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Andrew Brennan on February 22, 2008 in Ipevo, Logitech, Miscellaneous.
A veritable smorgasbord (or smörgåsbord even) of Skype Gear-related news and reviews this Friday.
Some recent hardware reviews:
- IPEVO Trio
- SMC WiFi Phone for Skype WSKP100
- Skype on PSP
And in the news
- How to Video
- Video Visits
- Online Etiquette
Get the full rundown after the jump...
A webcam is just a webcam, right? I've been living in the UK away from family in the US for over 3 years now, so I've been using webcams for a reasonably long time to stay in touch. For the longest time I did think a webcam was just a webcam--it'd have clunky drivers (that I'd prefer not to install when I could because they didn't seem to do much) and the picture quality would be mediocre but you'd deal because it's better than just talking. But with the recent release of some new webcams from Logitech, combined with the new Skype 3.6 Beta, I'm changing my tune. High Quality Video on Skype is here, and it really does make a difference. I've been able to test out a Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks for the past few days and I'm pretty impressed.
Continue reading "Skypegear Roadtest: Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks" »
It's a go! (Well, nearly...)
High Quality Video on Skype brings the resolution of video calling on Skype up to 640 x 480 pixels (from 320 x 240) and up to 30 frames per second (from a max of 15) when you meet the necessary hardware and software requirements.
The difference is pretty amazing--it's the sort of quality that was previously only available to big businesses (for lots of money), but now it's available to everyone on Skype (for free)!
Continue reading "Clearer, Sharper, Smoother: High Quality Video on Skype!" »
You probably already know how great video calls on Skype are (and if you don't, you've got to give it a try!). Seeing the face of a far away friend or family member never fails to put a smile on my face. But if you're not always making video calls (or you have an extra webcam), there are a bunch of neat applications for webcams that go beyond the call of the video call. What else can you do with a webcam?
Continue reading "Cool Things to Do with a Webcam (or two!)" »
By
Andrew Brennan on August 31, 2007 in Awards, Linksys, Logitech, Memory Sticks, Netgear, Philips, Sandisk.
Laptop Magazine in the US recently published its annual Ultimate Mobility supplement, and sure enough it noted a bunch of Skype products that can help advance your own personal 'ultimate mobility' with Skype. It's not the greatest scan (PDF here), but these pages highlight 5 Skype Certified products and a few other products that aren't Skype Certified.
LAPTOP named the Phillips 8411B (aka VOIP841, review here, store here) its Ultimate Choice 2007 for VOIP phones, saying "VOIP phones don't come any slicker or more versatile." The article also mentions the Netgear SPH200D (my personal fav, review here, store here), the Linksys CIT400 (review here, store here), and the Logitech Cordless Internet Handset, which I haven't had the chance to review yet but looks pretty slick.
The article also names the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium USB stick (store here) as its Ultimate Choice 2007 for USB memory drives. It uses SanDisk's U3 technology to let you run Skype and other programs in a convenient self-contained environment. We've mentioned it on the blog before here. I actually have one of these drives on my keychain, the SanDisk Cruzer Micro (not Titanium, sadly) and I love it especially for its design--it's small and the USB jack slides in and out easily so you don't damage it when it's in your pocket or have a cap to lose.
Check out the full Skype coverage in the Ultimate Mobility section here.
By
Andrew Brennan on May 14, 2007 in Altec Lansing, Bluetooth headsets, Cordless phones, GE, Logitech, Motorola, Philips, Plug-in handsets, Retail, Skype Certified, Skype Starter packs, US Robotics, USB Phones, Webcams.
Big news for US Skypers today--Skype and Wal-Mart have announced a partnership that makes Skype-certified products available at 1,800 Wal-Mart stores across the US starting today. What sorts of gear will Wal-Mart be carrying? There's a pretty wide range:
By
Andrew Brennan on April 29, 2007 in Logitech.
So I've been doing several of these catch-up reviews of products that have out for a while, and the US store has been kind enough to provide me with samples. But one thing they didn't have to provide me with is the Logitech USB 350 headset--I already own it and use it as my day-to-day headset. Here’s my review.
Continue reading "Skypegear Roadtest: Logitech Premium Stereo USB Headset 350" »
By
Stephen Pinches on April 22, 2007 in Logitech, Mac hardware, Webcams.
Andus Purde over on Skype for Mac blog makes some excellent brief points on which webcams you can Skype with on your Mac. As Andrus observes, "Apple iSight, Philips SPC900NC and Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 are pretty safe bets", but there really are quite different cams you can use for your Mac.
A couple of other points from Andrus:
Continue reading "Which webcams can I use with Skype on my Mac?" »
By
Stephen Pinches on February 20, 2007 in Bluetooth headsets, Business, Cordless phones, Logitech, Philips, Polycom, Webcams.
Life isn't easy being an international firm of architects. Gone are the days of waltzing around in black polo-necks, talking Bauhaus and minimalism and wearing thick black specs to impress the ladies. These days, clients are demanding, deadlines are always imminent, and the boundaries of creativity always ready to be pushed.
It is these kinds of pressures that, with offices across the UK and in Prague, architects Lewis & Hickey operate under. As you can see from their website, Lewis & Hickey are far from conventional in their approach to office space and working practices, and so Skype were delighted to work with them on the first Skype for Business showcase in the UK.
Continue reading "International Architects get a full Skypeover" »
By
Stephen Pinches on January 24, 2007 in CES 2007, Cordless phones, GE, Logitech, Netgear, Philips, Sony, Wifi phones.
Well it appears in the white heat of CES that Skypegear missed out on a few of the Innovations awards that Skype partners had bagged at CES; turns out that it was in fact a grand tally of at least 7 rather than the still 3 that I reported previously.
Continue reading "Correction: Skype bags 7 innovation award winners at CES rather than 3...!" »
By
Stephen Pinches on October 24, 2006 in Logitech, Skyped keyboards.
The Logitech EasyCall Desktop is a bit of everything. Part wireless keyboard and mouse, part music manager, part speakerphone, and part Skype manager. But is the sum greater than the parts? Skype Gear's got its hands on one and it could be just the thing for anyone who likes everything quite literally at their fingertips. Read on for full details...
Continue reading "Skype Gear Roadtest: The Logitech EasyCall Desktop for Skype" »
