A pocket digital camera for your Webcam<\/p>\n
Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta<\/p>\n
What is it? Is it a cigarette lighter? A business card holder?
\nNo, it is a tiny pocket digital camera.<\/p>\n
Upon closer inspection, you will see the new Acer logo on it.
\nActually, since Acer announced the establishment of its Benq
\nbrand last December, the digital camera should have been called
\nthe Benq DC300. It is small enough to slip easily into your shirt
\npocket. There is no LCD screen that you can use to preview your
\nshots or to display the images that you have already taken.<\/p>\n
The only way you can aim the camera is by using the
\nviewfinder. The lens cannot be adjusted, as it is a fixed-focus
\ncamera, but you can use its macro mode for objects as close as 20
\ncentimeters. It has a tiny flash. It even has a built-in timer,
\nso you can easily take a picture of yourself.<\/p>\n
The small LCD panel at the back displays the status. It shows
\nyou how many pictures you have taken, the setting for the flash,
\netc. Two indicators are found at the back, one to show that the
\nunit is busy storing the image and the other to tell you whether
\nyou have selected the macro mode.<\/p>\n
If you want to erase the stored images, you can use the tiny
\nrubber buttons underneath the LCD panel. There are three of these
\nbuttons, one for turning the camera on and off, another for
\nselecting the mode and another for executing the selected mode.<\/p>\n
The power for this digital camera comes from two AAA
\nbatteries. To conserve battery power, the unit will automatically
\nshut itself off after several minutes of inactivity.<\/p>\n
Actually, the feature set is not so bad for this pocket
\ncamera. To download pictures to your PC, you use the supplied USB
\ncable. There is no way you can expand the memory, of course, but
\nBenq claims that you can store 95 to 128 images. There is no
\ndirect-to-printer facility, either. The resolution is 640x480.<\/p>\n
The good thing about this pocket digital camera is that it can
\nalso function as a Webcam. You can attach it to its cradle, which
\nis also supplied by Benq, and then place both of them on top of
\nyour monitor or somewhere else, connect the USB cable and run the
\napplication, and you can perform video conferencing through
\nMicrosoft NetMeeting. When used as a Webcam, the device draws
\npower from the PC through the USB cable.<\/p>\n
So, on the market there are dedicated Webcams, which sit
\npermanently on top of your monitor, and there are digital cameras
\nthat can also function as Webcams. Benq is certainly not the only
\nvendor to offer this dual-purpose gadget, of course. Intel has
\nfor some time been selling its Pocket PC camera, which can also
\ncapture short video clips and let you make video phone calls over
\nthe Internet. It is also a 1.3 megapixel camera, which gives you
\na better image resolution.<\/p>\n
There are other companies that also offer fairly versatile
\npocket digital cameras that can also function as Webcams,
\nincluding the Singapore-based Creative Labs. However, as in the
\ncase of most sophisticated products, you cannot really expect
\nthese cameras to be really great at both. If you are a serious
\ndigital camera user, you will want features such as expandable
\nstorage, flashcards or memory sticks. You will also want a far
\nbetter resolution. On the other hand, for a Webcam you will want
\na faster data transfer rate. A higher frame-per-second (fps) rate
\nmeans smoother video.<\/p>\n
So, the conclusion is, if you want a toy to enable you to do
\nthese two things and you do not need quality results, these
\npocket digital cameras are for you. But if you want better
\nresults, you should invest in two separate gadgets.<\/p>",
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