Logitech QuickCam Sphere/Orbit MP Review - Software
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The QuickCam software utility that is used to control and configure the camera is good; it's a little larger than the toolbox in utilities like Photoshop and can sit quite happily on your desktop or minimize to the system tray when not in use. It provides easy access to all of the settings of the camera and also has buttons that launch QuickCapture for quick and easy stills, and the video effects and privacy shade tools.
There are also two settings icons that expose all of the options for configuring the camera and a handy tool to choose which applications can use the camera. Like the configuration options window, the video applications window is broken down into several sections which group common applications that the camera is compatible with on pages of their own.
VoIP device management is easy and allows you to configure Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM or Logitech VideoCall as video calling applications. The software also links to YouTube and Group to easily allow you to upload videos, and it's also linked to HP PhotoSmart and Windows Movie Maker editing applications. A final advertisement page allows you to send a Logitech web cam to a friend or tell a friend about their products. The software interface can be made even less intrusive by hiding the two configuration buttons.
As part of the software, you also get a few video effects, face accessories and avatars. You get five different avatars, including an alien and a shark, and they mimic your movements to a small extent. The face accessories range from a crown to a goatee and a cyborg style face covering. It's fun and the kids think it's cool but I see no place for them in a professional video call or even a chat with peers. More of both the accessories and avatars can be downloaded from the Logitech site. The privacy shade is a slightly better idea, allowing you to select from one of 40 supplied scenes of serenity or a picture of your own choice instead of showing the image captured by the camera, although if you don't want to be seen why buy a web cam?
One problem I have had with the camera is that sometimes when I start my machine up, it fails to boot fully and seems to hang after the 'Loading Windows XP' screen. If I unplug the camera and then reset the machine again, it boots fine. Once the machine has booted and the camera is reconnected, it works fine. It's a little annoying as I have to keep reaching around the back of the computer and fiddling with wires, which I hate doing, but it doesn't seem to affect the working of the camera. Logitech technical support has been very quick to respond when I asked what was causing this and have suggested updating my USB 2 drivers. This does sound like a viable reason for the problem, so I will do this and see if it resolves the problem. I'll update the discussion blog with the results.
Another problem that I've noticed from reading forums is that when the computer the camera is connected to boots, the camera does a kind of initialization thing where it moves to the extreme left and up position, then moves back to center. After a while apparently, the camera can act as if it is moving from the far right instead of the center position and this puts stress on the internal plastic cogs. It hasn't happened to me yet but it seems a common occurrence. Kaspersky users may also need to configure their camera or system differently to allow the two applications (QuickCam 10 and Kaspersky 6) to run together.
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