Logitech, a name long synonymous with PC webcams, just announced its newest, flagship camera which -- are you ready? -- is Mac-only. A move which, quite honestly, makes us feel, well... dirty. The USB 2.0 QuickCam Vision Pro works with iChat and Skype and features a 2 megapixel sensor, a quick autofocusing Carl Zeiss lens, and the ability to record VGA video at 30fps while mounted to your display or, redundantly, to your MacBook which of course have featured an integrated webcam for the last few years. Hitting shelves across Europe and the US in July for $130. See this chunk of a webcam attached to an Apple Cinema Display after the break.

Consider yourselves fortunate. You've had well over two whole months without an episode of Crapgadget, but today, that grace period ends. The most recent laughable load includes an absolutely vile wristwatch that supposedly plays MP3s / MP4s if you can manage to glance away from the bezel and band. Furthermore, we've got a TV tuner and webcam -- in one -- alongside a way-too-expensive WiFi sniffing pen that doesn't do 802.11n. Bringing up the rear is Connectland's 180° X2 Revolving USB Hub, which clearly raises the bar in USB hub design stupidity. Per usual, we're begging for your vote on the crappiest below, but we'll understand if you just can't bear the thought of spending another moment thinking about these pitiful creations.

Hey, we've seen quite a few gimmicky game control schemes in our day. We thought we were jaded, believed that we could no longer be moved emotionally by a few dorks in a lab, promising to revolutionize video games with their insanity. Until we saw Cam-Trax. You'll get it in a moment by peeping the video after the break, but the basic gist is this: Cam-Trax offers highly accurate and responsive tracking of random colorful objects you hold in front of your webcam and tell it to track. Gameplay can be EyeToy-esque, but it can also be so much more, since the unit can track many objects in a full three dimensions. The video shows everything from a glorified game of pong to a FPS, and promises to control "any game" with "any webcam." Show us more, Cam-Trax.

[Thanks, Chen D.]

While it may look like an overhead projector without any hints to the scale, you're actually looking at HP's (relatively) tiny Elite Auto Focus Webcam. Compatible with all the major PC-based, video chat solutions out there (Yahoo, Skype, MS Messenger, AIM), the USB 2.0 cam clips onto your monitor and features a 3 megapixel CMOS camera capable of shooting video ranging from 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps quality on down to 1,600 x 1,200 at a stuttering 5fps. It also brings a built-in stereo microphone, face tracking and Magic-i video effects software, 3 programmable buttons, and a sliding "privacy cover" which lets your date know that the camera really is, off.

Apparently, the Eye Toy craze has extended well beyond Sony's famed PlayStation brand, and it looks as if the ANEO GX-10 is a new (and inexpensive) way to get the same kicks in a different fashion. Offered up at none other than Brando, this USB-connected device enables PC users to interact with a trio of games (Kungfu, Super Knight, and Funny Stair for those already on the edge of their seat) as well as spark up a video chat on a whim. Granted, we don't expect this thing (nor the software) to be of top-shelf quality, but hey, it's hard to knock for $33.

[Via I4U News]

We thought Brando had finally reached the pinnacle of jokey USB armaments with its recent wireless missile launcher -- the third such product in this evolving line -- but apparently there is demand out there for a remotely-operated version capable of waging war over the internet. Filling this strange market gap will be the USB MSN Missile Launcher, which tacks a webcam onto the standard version and allows your buddies on the Microsoft network to randomly shoot at you throughout the day. Again, we're not sure who buys a weapon whose main purpose is to attack its owner, so the $49 device may not be the huge hit its predecessors were when it 'launches' on the 18th.

Sure, it won't get you live 3D representations of living cells, but this little USB microscope mashup over at Instructables should nab you some sweet pics of up-close detail with a minimum of effort. You can pull it off with basically any simple webcam -- the one pictured here cost $5 -- and toy microscope, but you'll have to a little creative wiresplicing to get the white LED light source powered off USB as well. Still, it's a neat project if you've got the time -- now get to work!

IPEVO, better known for its Skype-related offerings, is gearing up to unveil its PoV handheld webcam at the Taipei Computer Show, but thankfully, it went ahead and uploaded most all of the nitty gritty onto its website for us to pore over. Apparently, the device is designed to enable users to easily show others "what they see," and it features a VGA (640 x 480) resolution, adjustable focus, automatic white balance, a built-in microphone and USB 2.0 connectivity. You can also perch this bugger on your desk or desktop monitor, but c'mon, where's the fun in that? No word on a price or release date just yet, but those tidbits should be readily available next month.

[Thanks, Roy C.]

Yeah, yeah, the caption reads "watch over your loved ones wirelessly..." but we know by "watch over" they mean spy. With SingTel's dubious intentions aside, the Mobile LIVEcam looks to be a reasonably inexpensive and capable -- albeit optically challenged -- 0.3 megapixel remote camera. For only $240 upfront and about $6 month in service costs you get a 3G SIM card and the camera which can pan, tilt, zoom, and even record video onto a microSD card. If your preferred recording location is a bit dark, the camera features an infrared recording mode to help get the dirtiest of dirt ensure your family's safety. The LIVEcam is controlled via SMS commands or through a web interface -- also accessible by up to 20 others via password control -- on your mobile phone, and with a touted 300 hours standby time, should give you enough time to capture the perfect shots. Yep, anti-privacy never looked so fun.

At first glance, suckers for all things cute may fall for Lili and Oscar even before knowing the story behind them, but these two peripherals not only provide animalistic replacements for those vanilla USB hubs and webcams, they promote eco-friendliness, too. According to United Pepper (which is partnering with EuroTech), Oscar (the USB hub) and Lili (that'd be the webcam) arrive in four different colors, are constructed from recyclable materials, and are produced "in a fair trade environment." Moreover, the webcam touts a 1.3-megapixel sensor and a built-in microphone, while Oscar boasts four USB 2.0 ports for connecting up an array of input peripherals. Both creatures are slated to land in the UK this month, and while Lili will cost £30 ($60), Oscar will be available for just £20 ($40). [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via SciFiTech]

It's nearly fall and that can mean only one thing: er, new mice and webcams from Microsoft. Yeah, about as exciting as moms taking you shopping for new big-boy school trousers. Granted, the 1.3 megapixel LifeCam NX-3000 and 2 megapixel LifeCam VX-7000 are decent and all as are the new $50 Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 and $50 Wireless (RF) Notebook Laser Mouse 7000. But the action, Jackson, comes with the October release of the $100 Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 (pictured). We're talking both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth packed into the transceiver (toggled with a switch) with 1GB of flash baked-in allowing it to pull double-duty as a flash drive. Nice, but the laser mouse itself features a 3-contact, magnetically-held charging cable which automatically senses whether you're using a rechargeable AAA (included) or off-the-shelf Alkaline when in a jam. Snap the transceiver in-place beneath the mouse and everything powers off presto quick. Peep the gallery for a healthy mix of hands-on and glamor-shot action.

Read -- LifeCam NX-3000
Read -- LifeCam VX-7000
Read -- Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000
Read -- Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 7000
Read -- Mobile Memory Mouse 8000

It's probably a fact that your internet "dates" could turn up in a slightly higher resolution, don't you think? Well maybe it's time to turn on the Clique Communications' Clique Hue HD flexible webcam, which will broadcast or capture any variety of web-related video "activities" at the cushy resolution of 1280 x 1024 (but at a measly 10 FPS), or you can knock it down to 1024 x 768 for a decent 30 FPS situation. If you're just interested in still-framing it, this little dude can rock resolutions up to 2560 x 2048, although apparently it all happens via software trickery, which means your lovely date may still look somewhat... um, messed up.

For those of you who regularly get lost in the infinite beauty of your own reflection, you can now enjoy the totally self-indulgent experience while "communicating" with your "friends", thanks to the Mirror Webcam. There isn't much tech to divulge here -- it's a USB webcam embedded in a mirror, with a ring of LED lights surrounding it which, depending on your face, will make you look much better or much worse. You can use the device as a regular mirror or as a digital mirror, but either way you're still staring at your own face like a self-involved jerk. Available now for around $49.

[Via Akihabara News]