A Microsoft LifeCam or a Logitech Quickcam?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 16 November 2007 05:34

Opinion and Analysis

Naturally, there are some reasons. To start with, many of your contacts might already be on Messenger. Your computer might not have a dual-core processor. Your upstream bandwidth might not be able to upload at speeds of 384Kbps. You might not want to load another instant messaging program onto your computer, and you might not yet be ready to buy a new webcam. 

You'll need to have all of those features to get Skype working at high quality video. And even if you do have all of the right equipment, the people you want to talk to might not be similarly equipped. If they're not, high quality video just won't switch on.

If that’s the case, then the existing 320x240 video quality that Messenger offers, and other instant messaging programs such as Skype, Yahoo and others, will be the best that you can achieve no matter what equipment you are using.

Microsoft’s reasons for getting into video conferencing, such as being able to talk and to friends and family all around the world, are all compelling, but if you and your friends have the right hardware and Internet connections, why would you settle for lower video quality? You wouldn’t – you’d be trying out Skype 3.6 and a certified Logitech webcam.

But if you don’t have the right hardware or broadband speeds, having a higher quality webcam is still important. Why? Because as most ‘cheap’ webcams have only a 300,000 pixel sensor (0.3 megapixels), you’ll get more detail and quality from webcams that have 1.3 megapixels, or even better, 2 megapixels.

For many people, this alone will be a boost in video quality, and so will ensure Microsoft – and other sellers of high megapixel webcams, will probably sell more webcams this year than ever before.

Given Microsoft makes Windows Live Messenger, they’ve included a few handy features that link the software and the webcams. One is a ‘Windows Live Call Button’, which is on the top of the two LifeCams in this article. Press it, and a ‘Contact Picker’ appears, showing contacts that are online now. Click on a contact, and a video call is immediately placed, with Microsoft calling this an equivalent to a ‘speed dial’ for webcams.

A ‘one-touch’ blogging feature lets you take a photo with the webcam and upload it to their ‘Windows Live Spaces’ blog – Microsoft’s version of MySpace or Facebook.

Microsoft are also promoting the use of video messaging. You don’t need to have a live video call every time – why not just send a video message instead of typing an email? With a webcam, it’s easy to do with Microsoft’s software, although Logitech offers this feature, too.

Microsoft’s new webcams have good features and are priced well, and will give users great video conferencing to friends and family around the world through Windows Live Messenger or other instant messaging programs, even using ‘slow’ broadband connections.

The challenge is on for Microsoft, Yahoo and others to match Skype’s high quality video capabilities. Only Skype and Logitech have this for Christmas 2007, giving them a marketing coup over their competitors.

But as the majority of people won’t be able to take advantage of the new high quality video on offer with Skype until they get a faster broadband connection and a Logitech camera on both ends of the video call, Microsoft’s webcams and Windows Live Messenger are a strong combination that will appeal to Messenger users looking for a simple way to get better video quality and better Messenger integration.