Logitech just announced its C line of webcams including the C910 ($100) with two mics for noise cancellation and 720p video calls. It ships in August. The C510 is more portable and folds up on itself for travel – it’s $60. Finally, you have the C310 and C270 ($50 and $40) that stream at 720p and little else. These ship in June.
I tried the webcams with Logitech’s new VidHD platform and made a video call with Logitech’s headquarters. The software is still in beta so I froze up a bit during the call but overall the experience was quite interesting. Compared to calling my parents over Skype, the resolution was surprisingly high and I could actually see my contact’s hair instead of a blur of pixels. The software is Mac and PC compatible.
The cameras should work with the upcoming Google TV box, enabling 720p video chats on the TV, a far more interesting premise than shipping HD video out of my messy office. While I won’t say that 2010 is the year of telepresence in the home, it sure seems that we’re headed in that direction.
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