Classification: Handheld Video Transmitter

Price: $79.99

Availability: official site

Rating: 6.5/10

Comments: With all of these voyeuristic shows flooding the television today, watching ordinary people is hip. In order to watch people in their most ordinary state, methods of amateur video recording need to be used. If you follow the "if p = q and q = r then p = r" thing, then it would make sense that amateur video equipment is hip too.

The XCam2 video transmitter is as amateur as you can get. It's easy to operate (even right out of the box). Read the two-page instruction pamphlet and you're good to go. The camera itself can either plug into a wall outlet or it can hook up to a battery pack so you can walk around with it. If you run it through your VCR to the television, you can watch the transmission and still be able to press record on the VCR whenever you feel like it.

Of course, you can send these signal directly to a PC as well. (Sorry Mac users.)

The video quality is not as sharp as a regular video recorder or digital recorder, but it's adequate. The audio is loud enough to let you know there's audio, but not crisp enough to let you know what's going on.

You owe it to yourself to check out the official site. It's funny stuff. Among other stuff, the site states that, "Unlike other cameras, you don't need a cable to broadcast to your TV or PC so you gain more flexibility and freedom to capture 'candid' moments in any room at any time!" What happens when you run that through the decoder? Well, do a google search for candid webcam and see what you get. Just make sure you're over 18. (In all fairness, the thing is also good for watching the kids from afar.)

All in all, it's cheaper than a home security camera or a handheld video camera, but it can do a scaled down job of either. If you have $80 lying around and you want to start your own "big brother," then this is the set-up for you.

S Agrella will be taking submissions for an IGN "candid webcam" very, very soon.