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.
posted Mar 15th 2007 1:39AM
Since yesterday's 10.4.9 Update (and presumably Leopard) now support "iChat support for USB Video Class webcams" (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304821)
And Vista requires Video Class compliant webcams
Can we infer driverless support for them on OSX now?
I was going to ask if they worked with Mac, but then I realized, most macs already have a camera. I hope Logitech isn't spending a lot of money on future R&D on these things. I'm guessing that all notebooks will come with cams by mid '08 (even the PCs).
When are they going to start using better sensors in webcams? Logitech has been putting out 1mp-1.3mp webcams for a while now. I don't see the point in continually releasing new casings for what is, essentially, the same product?
Boring. And boring post by engadget too.
Logitech has been using the same crappy sensors in their quickcams for eons. And 1.3mpixels isn't new for them.
I don't see how hard it is for a company to come out with a decent $75 webcam that has auto focus, and a decent CCD. And there's no reason why they can't come out with a $100 one that has optical zoom as well. These price points are already being hit in the digicam world. If anything, there's less involved in doing it on a webcam.
Logitech is clearly the leader in webcam sales, thanks to their purchase of QuickCam years back. As such, innovation doesn't seem to be very important to them. They seem to think it's more important to develop cutsy software that makes you look like a talking shark instead of doing any kind of geniune innovation in the hardware department.
I cant help but laugh thinking about that PC dude (John Hodgeman- sp?) getting the camera taped to his head. Something like: Some day you'll know the unbridled passion of having a high tech accessory installed on you.
engadget you've done it again! what's up with the logitech misinformation campaign? those cameras you show are the old ones. the new ones are at the end of this page:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/productlist/US/EN,crid=2203,categoryid=17
can't blame you guys though. the new ones look more dated than the originals. and other than the glass lens i can't spot any spec upgrades. BORING is right!
a usb cam that works with skype is a welcome addition to the firewire only Mac.
These cameras all seem the same as one another. Apart from the logitech sphere, their all the same...
Whats the point of high res webcams when most webcam chat software compresses the image quality anyway?
What the ....?
What exactly is new about this?
I have that same camera (the first picture) right here, bought it in decembre 2006, but it has been in stores here in the Netherlands long before that...
The one on the second picture is also already sold here.
By the way, it really is a shitty camera.
On both my Mac and on my PC, the picture-quality is mediocre at best.
Later I bought a no-name webcam (it's sold in many versions, but they all share a sturdy steel housing, and the lens is surrounded by 4 or more LEDs, which automatically light up in the dark) which is WAY better (should be with a 4MP). And way cheaper.
Oh, Michael Gagne, you CAN use (a lot of) USB cams on a MAC with Skype, just install the freeware Macam, and you're good to go.
I use it myself, and it works OK.
A little question for other Mac users; from the description I was hoping 10.4.9 would mean I could use my USB webcam without Macam or other apps/drivers from now on, but it does not recognise my cam in any application. Does it work for any of you?
sredlums, you can only use UVC compatible webcams without iChatUSBCam in 10.4.9. The updated Logi webcams are UVC compatible (don't need drivers). The one you have isn't. Logi is in the process of updating it's range to support UVC. QC 5000, QC Fusion, QC Notebook Pro and others have been available as UVC versions for some months now.
um yea, whats new about those webcams exactly? i have that deluxe model sitting here on my desk next to my laptop. i just got it shortly after super bowl XLI when i won the pool. whats going on engadget?
Yes they look like existing webcams from Logitech, but actually they are upgraded versions. Anyone familiar with the Ultra Vision webcam from Logitech will know that this webcam is the best webcam available today. The lens quality and guts of the webcams above use the same technology and lens and so are far improved.
I agree - the old versions are lousy. You can check my reviews at my website below.
Michael Gough
www.VideoCallTips.com
www.SkypeTips.com
'Skype Me!' by Syngress Press
'Video Conferencing over IP' by Syngress Press