Turn your Mini DV camcorder into a Webcam

Are you fed up with the video quality of your webcam and looking for the alternative? I found this software from Orangeware, which provides the firewire driver to attach to the IM software. Most of the camcorder manufacturers provides the USB driver for turning the camcorder as webcam. But only the firewire video streaming gives the best video quality. But all the IM's relies on USB for the videoconferencing. So this software tricks the streaming firewire video to be available for the most of the available IM software.

Also this software provides the remote control of the camcorder for the remote viewers.

I spent lot of time researching the webcams for best video quality and zoom, but now i think i should buy affordable(below $250) miniDV camcorder and use it as a webcam.

http://www.orangeware.com/endusers/webcamdv.html

Tom's hardware also has the good article about this..

http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/10/08/trash_that_webcam/page4.html

New Panasonic Hybrid VoIP phone

VoIP is everywhere, now its there in cordless phones also, the new product from Panasonic BB-GT1540B combined the VoIP ATA into its range of cordless phones, This i think a really great move from the cordless product range.

You get the option to choose the free VoIP number for the selected countries ( For now in US, UK and some european countries) . This is part of the phone offering.

No need to buy the linksys or grandstream VoIP ATA and cord less phone seperately. But the only drawback is that VoIP service is tied with the VoIP provider Delta three.

I think similar products will hit the market soon from other cordless phone manufacturers.

checkout more details here http://www.joip.com/