Word: beamer
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...webcams for less than $100 that will let you do the same thing over your Mac or PC, but who wants to sit in front of a computer any longer than you have to? Besides, webcams require a microphone, speaker, modem and special software. The only extra the Beamer needs is the phone you already...
...should the Beamer, from newcomer Vialta in Fremont, Calif., fare any better? For starters, it has a stylish design that looks more like a picture frame than another high-tech gizmo. What's more, it plugs directly into a regular phone line and requires no computer hookup. And at $500 for a pair (both parties need one so they can see each other), it comes at a pretty fair price...
Designed in-house at Vialta, the Beamer neatly houses a 3 1/2-in. color screen in a silvery frame with a clear plastic faceplate. A small camera is perched just above the screen, and the entire unit is 8 in. tall, 6 in. wide and 4 in. deep--small enough to fit on a shelf or ledge. The few controls, including one for brightness and image quality, are tucked away on one side...
More important, the Beamer is probably the easiest high-tech gizmo you'll ever set up. After recruiting my friend Swati as a guinea pig and promising her that setting the Beamer up in her apartment would take no more than an hour, I was amazed when we finished in less than 10 minutes. All we had to do was take it out of the box, plug one cable to the phone jack, a second to the phone and a third to the power outlet...
After whizzing through the same setup back at my pad, I placed the first call using my home phone. Once Swati picked up, I pushed a button on my Beamer to start the video feed. In about 15 seconds (during which we couldn't speak to each other), up popped Swati's pretty face. Well, she actually looks much better in person, but because the lighting was bad in her apartment, Swati's face was covered in shadows. Mine came through clear and bright...