Help! Find LifeCam answers
Learn how these webcams can help you keep in touch with friends and family
By Jessica Padykula
It seems inevitable: the older we get, the farther our friends and family spread out. It was for this reason I found myself eager to test the Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000. With busy schedules and lengthy to-do lists, it’s hard to stay connected to friends in the same city — let alone with those all over the world!
Far and away — but in touch
Heather Osler, a Toronto-based freelance writer, knows first-hand how hard it is to be away from friends and family for an extended period of time. She spent a year working in Dominica, a small island in the Eastern Caribbean.
“I used my webcam with Windows Live Messenger to chat with my friends back home,” she says. “Using a webcam really helped me feel more connected to them.”
E-mail and instant messages are great ways to keep in touch, but there’s still something missing. “Actually seeing the person on the other end adds so much depth to the conversation,” adds Osler. “The best part is being able to see the expressions on the other person’s face — something that you just don’t get when you’re chatting via text.”
Not all webcams are created equal
The key difference between the LifeCam and other webcams on the market is its tie-in with Windows Live, explains Elana Zur, product manager at Microsoft Canada. The LifeCam is fully optimized with Windows Live features.
Zur cites a big problem with webcams today: people buy them, bring them home and then don’t know how to use them. The LifeCam offers a simple, one-touch system that allows you to chat, capture and send still photos. You control all aspects of your webcam with the touch of a button, she explains.
When asked which criteria Osler searched for in a good webcam — one she would be apt to use regularly — she mentioned the following essentials: ease of use, clarity of picture and a good mounting device for the top of your monitor or your desk. The LifeCam has all of these features.
The VX-7000, which retails for about $130, provides high-quality still photography (up to 8 megapixels), high-definition video at 2 megapixels and 5 x digital zoom. It also has a 71-degree wide-angle lens, making multi-person conversations a breeze.
The LifeCam NX-3000, which sells for about $70, also offers high-definition still photography at 1.3 megapixels and high-quality video at 640 x 480 pixels. This model does not have a wide-angle lens.
Both LifeCams can capture up to 30 frames per second, and each comes with a built-in microphone.
Easy does it
The LifeCam is easy to set up. Load the accompanying software on your computer and attach it to your USB port. There’s only one cable (a flexible six feet). The LifeCam itself has a universal attachment base, so it can be easily attached to any monitor — even a laptop.
My next step was to download Windows Live Messenger so I could take advantage of all the integrated features. Click here to download Windows Live Messenger for free. Once you’ve downloaded it, Windows Live Messenger allows you to create your own space online — another way to stay connected to friends and family.
Choose to Create your space and customize colour and layout. Then you can start a blog, post photos and share videos with anyone on your buddy list. So when you’re not chatting with them, they can still find out what you’ve been up to.
Check out some of the LifeCam’s fun, easy-to-use features below.
Windows Live Call Button
Zur describes this feature as similar to speed-dialing on your phone. Pressing the Call Button — located at the top of the LifeCam — will automatically bring up your buddy list, showing you which contacts are online. Simply pick one and start your video chat.
LifeCam dashboard
It’s nearly impossible to focus on a conversation while fiddling with your webcam trying to zoom in or get a better picture. LifeCams eliminate this problem, Zur says. Your camera steering is actually on your computer screen, built right into your Windows Live Messenger window, for easy access to pan, tilt and zoom.
To access the dashboard during a Windows Live video conversation, click the star-shaped icon at the bottom left corner of the window. You can then position the dashboard anywhere on your computer screen. It even allows you to incorporate special video effects into your chat, such as snowflakes, hearts or falling leaves.
One-touch blogging
The one-touch blogging application allows you to take a still photograph with your LifeCam and post it directly to your Windows Live Space blog. So whenever I snap an adorable picture of my cat — who loves lounging atop my computer desk — I can post the images right away.
After you take a photo, click the camera icon in your LifeCam window and the One Touch Blogging icon in the lower right-hand corner of your LifeCam window. Voilà! Your photo is instantly uploaded to your Windows Live Space.
Easy photo swapping
The Photo Swap feature lets users share digital photos with each other while chatting on Windows Live Messenger.
Click the Photo Swap icon and a window will open next to the video call. This window acts like a virtual photo album where you can select photos from your PC and flip through them with your friends and family in real-time.
Further resources
For more information about the LifeCam, or to get help, check out the links below:
