release is after the break.

Gallery: Minoru 3D Webcam ships this week, still looks freaky

Continue reading Minoru 3D Webcam ships this week, still looks freaky

Swarovski-coated webcam: because everything should be shiny

by Laura June posted Oct 31st 2008 at 3:01PM

Vicious and Divine's Laplace webcam had it all... 2 megapixel photo and 1.3 megapixel video resolution, an integrated flash so that it could handle innumerable lighting situations, a folding mechanism that particularly suited it to mounting on laptops or flat panel monitors, plus that compact and sleek design. It was the jet-set of webcams, some might say, but it seemed to lack something -- some essential quality of life. Possibly a higher purpose? As it turns out, all it needed was to be absolutely, 100 percent covered -- bedazzled, if you dare -- in Swarovski crystals. The results are pretty... stunning. And not at all obscene. It comes in both black and clear crystal variations, and €49.99 (about $63) seems a small price to pay for something that's going to make you the envy of all of your friends -- but it seems to be available only in Europe. Your loss, rest-of-the-Earth!

Update: According to a commenter, the actual price of this camera is €399, not €49.99. We missed that in our frenzied excitement.

Logitech buys SightSpeed video chat for $30 million in cash money

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 29th 2008 at 11:18AM

In these tough times there are plenty of bargains to be had for companies with liquid reserves and Logitech is taking full advantage, paying $30 million in cash for video conferencing startup SightSpeed. The company doesn't have nearly the name recognition of, say, Skype, but its software has been highly praised and sits at the core of Dell's Video Chat application. Exactly what Logitech will do with its new toy remains to be seen, but some strong integration with the QuickCam line is surely in the cards, and we wouldn't be surprised if this new relationship spawns a competitor to Creative's (also SightSpeed-infused) inPerson -- though hopefully at a price point far, far lower than that clamshell's $859.

The Minoru 3D Webcam reveals new dimensions to awkward conversations

by Paul Miller posted Oct 17th 2008 at 10:05AM

We've never really gotten the knack for video chat. Either we're bothered by the lack of eye contact, freaked by the uneasy silences or just way too ugly, but whatever it is we're sure the Minoru 3D Webcam is going to make it all much more immersive and difficult. Featuring dual cameras spaced about a face-width apart, Minoru creates a stereoscopic effect for viewing with old-school red and blue 3D glasses. The camera supports all sorts of video chat services, or you can shoot 3D video and shuffle it up to YouTube, and 2D is also available for all the squares out there. Minoru's currently competing in the CES Innovations competition, and should be hitting shelves in December at a sub-$100 pricepoint.

Apple TV patent filing boasts video chat, widgets, broadcast capability

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 7th 2008 at 4:14PM

No stranger to the odd patent filing, Apple has once again delved into the dark waters of the unknown with an application for an Apple TV-like device with iChat-esque functionality, amongst others. In the patent, the company suggests a number of uses for widget overlays during video, including those triggered by content and timing, as well as widgets used for menus and navigation. The patent demonstrates how real-time widget updates may coincide with live broadcast television -- such as a scorecard overlay for a sporting event -- and also showcases a video chat function which can be used simultaneously during the playback or broadcast of content. Additionally, the filing shows a new remote which would have hot buttons for quick access to widgets, navigation, and the automatic milkshake mode (we might have wishfully made up that last one). Sure it looks good, but we'd happily take the latest Apple TV update until this comes along.

Logitech unveils QuickCam / QuickCam Deluxe webcams at CeBIT

by Darren Murph posted Mar 15th 2007 at 1:39AM

Just a few days after the zaniness that was PMA came to a close, yet another massive trade show is opening its doors, and Logitech is making sure its presence is made known. The peripheral company is kicking out a duo of new webcams aimed at notebook users, presumably feeding the flames of the video chatting bunch that we've become. Both the QuickCam and QuickCam Deluxe (pictured after the break) boast 1.3-megapixel sensors, offer up 24-bit VGA video at 15-frames per second, and a manual focus lens to boot. Both units also sport the company's proprietary RightSound technology, which purportedly throws in a dash of noise suppression, while the RightLight system supposedly allows you hold a video conversation in all but the dimmest situations. Additionally, the pair should play nice with Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and AIM, and of course, Vista users won't have any issues loading either of these up. As expected, these diminutive webcams seek to perch atop your laptop's display, and while the vanilla QuickCam will only run you $39.99 when it lands in US / Europe next month, the QuickCam Deluxe (and its "intelligent face tracking") will demand $59.99 when it launches alongside.

Continue reading Logitech unveils QuickCam / QuickCam Deluxe webcams at CeBIT

Soundgate concept electronically augments music rehearsal

by Conrad Quilty-Harper posted Mar 12th 2007 at 10:00AM

If you don't want your kid(s) to give up on music practice, then you better cross your fingers in the hope that this concept product from an industrial designer called Nicolas Gonzalez Garrido becomes commercially available. The Soundgate concept is a tablet PC-esque device that features a 10-inch touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, and a variety of inputs and outputs to plug in speakers, microphones, and all kinds of musical instruments. The idea is that the Soundgate should augment practice time for musicians: the device could display interactive sheet music, it could display lyrics for songs, and do a variety of other functions that could help musicians improve their playing. Also envisaged is a separate stand that includes a video camera and a slide-out, human height projected display: this could allow people to train with other players, or even set up a virtual band. Seriously, we totally wouldn't have given up on our Trombone practice if we could have blasted it out in over the interwebs at three other people, multi videochat stylee. Check out more of the concept images and a video demonstrating the idea in more depth after the break.

Continue reading Soundgate concept electronically augments music rehearsal

Skype hack enables higher resolution video calls

by Conrad Quilty-Harper posted Feb 11th 2007 at 4:55AM

The majority of Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's vision of the future from 2001: A Space Odyssey has not yet been realized: popping over to the moon to have a look at the most recently unearthed alien artifact is not a common practice in the late-noughties, although one technology demonstrated in a minor scene of this science fiction epic has caught on. Video calling, once the preserve of video phones owners with expensive ISDN lines, has now become a day-to-day activity thanks to cheap broadband and a multitude of platforms that have made video chatting easy and affordable. Unfortunately, due to a variety of limitations -- lack of bandwidth, slow computers, poor quality webcams -- the majority of video conferencing solutions are of the 320 x 240 / 15 fps ilk: not something we want to hear in the era of HD. For those that do have sufficient bandwidth, a fast enough computer, and a capable webcam, there's an experimental hack for Skype that allows you to increase the resolution from the ancient 320 x 240 standard up to a much more tolerable 640 x 480. The hack only works one way, so users on both ends will have to apply it in order to see each other's zits with increased clarity. If we had a way of routing live high definition video through our PC, we'd attempt to increase the resolution even further, although that would of course require the help of something we've always found it hard to acquire: friends.

[Via MAKE]

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OLPC: video conferencing for the children

by Paul Miller posted Dec 21st 2006 at 12:35PM

Sure, the OLPC XO has had its built-in VGA webcam for a little while now, but with a mere 400Mhz processor, it took a bit of working to get the laptop up and running in a live video chat. However, those open source hax0rs aren't easily dissuaded when it comes to broadcasting their scurvy mugs across the internets, and have finally managed the first OLPC-to-OLPC transatlantic chat, with "extremely smooth" 15fps video and simultaneous audio. While the bad news here is that if you fire this thing up right now, you'll probably be looking at a dork on the other end, the eventual hope is that kids will be able to chat via the mesh network by just simply clicking on a buddy icon in the mesh view.

Philips reveals VP6500, VP6000 WiFi VoIP handsets with video

by Cyrus Farivar posted Dec 14th 2006 at 1:49PM

Get ready folks, there's two new Philips WiFi video VoIP handsets comin' down the pike. We just caught wind of this white hotness on the FCC site, and they do look mighty swanky. The VP 6500 and VP 6000 are similar in many ways, as they sport a 2.2-inch screen with 65,000 colors and a QCIF+ 176 x 220 display, and a rotating 240-degree VGA cam. From what we can tell, the VP 6500 also comes with a TV out mode, letting you connect your handset to a TV via a component cable (although we don't know how good of a picture quality you'll get when viewed on your sexy new flat-screen display). Further, your calls should go through those common encryption protocols WEP, WAP and WPA2 without a problem. One possible downside of this: if you thought that folks talking on their handsets in public was annoying, wait until they start making faces at their phones in public.