But convenience, one of technology's other boasts, does not always mean quality. The following webcam, VoIP and portable speaker gadgets are examples of the trade-offs consumers have to make when shopping for new technology.
But the software giant's new LifeCam VX-6000, $130, has features every MSN Messenger fan will like. A single Live Call button instantly fires up Windows Live Messenger on your computer showing you your buddy list. Like other webcams, the LifeCam lets you talk and see other similarly hooked-up computers using messaging programs.
If you haven't tried web cameras, you should. Today they are fast and easy to use -- the LifeCam's installation was exceptionally smooth -- and brings a "live" dimension to messaging. The camera works with other messaging programs but its tie-in with more Windows Live features, many of which are yet to come, make it a perfect fit in the new Microsoft online world.
For example, with one mouse click you can post LifeCam photos you just snapped, on your MSN Windows Live Spaces site, an online offering for anyone who wants to share their blog thoughts, photos and more with selected friends or the world.
The LifeCam is small and cleverly designed so it can stand on its own or attach to most LCD screens. It connects via USB and has a built-in microphone.
The unit swivels vertically and horizontally, but the fine adjustments are made with its simple software, once running, such as centering and zooming from it 71-degree wide-angle lens. It can also track your face as you fidget about your desktop.
In some ways yes, and more. The LifeCam's visual quality, at 30-frame-per-second and 1.3 megapixels, is HD quality, technically speaking, but does not quite match HD camcorders. But its video is smoother than competitors, only slowed by the speed of your Internet connection.
The 1.3-megapixel sensor for still photos can be bumped up to five-mega-pixel size, but like competitors, is nowhere near the quality of a five-megapixel digital camera. But it is handy for printing stills in larger sizes.
I found LifeCam's video and photos to lack the colour richness of competitor Logitech's QuickCam Fusion, $159.95, and stylish robotic Orbit MP, $169.95, or Creative's Live! Cam Voice, $119. Colours remained muted despite the many included adjustment options.
LifeCam's sound quality was very good, an Achilles heel for many webcams that are prone to poor sound feedback when working with their own microphone and your existing desktop or laptop speakers.
The video effects, like snowflakes and stars floating about the video image, were fun but basic compared to the sophisticated avatar creatures that can mimic your facial expressions with Logitech webcams or the online remote online security webcam features with Creative's models or their very cool video FX editing features in the Live! Cam Voice.
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