Web Cams Link to Messenger

LifeCams, a forthcoming line of Web cameras from Microsoft Hardware, will boast tighter integration with the company’s Windows Live Messenger instant-messaging client than competing cameras, and could affect a relationship between MSN and Logitech.

Users connect Web cameras to their computers in order to capture real-time video or snapshots and transmit them over the Internet, usually during live chat sessions. In Aug. 2006, Microsoft will enter this space with two models of LifeCam: the US$100 VX-6000, which will feature a 5.0-megapixel still camera, 1.3-megapixel video resolution, and 3x digital zoom; and the US$50 VX-300, which will feature a 1.3-megapixel still camera and 640×480 video resolution. Both models will feature a Windows Live Call button for users to initiate video calls via Windows Live Messenger: when users press the button, a list of currently online contacts from their Windows Live Messenger contact list will appear, allowing them to start a video call by selecting any contact. A LifeCam Dashboard built into the Windows Live Messenger client will allow users to control the camera (for example, zoom or pan) during video calls and post still pictures to their Spaces blog with one click. Currently, cameras from other vendors, such as Apple, Creative, and Logitech, do not have these integration features.