To think, we've been waiting on the edge of our seats
since January to get our hands on Ecamm's BT-1 wireless, Bluetooth-enabled webcam for OS X. Sure, 640 x 480 / 15fps H.264 video quality is comparable to what our MacBooks get anyway, but hey, at least you can be a little more artsy on your Skype calls without losing that prime display viewing angle. All that waiting doesn't matter now, anyway, since it's finally shipping out. Price is $150 and it includes a mini-tripod and USB charger cable -- can't seem to get rid of wires entirely just yet. As for Windows support, it's still not there officially, but we've no doubt some intrepid young coder with an afternoon to spare will fix that.
posted Jun 22nd 2009 8:52PM
Bezel much?
Exactly what I said. How many macs don't have an iSIght, anyways? Just the Mac Pro and Mac Mini without the new monitor?
Any windows mobile phone with camera can already act as a wireless bluetooth camera for windows... it can use wifi or 3G connection too.
wireless bluetooth *webcam*
@ iFargle
90% of the time, my MBP is a desktop with an external monitor, so this would actually be pretty handy. Unnecessary and expensive, but handy.
Wow! It's amazing how shitty it is considering the price. 15 fps? Does anyone really need wireless so badly that they'd sacrifice video quality and so much money?
I'd buy it... for $40.
i dont think id buy it if i just had to pay shipping
Why would they spend all that time developing this thing and then offer it for < 10% of the market? Even Apple knows you have to have windows compatibility to get anywhere.
Because Apple users are the only ones who would waste so much money on something so unnecessary.
Unlike Virus protection
Macs get viruses too. Don't step around that point.
But even Mac users wouldn't get something this hideous.
"Macs get viruses too. Don't step around that point."
trojan ≠ virus
you know, before medicine, we didnt know that viruses existed....
doesnt mean that they wernt there
And before Apple, there was no computer like we think of today.
Macs are PCs (Personal Computers) and thus the irony: Apple created the first PC.
*Successful
"trojan ≠ virus"
And what viruses for windows Vista/7 are there around today that don't require the user to run them (trojan) AND elevate them through UAC?
Or you could use a $25 XBOX Live USB camera...
Bluetooth?
It's funny, because it would be cheaper to just get a tripod for my laptop.
$150 for SD @ 15FPS?? No thanks.. There are far better IP camera options out there..
.. why?
.. this almost qualifies for "crap-gadget"
in fact, lets nominate it.
This camera is crap considering:
Macs have em built in
Universal wireless cameras are much better in quality
craaap!
Ivan .. maybe if it was pink?? ..
Now your mom and your dad said she moved to Peru,
But the truth is she died,
And some day you will too.
LaLaLa.
?
hu....what?
Why not a WIFI network camera then you don't get shafted with slow connection.
WTF is the point of Bluetooth if it still has to be plugged into USB?
What a waste of resources.
USB CHARGER
troy..
I realized that after I posted.
Still... this thing is useless.
No Super, you said it had to be plugged in to the USB port....
your stupid (:
No dsteve303, YOU'RE stupid.
Unless you meant that somehow it was my stupid.
Listen Super Hawaii Boy. You are the stupid one. I am the mean one.
Listen Super Hawaii Boi. You are the stupid one. I am the mean righteous one.
I sent that twice because I forgot how righteous I was and also to extend the length of the chain.
Hawaii sucks go ALASKA!
whatever you say douche
As I said above... I misread the USB charger cable part.
Now go and shoot a moose, catch a frozen fish, or whatever it is you people do.
Hold up, hold up. If this is for Macs then why does the design of it imply it is a generic box and a hax0red webcam made by a cheap ass student? If they want Mac owners to buy it it needs to be made from brushed aluminium.
fail
Does it come bundled w/ laxatives and a glass table?
Its about time...
Bluetooth is a bag of hurt.
You're a bag of dicks.
a murder of assholes, feel free to use that one
So, uh..
My cellphone can attach to my laptop or PC with bluetooth and wirelessly work as a pretty good webcam, and it has insanely good FPS. (Although everything always looks so dark unless I'm like, in, direct sunlight or under a lamp. But isn't that the same for any webcam?)
What's the point of this again?
That not everyone has a cellphone like youz.
Any windows mobile phone with camera can already act as a wireless bluetooth camera for windows... it can use wifi or 3G connection too.
That's about the ugliest thing ever!
I wouldn't spend $150 for a crap like that.
I would like to see the first idiot that would.
I will buy one for $20 during the fire sale when they go out of business.
No embedded mic? That's just cheap. Except that the price is not cheap at all. Lousy.
If this story wasn't regarding a Mac-related product, this article wouldn't have been published on Engadget.
WOW!!! Another amazing invention by Apple!
Ecamm is Apple now?
I actually got this a week ago and it works great with my mac mini. And yes, it does have a built in mic. I have been using it already to show things going on in other rooms (30 ft range). And I can also adjust it to sit right below the person I am talking to so it doesn't look like I am staring into space while having a conversation.
I am a musician, and this is great to show someone something on piano or guitar across the room...
So even though many of you think this camera is pointless... it all depends on what you use it for.
I am more than happy with mine.
If only I could use an Apple-branded product to do this. Let me see, what Apple product do I have that has a camera and bluetooth built in?
i wonder if a million of these will move within 3 days....
I don't know if such term already exists, but I'm inventing it nonetheless. CRAPGET!
This thing suffers from serious lack of point and comes with a premium price tag. Also no official support for anything but Mac? We've got a crapget on our hands.
720p resolution, Li-ion battery (that will last 30min-60min), and 24/30fps and I would consider it. Until then, my digital camera can do what I just described except wireless streaming of video.
Is that a real picture of it? Yikes.
there is one on ebay for a whopping $299. i guess it's for the overseas customers.