Well hello, Asus AiGuru SV1

It was with great fanfare that the first Skype Certified videophone, the Asus AiGuru SV1, officially launched last month. I've had one around my office for a few days now; it makes video calling really easy to do--read on for my review.

First impressions:

The box includes the AiGuru SV1, battery, AC adapter, ethernet cable and documentation. It's a very attractive device--big but not too big, solid but not too heavy. It hinges on its base so you can adjust where the camera points to, and it has a built-in battery so you can move it around your home or office while having it based in one place. It's the sort of thing that would be perfect for my parents to have an AiGuru SV1 in their kitchen. They could very easily have video chats with family and friends while cooking or hanging about, or take it to other rooms to show things or chat from the couch.

Functionality

The reason it can move from room to room is its built-in wireless connectivity. After you first turn on the AiGuru SV1 and select your language, it displays a list of available wireless networks. If your network is WEP or WPA encrypted, you can type in the network password on the SV1's on-screen keyboard. You type in you username and password in the same way.

Once you're signed in you see the familiar Skype interface, with icons laid horizontally for Settings, Search, Add Contact, Call phones, Contacts, History, Status, See myself and Account. They're pretty self-explanatory.
Settings includes options for Video, Sound, Profile, Calls, Privacy, Network and Advanced. The contacts menu is organized in a smart way, with contacts broken down into groups according to what letter they start with--this is a lot easier than having to scroll through a long list of contacts vertically.

And how does it work? Well you can see a video of it in action here:

Video quality will vary according to how good a camera your friend on the other side has; the people I spoke with all looked good to me. And when I used the 'See myself' option I found that the SV1's camera is quite capable as well, especially with a lot of light nearby.

Likewise the speakerphone on the AiGuru SV1 is also very good. I could hear the people I was talking with very clearly and they could hear me, without any echo. There are also jacks for a headset if you'd like to chat with a little more privacy.

Conclusion

The two best things about the Asus AiGuru SV1 are its simplicity and its portability. It does one thing (video calls) very well and is very easy to use--so easy even the most technophobic members of my family wouldn't have a problem with it. The interface is friendly and straightforward. And the fact that it can move around the house or office easily adds a lot more flexibility. Thinking about giving or getting one as a Christmas gift? You can pick up the SV1 at the UK Skype Store for £219.95 or in the EU for 269.95€.

Comments

Hi together

I must say that this device is one of that I've waited for a long long time.
I always saw other Videophones like that but all of them dident work with skype. Now there is one coming out. Yippiiiii!

But unfortunaly it also have some things I do not like.
For example I really miss a Keyboard on that thing. Writing messages with the 4 way pad will not be very confortable.
Or why they dident insert a Bigger Touchscreen. With Touchkeyboard. Ok Maybe the device would be much expensier but..... I would like it.

And something that still keeps my mom and dad away from this thing....... is that it hasen't got a handset. Older people don't want to miss it.

Maybe the next generation I will buy. Continue like this skype.

Hi together

I must say that this device is one of that I've waited for a long long time.
I always saw other Videophones like that but all of them dident work with skype. Now there is one coming out. Yippiiiii!

And something that still keeps my mom and dad away from this thing....... is that it hasen't got a handset. Older people don't want to miss it.

Maybe the next generation I will buy. Continue like this skype.

I'm hoping to use this for some elderly relatives, and have a couple questions:

--Does it have an "auto-answer" where it can be "answered" without the user needing to do anything, it just starts the video conversation without needing any hands-on-action by the Asus user?

--If it does require some action by the Asus user, is as simple as pushing one button (I hope)?

Thanks, anyone, for any comments. If this product is really simple, I'd think that it might be great for keeping in touch with elderly/infirm friends and relatives. If this product doesn't seem right, do people have suggestions for other possibilities? Thanks again!

Major Bug Issue with the ASUS AIguru SV1
I can not access any of my contact information...every time i select the contact button, it just sits and gives me the same message Downloading, Please wait....
i left it thinking i just had a lot of contacts but after 24 hours I realized it was a problem..
I was on with skype support and they have this just brought to their attention..it looks like there is a known bug fix that is corrected in version 2.5 but for whatever reason the device can only receive updates from the ftp server it points to and it could be managed by asus or skype or a 3rd party.
I did talk to engineer who had the contact problem resolved but he validated his firmware version was from sept of 08...
this is a major problem and I need to see if i should return this device or if they are going to resolve the problem