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Ever find yourself at work, wondering how your furry ball of love is doing? You know, that food processing machine that sits around all day doing its best to be useless? You know… your cat? If you’re crazy enough, you can get the PetChatz two-way videoconferencing apparatus for pets. Not only can it alert you when your kitty is around (we say kitty, but really, it could work with anything, we suppose), but it can call him with a special tone and scent. And once he’s in front of that screen and he can see you, and you him, and you’ve “talked” for a while… just press a button to dispense a treat! Isn’t that neat? Yeah… it’s neat. It’s also so neat how expensive it is: $349. Yeah, that’s neat too, isn’t it? Cats are neat. Neat and appreciative. Cats are grand. Yeah they are.
You can pre-order now.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]
Outlook.com's 60 million-plus users will have another feature to take advantage of soon, as Skype is previewing built-in web access to its service. Currently available in the UK (headed to the US and Germany in "coming weeks," -- worldwide this summer) it lets users make calls directly from their inbox via a browser plugin available for Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox. Users with existing Skype accounts will also need to link their account to to the website which will allow their contacts to be merged, with the idea of having more choices of how to reach out to close contacts. Gmail's added easy access to hangouts and even Facebook has integrated Skype-connected video into its messaging so we suppose it's necessary for feature parity, with the added bonus of Skype's large install base. There are two demo videos embedded after the break, or you can head to Skype's blog for more details.
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
Source: Skype Blog, Outlook Blog
Video chats have become quite popular these days, whether you're using Facetime, Skype or are attending a Google Hangout. One problem with those platforms is that they provide a limited field of view and that view is static for attendees. PanaCast solves that problem with some unique hardware and software that provides a 200 degree FOV and a virtualized camera for each viewer. Its camera has six imagers, an SoC with dual ARM11 cores and a custom-built multi-imaging video processor (MIVP), along with an Ethernet port and a USB 2.0 port.
The MIVP, with an assist from some custom firmware, stitches all of the input images together to form a single 2700 x 540 video stream. That feed has enterprise-grade encryption and can run at up to 60fps over faster connections, but streams lower framerates over 3G as well. It works over the open internet and streams using a high-speed codec developed by Cavium Networks that needs only 350kb of bandwidth to function. After you're done perusing our gallery below, join us after the break to learn more about how the PanaCast system works.
Source: Altia Systems
Logitech's PR machine is on the loose this morning, trying to dampen expectations before the company announces its quarterly financial results later in the day. The key message is that we shouldn't expect any great shakes from the video conferencing side of the business. In fact, there'll be a $211 million charge against earnings, which is big enough to wipe out the previous quarter's income four times over, and which stems entirely from this source of pain:
"The enterprise video conferencing industry has experienced a slowdown in recent quarters and consequently, through this period, the video conferencing unit has not sustained the growth Logitech originally anticipated."
That's a blanket statement, describing a whole section of the industry and not just pinning the blame on LifeSize, the video conferencing company that Logitech picked up in 2009 for $405 million. It so happens that Polycom and Cisco have also reported ongoing slides in video conferencing sales, so Logitech's explanation is entirely justified -- not that it makes the LifeSize acquisition look any smarter.
Filed under: Peripherals, Internet
Source: Reuters
As a video conferencing solution, Biscotti's TV phone scores high marks for form, function and charm. But apart from the cutesy name and appealing build, it's more or less a $199 one trick pony -- or it was, anyway. Which is why the company's now tethering the peripheral to the internet-at-large and bolstering its functionality with the newly announced MyBiscotti Cloud Services. The version 2.0 software (available via an OTA update) pushes beyond simple two-way TV video chat with the addition of home monitoring features like the self-explanatory Time Lapse mode, as well as Live Image viewing, which culls streams from all networked Biscotti cams. Further, users that find themselves away from the roost will also be able to swap out settings on the fly simply by visiting the outfit's dedicated site. As of now, there's no extra cost for the expanded suite of services, but you will have to plunk down for the coffee biscuit-shaped peripheral. Official PR after the break.
Continue reading Biscotti TV phone connects to the cloud, adds home security functionality
Filed under: Peripherals, HD
Source: Biscotti
Public advocacy groups aren't all that impressed with AT&T's justifications for limiting FaceTime access over 3G and 4G to those who spring for its costlier Mobile Share plans. Free Press, Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute have served formal notice to AT&T that they plan to file a net neutrality complaint with the FCC within 10 days. It's not hard to understand why, given the groups' existing pro-neutrality stances: the Free Press' policy lead Matt Wood argues that the carrier is unfairly pushing iOS users into plans they don't need, a particularly sore point for iPad-only customers that have no AT&T phones to share. We've reached out to AT&T for comment, although we're not expecting a change from its position that allowing app use over WiFi makes its restrictions okay. As for the FCC? It's mum on the current situation. A literal reading of its net neutrality rules, however, doesn't include a WiFi exemption and might not favor AT&T when Skype video is allowed and Verizon has no problems with unrestricted access.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
Advocacy groups notify AT&T of net neutrality complaint with the FCC over FaceTime restrictions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 19:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If Cisco's ill-fated Umi video conferencing system had been more like this, would it have survived? Logitech is about to find out, one way or the other, once its TV Cam HD -- recently spotted at the FCC -- arrives in the US this month. The $199.99 device hooks up to your TV and contains all the processing power needed to run Skype and transmit wide-angle, 720p footage of your couch over WiFi or Ethernet. Unlike the previous TV Cam, there's no need for a Viera Connect HDTV -- anything with HDMI-in will do. The company is banking on the notion that families will forgo the use of their existing mobile devices and laptops in favour of an always-on dedicated system with incoming call alerts, four noise-cancelling mics and a Carl Zeiss lens that "gets the whole family in the video call, so everyone from grandparents to grandchildren can move around naturally." If you're tempted, the publicity video after the break gives a decent overview of the product in action.
Continue reading Logitech launches TV Cam HD for living room video chats: built-in Skype, 720p, $200
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Networking
Logitech launches TV Cam HD for living room video chats: built-in Skype, 720p, $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 04:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google's been adding a lot of features lately to get us to Hangout, from providing digital moustaches to scheduling virtual soirees. Now, the company's aiming to get folks video conferencing from their inbox. That's right, you can now start a Hangout with up to nine friends or colleagues straight from Gmail with a click of a button. Users can expect better quality as compared to Gmail's old peer-to-peer video chats, and it provides access to people with an Android or iOS device and those on Google+ in a web browser. The new feature has already started making its way to users, and the rollout will continue over the next few weeks. Still not ready to mix your Hangouts with email just yet? Perhaps the pair of videos after the break will persuade you.
Continue reading Hangouts come to Gmail, let you launch virtual meetings from your inbox
Hangouts come to Gmail, let you launch virtual meetings from your inbox originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Perhaps you were discouraged by the uncertainty that comes along with a Kickstarter pledge, or you simply missed your chance to give Motrr's Galileo an $85 kick before the deadline hit. Whatever the reason, you're still in luck -- the iOS-controlled iPhone platform is now available for a proper pre-order, with a 10-percent discount and free shipping in tow. Galileo, which netted a whopping $702,427 in Kickstarter funding, could soon be on its way to a nursery or conference room near you, for the slightly increased sum of $116.99. That Benjamin and change will buy you one 360-degree rotating platform, complete with a rechargeable battery, USB cable, tripod screw and user manual. There's no word on when this latest round of pre-orders will be filled, but the company did confirm that it plans to ship the first batch this summer. Full deets (and pre-order option) are at the source link after the break.
Motrr Galileo nets $700k in Kickstarter pledges, available to pre-order now for $117 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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