Webcam -- Engadget

Yashica debuts EZ F521 digicam / webcam / snoozefest

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 7th 2009 at 12:19PM

Poor Yashica. The once classic camera company is now nothing more than a brand name used to flog cut-rate digital point-and-clicks. At least its latest, the EZ F521, resembles a cool retro camera (you know, as long as you don't look too closely). Unfortunately, the specs don't make us feel any better about the whole proposition: 5 megapixel sensor, 2.4-inch LCD, automatic ISO, 42.5mm optics (with macro and landscape options), 640 x 480 video, 32MB internal memory, and SD/SDHC card support, and power provided by three AA batteries. But hey -- it can do double duty as a webcam! Yours for ¥7,980 (roughly $89), if you dare.

[Via Crave]

Point Grey puts USB 3.0 into a webcam, along with other telltale signs of over engineering

by Paul Miller posted Sep 19th 2009 at 8:58PM

We kid, we kid. We're sure it was totally necessary to put SuperSpeed USB 3.0 into this new desktop video camera to push uncompressed 1080p, 60 fps video to a computer. According to Point Grey, that unbridled bandwidth allows the camera to offload compression duties to the computer and allows for spiffy applications like face recognition and a general level of uncompressedness. At the heart of this camera is a 3 megapixel Sony IMX036 CMOS sensor, but we'll have to wait until IDF next week to get the lowdown on the rest of this camera's crazy ways -- and sure-to-be-crazy price.

[Via TG Daily]

Microsoft's LifeCam Cinema HD webcam lets you film those YouTube confessionals in 720p

by Ross Miller posted Aug 18th 2009 at 3:07AM

For when the world needs to see with pristine detail your cat playing inside a paper bag in the middle of the kitchen, or every blemish on your face as you regale the exciting story of your day, Microsoft's unveiled the LifeCam Cinema HD webcam. The USB 2.0 device captures life in 1,280 x 720 HD resolution at 30 frames per second, with auto focus, 4x digital zoom, a noise-canceling mic on top, and something called ClearFrame for smoother video, somehow. It's not without caveats, of course, requiring a dual core processor (1.6GHz minimum, 3GHz recommended) and listing for $80, but it does happily tout its Windows 7 compatibility out of the box. Interests piqued? The webcam'll be popping up in stores on September 9th, which as it turns out, is becoming a rather busy day for tech enthusiasts.

Update: Looks like the 720p mode is capped at 15FPS. Tsk, tsk.

Logitech introduces seven new webcams, makes decisions ever harder

by Darren Murph posted Jul 29th 2009 at 8:22AM

You know, in the vast majority of situations, we'd prefer choice over no choice. But in this particular kettle of fish, we're not so sure we're eager to parse through build sheets associated with no less than seven new Logitech webcams. In a presumed effort to get every PC owner on planet Earth equipped with a Logitech Vid-enabled device, the outfit is today introducing the Webcam Pro 9000, Portable Webcam C905, Webcam C600, Webcam C500, Webcam C300, Webcam C250 and Webcam C200. For those of you still with us, you'll (possibly) be elated to know that the higher-end Pro 9000 ($99.99; shown above) packs a 2 megapixel sensor for capturing 720p video, while the lowest-end C200 ($29.99) handles the basics with a 1.3 megapixel sensor that serves up VGA footage. The whole lot is expected to ship to the US and Europe next month, and you can catch the nitty-gritty details there in the read link.

Gallery: Logitech introduces seven new webcams, makes decisions ever harder

BT-1 Bluetooth webcam for Mac finally shipping

by Ross Miller posted Jun 22nd 2009 at 8:52PM

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.

D-Link gets official with mydlink-enabled network cameras

by Donald Melanson posted Jun 19th 2009 at 7:39PM

D-Link wasn't exactly dishing out a ton of details when it showed off its DCS-1100- and DCS-1130 network cameras back at CES, but it's now finally gotten fully official with 'em, and the new mydlink website that they're tied to. As you can see above, one of the cameras, the DCS-1130, packs some built-in WiFi (802.11n, no less), while the other keeps things wired to save a few bucks and please those still wary of wireless security. Otherwise, each are seemingly identical, and pack a 16x digital zoom, motion detection, a built-in microphone, support for 3GPP mobile surveillance (provided you have appropriate router) and, of course, support for remote monitoring from D-Link's new mydlink.com website, which apparently thinks it's 1999 and only supports Internet Explorer. If that's not too big a drawback, you can pick up the wired version now for $180, or grab the WiFi model for $230 at the end of the month.

Philips SPC1330NC webcam reviewed: high quality but not exactly high speed

by Tim Stevens posted May 21st 2009 at 6:56PM

If you're still Skyping in VGA you need to get with the times, brotherman. Two megapixel webcams are where its at, and according to the review at Register Hardware, the £70 ($110) Philips SPC1330NC delivers. It'll interpolate up to eight megapixel stills if you want to play pretend, its f2.0 aperture gives it great low-light performance, and a stereo mic puts it ahead of the competition, like Microsoft's mono-tastic LifeCam Show. Overall the chromed cam earns high marks, only disappointing by not delivering its advertised 90fps max speed until the resolution is dropped to decidedly sub-VGA resolutions. But, unless you plan on kung-fu chatting, chances are you can get by with less.

Crapgadget: No wonder the economy sucks edition

by Darren Murph posted Apr 27th 2009 at 1:08AM

While we here at Engadget are doing everything in our power to get this philosophical "economy" back "on track," it's items like these that aren't doing anything to help. No innovation. No stimulating capabilities. No utility at all, really. Just a webcam that scans business cards, an MP3 player shaped like a cow and a flash drive that's absolutely not certified for circulation by the Democratic National Committee. Though, we must say that they're all tailor made for Crapgadget, which is (just barely) good enough for us -- drop your vote for the lamest below!

Read - CowCow MP3 player
Read - 4-Port Soccer Ball USB Hub
Read - MSI StarCam Flip Webcam
Read - USB Bird Fan
Read - Bling Bling USB Card Reader
Read - Obama Flash Drive

Dream Cheeky's USS Enterprise webcam exudes charm and class

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 12th 2009 at 2:11AM

Now that it's legal for George Takei to get married in Iowa, what better way to celebrate than by letting your "Trek flag" fly in your home or office? The USS Enterprise-themed USB webcam features an adjustable focus, and the red engine lights (or whatever they are) actually, you know, light up. For maximum realism, we guess. And the cable is adorned with the Star Fleet Insignia although, sadly, it will not function as a communicator. It is just a TV series, you know. No word on release date or price, but we're keeping our eyes peeled.

HP promises fix for Mini 1000 webcam problem

by Nilay Patel posted Feb 26th 2009 at 5:10PM

Well, that was fast -- we were wondering where that Gear Diary video of an HP employee fixing the defective webcam on a Vivienne Tam Mini 1000 went, and it turns out that it was pulled at ol' Hewpie's request. The company's promised to release an official statement with instructions for sending in affected machines, and we'd guess it doesn't want customers taking matters -- and display bezels -- into their own hands while they sort out a plan. Sounds reasonable to us -- and we know you understand it too, which is why we've posted a similar video after the break.

Continue reading HP promises fix for Mini 1000 webcam problem

A bit of surgery gives the HP Mini 1000 new sight

by Paul Miller posted Feb 26th 2009 at 1:19PM

HP's Mini 1000 might get all the ladies, but the netbook is not without its flaws. Apparently in the manufacturing process somebody forgot to remove the protective film from the webcam lens, giving thousands of netbooks incredibly impaired vision of their handsome owners. HP hasn't fessed up to the problem in any grand manner, but an HP employee was kind enough to do some on-the-spot surgery of Gear Diary's Vivienne Tam-edition Mini 1000. It's not super-involved, so check out the video after the break and then go scare the life out of your girlfriend when you suddenly attack her flowery netbook with a pair of knives. Tell her Engadget sent you.

Update: At the time this post is going live, the video has been pulled from YouTube. We're not sure what's up with that, but the procedure is pretty simple: wedge open the top of the screen, push down the two connecting tabs to separate it more, pull off the film with tweezers. This might void your warrant (in fact, probably does) so proceed at your own risk!

[Via GottaBeMobile]

Continue reading A bit of surgery gives the HP Mini 1000 new sight

Micro Innovations's bamboo lineup might just save the world... from generic computer peripherals

by Paul Miller posted Feb 12th 2009 at 10:03PM

Our Panda-like obsession with bamboo is really paying off of late, what with the hundreds of bamboo ASUS laptops scattered around the Engadget HQ, the few dozen cubicles we've built out of Dell Studio Hybrid sleeves, and now this complete line of bamboo peripherals from Micro Innovations. Sure, they're ugly and a little low on tech -- the speakers, card reader, webcam, USB hub, keyboard and mouse couldn't be any more generic in specifications -- and as far as we can tell there's nothing particularly "green" about the typical-seeming internals, but apparently the (undisclosed) pricing is right. Most of this stuff should be available through your electronics retailer of choice in April or May.

MIT concocts wearable "sixth sense" device, Bruce Willis is like "what?"

by Darren Murph posted Feb 5th 2009 at 1:32PM

We've nothing but respect for the researchers, engineers and all around brainacs that call MIT home, but unless our minds are simply too feeble to grasp the connection here, we can't figure how this "sixth sense" device actually relates to one of Bruce Willis' most well known films. At any rate, what we do have here is a wearable device that is comprised of a mobile projector, a webcam and a cellphone -- a package that was thrown together for around $300. Once strapped on, signals from the webcam and projector are relayed to internet-connected smartphones in order to project data onto basically any backdrop. Somehow, the device can even "take photographs if a user frames a scene with his or her hands, or project a watch face with the proper time on a wrist if the user makes a circle there with a finger." The actual hows and whys seem to be a mystery, but if we had just developed a gizmo as ripe for commercialization as this, we'd probably keep most of the secrets under wraps as well.

[Via Blorge]

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

Filmmaker hopes to replace false eye with webcam, become a superhero

by Darren Murph posted Dec 5th 2008 at 9:34AM

There are quite a few eerie similarities between Rob Spence and Tanya Vlach. For starters, they're both artists, and secondly, they both currently have one prosthetic eye. The real kicker? Each of 'em wants a camera stuck in there instead. In what we can only hope is (or isn't?) a freakishly growing trend, Mr. Spence has reportedly sought consultation from the University of Toronto's Steve Mann, a self-proclaimed expert in the field of wearable computing and cyborgs. Essentially, Rob is hoping to install a webcam in his eye socket in order to become a so-called "lifecaster." The camera wouldn't actually be wired to his brain, thus his level of vision would remain subpar, but it would make him a living science experiment that would surely prove insightful to an array of others. As of now, it sounds like the road to installation is long, but we get the impression that this guy isn't apt to give up until the proverbial fat lady begins to bellow.