Tis the season to be
shopping, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.
OK,
now that we have that out of our systems, on to a couple of unusual items you might want
to consider for your favorite computor’s holiday gifties this year.
This,
first, is not strictly a computer attachment, although it can be made to work with your
computer. Meet the XCam ($149.99) from your old friends of the lamp and appliance control
systems, X-10 (www.x10.com).
The
XCam is not your usual computer camera. In fact, its primary use is with your TV or VCR,
but it can plug into anything with RCA audio/video jacks or a coaxial cable jack (i.e., PC
video capture devices such as Snappy). Whatever video device you link to, the XCam can be
used to monitor the baby’s room or your front door or your backyard pool in real-time
or to record a birthday or anniversary party or a videotaped family “greeting card.”
It also is compatible with the Microsoft WebTV Network Plus Service.
As
an added little bonus, when not using the color camera, the hamburger-sized 2.4-GHz
transmit-and-receive units can be used to shuttle a signal between any two TVs within 100
feet of each other. (Warning:The more walls you go through, the shorter the distance it
can travel.) This means you can hook one into your primary TV (the one connected to
digital cable, for example) and watch the same show on any other TV in the house. Handy
when you want to catch the game or a favorite TV show while working elsewhere.
One
of XCom’s big pitch points on the XCam is its size—the camera itself is about
the size of a small plum, which should mean it can be placed anywhere. Unfortunately, it
has to be plugged into the aforementioned Big Mac-sized transmitter, said attachment being
by a cord only a couple of inches long.
XCom
quickly realized three things: Users wanted sound with their pictures, they wanted more
flexibility between the camera and the transmitter, and they wanted to use the camera
outdoors. Thus was born XCam Anywhere ($169.99), which answers all of those with a
slightly larger weatherproof camera with built-in microphone and a bracket on which it can
stand or be attached to a wall—and a 12-foot cord linking it to the transmitter.
The
downside to all this is the potential for “hidden camera” abuses, but there has
never been a technology not open to abuse. The only real guard against that is upbringing
—as the old song says, teach your children well.
The
XCam isn’t perfect, and sometimes the pictures can be a bit fuzzy, especially in low
light (although the XCam Anywhere is supposed to be much better in low-light
environments), but for the price—and with the additional capability of shuttling TV
transmissions—it’s well worth your consideration.
