Engadget

InFocus Mondopad is a 55-inch multitouch display with an identity crisis (video)

Joe Pollicino — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:48:00 EST

What do you get when you mix buzzwords like "cloud" and "tablet" with an enourmous multi-touch monitor? The InFocus Mondopad, that's what. The company anticipates that this 55-inch 1080p high-definition panel "wall tablet", equipped with WiFi and a 720p webam / soundbar, will bring pad-like functionality to your next presentation in a big way. The proprietary software mimics the feel of a mobile OS -- only bigger and blander looking -- with basic apps like a whiteboard and web browser, as well as support for Office, JPG, and PDF files. Also inside is Intel's vPro tech, enabling remote access and file sharing with mobile devices -- or having dual-screen sessions with a 58-inch iPhone table, for instance. Pre-ordering one will run you $5,949 for delivery in July and VoIP service through Vidtel will cost $49 a month per connection. No word yet on whether a more portable version is the works, but you'll find some PR and a video walkthrough after the break.

Update: We've been informed by InFocus that the Mondopad is running Windows 7 along with pre-loaded apps.

Continue reading InFocus Mondopad is a 55-inch multitouch display with an identity crisis (video)

InFocus Mondopad is a 55-inch multitouch display with an identity crisis (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony makes floating-head telepresence avatars a reality, Sean Connery digs out gun and red speedos

Jesse Hicks — Mon, 16 May 2011 07:39:00 EST

The real world just got a little more Zardoz thanks to Tobita Hiroaki and his colleagues at Sony Computer Science Laboratory, who've built a telepresence blimp that projects the operator's face across its meter-wide surface. The looming, translucent face can float about like any other blimp; an interior camera allows the user to see where it's going. The whole thing is ominous in a completely different way from, say, a tiny googly-eyed robot perched on your shoulder, but something about its nearly silent movements still gives us the creeps - and unlike the Anybots QB, it's not going to pick up your scone from the café. But if your dreams include having others bow before your god-like visage, you'll have to wait awhile, as the technology's still in its early stages. In the meantime, you can practice intoning "Zardoz is pleased!" while watching the video above.

Sony makes floating-head telepresence avatars a reality, Sean Connery digs out gun and red speedos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 07:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect used to make teleconferencing actually kind of cool (video)

Vlad Savov — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:26:00 EST

No matter how hard Skype and others try to convince us otherwise, we still do most of our web communications via text or, if entirely unavoidable, by voice. Maybe we're luddites or maybe video calling has yet to prove its value. Hoping to reverse such archaic views, researchers at the MIT Media Lab have harnessed a Kinect's powers of depth and human perception to provide some newfangled videoconferencing functionality. First up, you can blur out everything on screen but the speaker to keep focus where it needs to be. Then, if you want to get fancier, you can freeze a frame of yourself in the still-moving video feed for when you need to do something off-camera, and to finish things off, you can even drop some 3D-aware augmented reality on your viewers. It's all a little unrefined at the moment, but the ideas are there and well worth seeing. Jump past the break to do just that.

Continue reading Kinect used to make teleconferencing actually kind of cool (video)

Kinect used to make teleconferencing actually kind of cool (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple FaceTime for Mac finally out of beta, available on the Mac App Store for $0.99

Richard Lai — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:35:00 EST

After a lengthy four-month beta trial, Apple's decided that it's about time to make FaceTime for Mac available to the masses, meaning any Mac user can finally do video chat with other Mac or iOS users. Unlike the app's free iOS counterpart, though, you'll have to chip in $0.99 on the Mac App Store for some enlarged video chat sessions. But hey, it's totally worth it, especially if you have a 27-inch screen to play with.

[Thanks, kariminal]

Apple FaceTime for Mac finally out of beta, available on the Mac App Store for $0.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ittiam shows off four-way 720p HD video conferencing using Android, OMAP 4 (video)

Darren Murph — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:02:00 EST

Being Mobile World Congress, quite a few software vendors found themselves tucked into corners of bigger booths, eager and willing to showcase their latest work. Ittiam is one of those companies, relying on Texas Instruments' OMAP 4 platform to power its new HD video conferencing system. The demo shown here at MWC involved a foursome of TI development boxes, but the underlying platform was most certainly Android 2.2. Anil Kumar, the manager of Ittiam's video communications division, noted that the system would work just fine on Gingerbread and Honeycomb, enabling up to four devices (smartphones, tablets, whatever) to link up and enjoy a multi-faced call over a standard 3G network.

Of course, the demonstration that we were shown used an Ethernet network for maximum stability, but the low-bitrate technology would allow bearable results on 3G networks (and better-than-average results on a 4G network). We were told that the company is in talks with "numerous" phone makers, in hopes of getting their VCS software integrated onto Android devices by the year's end -- think Qik, but for video conferencing -- but he couldn't hand out any specifics. Head on past the jump if you'd like to see a demo (and hear an awful lot more).

Gallery: Ittiam shows four-way 720p HD video conferencing using Android, OMAP 4

Continue reading Ittiam shows off four-way 720p HD video conferencing using Android, OMAP 4 (video)

Ittiam shows off four-way 720p HD video conferencing using Android, OMAP 4 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype for iPhone upgrade lets it videocall Skype for TV, if you actually want to

Richard Lawler — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 03:44:00 EST

There's a new update out for Skype on iOS devices today that which expands the new videocalling compatibility to "a wider selection of Skype clients and devices" by adding the h.264 compatibility necessary to chat with any Skype for TV clients. That's available on certain LG, Panasonic and Samsung HDTVs right now, while Sony and Vizio have both announced it will be in some of their new HDTVs coming out later this year. The ability to call mobile devices seems to give a big edge to Skype over other living room videochat setups from Cisco, Logitech or Microsoft's Kinect, but even with a compatible (& pricey)camera in hand, good luck finding someone out enjoying the world who wants to chat while you're chilling on the couch.

Skype for iPhone upgrade lets it videocall Skype for TV, if you actually want to originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 03:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic launches Skype for 2010 VIERA Cast TVs

Donald Melanson — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:56:00 EST

We managed to get an early look at Panasonic's TV-friendly implementation of Skype back at CES in January, but the company has just now finally activated the app on all of its 2010 VIERA Cast-enabled TVs (including the VT25, VT20, G25, and G20 Series). To take advantage of it, however, you'll also have to shell out $170 for Panasonic's TY-CC10W webcam, which supports both VGA and 720p video, and packs four unidirectional microphones, an echo canceling system, and some beam-forming technology that promises to deliver clear audio over a typical TV viewing distance of three to four meters. Head on past the break for the complete press release, as well as Panasonic's requisite old-people-don't-get-technology ad for the TVs.

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Panasonic launches Skype for 2010 VIERA Cast TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype's group video calling beta now available for Windows

Darren Murph — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:33:00 EST

Mac and Linux users are still being asked to hold their horses, but Windows loyalists can begin testing out that hotly-anticipated group video calling feature today. Skype's latest beta, which was detailed earlier in the month, is now available to download for those willing to take the risk, with Skype 5.0 Beta adding support for "group video calls with up to four people." Hit that source link to get things rolling, and be sure to drop us a line once you and your four besties have had a chance to give 'er a go.

Skype's group video calling beta now available for Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype to roll out five-way video calling next week, remote partying to surge

Joanna Stern — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:39:00 EST

Well, it's taken long enough, Skype! Starting next week you will finally be able to video call with up to five people using the company's Group Video Calling feature. The beta, which will be available sometime for download during the week of May 10th, will initially be free, but Skype plans to start charging for the multi-party video fun later in the year. We're not sure if it will support HD calling, but you can bet your bottom dollar that corporations may consider replacing their surely complex videoconferencing setup with this. In other Skype news, the company is rolling out new calling plans to more than 170 countries -- from the looks of the PR after the break, it seems like it could end up saving you big time in comparison to the pay-as-you-go rates. We like savings, sure, but we'll be even more stoked should this ever land on camera-equipped smartphones and tablets.

Continue reading Skype to roll out five-way video calling next week, remote partying to surge

Skype to roll out five-way video calling next week, remote partying to surge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic's TY-CC10W webcam joins Skype, HDTVs mostly because it can

Richard Lawler — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:44:00 EST

Panasonic is back with more information on its four-mic packing HDTV camera accessory, the TY-CC10W. Skype friends who would like to see your living room without actually visiting can take a peek in either 30fps VGA or 720p/22fps h.264 encoded streams, courtesy of any nearby video phone compatible VIERA Cast TVs this can mount on top of and plug into via USB. We're (probably the only ones) waiting for a Chatroulette couch surfing client, but if you prefer your internet face-to-face meetings without the PC then ¥18,000 ($193) on June 11 will make it yours in Japan, no word on U.S. availability.

Panasonic's TY-CC10W webcam joins Skype, HDTVs mostly because it can originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI caught showing off VoIP video conferencing phone running Android

Richard Lai — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:07:00 EST

There are already plenty of fish in the sea when it comes to VoIP picture-frame phones, and only a few have succeeded in arousing us, but this well-guarded fella here at MSI's CeBIT booth seems to have some potential with its unusually large touchscreen. According to the label, the MS-9A31 landline-VoIP hybrid phone will support DECT, video conference call and instant messaging, all courtesy of Android. A quick glance around the phone also reveals two LAN ports, a USB port and a card reader -- the latter two presumably for stuffing multimedia files. No word on price or availability, but if MSI's prominence can win over Skype's heart then we might have a winner here (and ASUS better watch out). We gathered some shots, but there's also a video walkthrough after the break.

Gallery: MSI Android VoIP Phone

[Thanks, Andy]

Continue reading MSI caught showing off VoIP video conferencing phone running Android

MSI caught showing off VoIP video conferencing phone running Android originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech buys SightSpeed video chat for $30 million in cash money

Tim Stevens — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:18:00 EST

In these tough times there are plenty of bargains to be had for companies with liquid reserves and Logitech is taking full advantage, paying $30 million in cash for video conferencing startup SightSpeed. The company doesn't have nearly the name recognition of, say, Skype, but its software has been highly praised and sits at the core of Dell's Video Chat application. Exactly what Logitech will do with its new toy remains to be seen, but some strong integration with the QuickCam line is surely in the cards, and we wouldn't be surprised if this new relationship spawns a competitor to Creative's (also SightSpeed-infused) inPerson -- though hopefully at a price point far, far lower than that clamshell's $859.

Filed under: Peripherals, Networking

Logitech buys SightSpeed video chat for $30 million in cash money originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony brings HD to the operating theater

Steven Kim — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 08:31:00 EST

We know several doctors who come home to relax in front of some HD material, and Sony (no stranger to the medical field) has a slew of new and upgraded products to make sure that they get the same high-fidelity experience at work. The ImageCore HD Digital Capture System can put both still and video images at full 1920x1080 pixel resolution onto the hospital network for anyone to view. And wouldn't you know, Sony has a new 32-inch LMD-3250 HD LCD monitor to help out with just that. Of course, collaboration is a big deal among medical specialists, and HD videoconferencing between five sites can be done with the PCS-XG80; there's even the UP-55MD/HD video printer so everyone can get a hardcopy. Sure, there are other players in the HD medical space, but this kind of product range is pretty impressive.

Filed under: Industry, Displays, Other hardware, Sony, LCD

Sony brings HD to the operating theater originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Oct 2008 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lifesize and Radvision hook up soldiers, NFL stars via HD videoconferencing

Richard Lawler — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:36:00 EST

The Navy's not the only one getting a special taste of the Super Bowl, the U.S. Army is teaming with LifeSize and Radvision to let NFL legends send real time greetings to soldiers at Fort Lewis, Washington. The video calls will use Lifesize's HD videoconferencing technology and Radvision's networking to let the stars and troops feel as though they're in the same rom , despite being many miles apart. We haven't checked our maps, but hopefully Fort Washington's got the necessary OTA coverage and/or necessary cable/satellite agreements to make sure they get the game in HD too.

Filed under: Other hardware, Internet, Sports

Lifesize and Radvision hook up soldiers, NFL stars via HD videoconferencing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LifeSize unveils low-cost HD video-conferencing solutions

Nilay Patel — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:09:00 EST

The corporate videoconferencing market has taken some baby steps towards HD resolutions, but a company called LifeSize is trying to jump the rest of the pack with an array of 720p devices that sell for much lower prices than anything else we've seen. The company's basic solution, the $5,999 LifeSize Express, comes with a microphone, remote, and 720p camera, and features HDMI input and output to pipe additional content over a 1.5mbps connection. Stepping up, the LifeSize Team MP and LifeSize Room add support for more than two participants, with the $8,999 Team MP supporting 4-point single camera communications over a 2.5mbps connection and the Room bumping the specs to 6 points with two cameras and two screens each over 5mbps. Linking two MPs and a Room together in what LifeSize bundles as a turnkey telepresence solution will set you back around $40K, which sounds steep until you compare it to competing $200K SD-res systems on the market. All these are shipping now, according to the company.

[Via ZDNet, thanks James]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

LifeSize unveils low-cost HD video-conferencing solutions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Giraffe video conferencing robot to weird employees out

Jeannie Choe — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:14:00 EST

So your boss is home sick today, huh? On a business trip you say? Think twice. Thanks to HeadThere's new developments in Giraffe video conferencing robots, people can literally be in two places at once (and will look extremely creepy in one of those places). The 5-foot, 8-inch-tall Giraffe robot presents an awkward alternative to traditional video conferencing by creating an actual physical presence -- it even adjusts to a 4-foot, 5-inch height in case you interact with someone who's seated. Using special software and a webcam, the user can operate their robotic representative from a remote location: you can tilt the head, er, 14.1-inch LCD screen up and down and maneuver the robot about the office, while taking in sights and sounds with a 2.1-megapixel, 8x zoom camera and microphone. You definitely won't be shuffling through papers or sipping free coffee, however, you'd be able to chat with / micromanage your employees and coworkers thanks to a high-volume speaker placed appropriately where a mouth would be. Now word yet on availability, but we do know that one robo-doppelganger will run you somewhere between $1,800 and $3,000 (those pre-ordering will receive a discount).

[Via Crave]

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Robots

Giraffe video conferencing robot to weird employees out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype hack enables higher resolution video calls

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:55:00 EST

The majority of Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's vision of the future from 2001: A Space Odyssey has not yet been realized: popping over to the moon to have a look at the most recently unearthed alien artifact is not a common practice in the late-noughties, although one technology demonstrated in a minor scene of this science fiction epic has caught on. Video calling, once the preserve of video phones owners with expensive ISDN lines, has now become a day-to-day activity thanks to cheap broadband and a multitude of platforms that have made video chatting easy and affordable. Unfortunately, due to a variety of limitations -- lack of bandwidth, slow computers, poor quality webcams -- the majority of video conferencing solutions are of the 320 x 240 / 15 fps ilk: not something we want to hear in the era of HD. For those that do have sufficient bandwidth, a fast enough computer, and a capable webcam, there's an experimental hack for Skype that allows you to increase the resolution from the ancient 320 x 240 standard up to a much more tolerable 640 x 480. The hack only works one way, so users on both ends will have to apply it in order to see each other's zits with increased clarity. If we had a way of routing live high definition video through our PC, we'd attempt to increase the resolution even further, although that would of course require the help of something we've always found it hard to acquire: friends.

[Via MAKE]

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Filed under: Networking

Skype hack enables higher resolution video calls originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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